THE TOWN HALL

       CORNER BURNED

THREE BUILDINGS DESTROYED

IN EARLY MORNING

BLAZE.

   Fire of unknown origin wiped out the "town hall corner" this morning.  The fire was discovered by O. W. Burger shortly after 2 o'clock overheat the B. & B. lunch room.  Oscar did a good job ringing the bell to call out the natives, taking three different hitches at it, but far the greater number of citizens did not hear the bell at all.  The crowd was slow in assembling.  The old bell, the herald of many tragedies as well as jubilees for the past fifty years, itself perished in the flame as an old hero.

   For years and years everybody has expected the "town hall corner" to succumb to the fire fiend.  It has always been a fire-trap.  Well-based predictions have come true.

   The fire destroyed three buildings:  the town hall building, which of later years has been occupied by Wm. Hilficker's tin shop, the town's fire engine room and O. W. Burger's carpenter shop; O. A. Thompson's building, once the Bank of Dallas Center, occupied by the B. & B. lunch room operated by Mr. and Mrs. Ross Brown, and the Loring building, at one time occupied by the Dallas Center Times, but which, for the past few years, had been occupied by O. F. Ward's tailor and music shop.  All of the buildings were of wooden construction.  One, the Thompson building, was covered with sheet iron.  A building stood back of the hall, owned by the town was saved, and the "cooler" next south only got a good scare.  Al. Patterson had given an itinerant lodging for the night.  The fellow lammed in and worked like a trojan.

   The stock of the B. & B. lunch room was a total loss, partly insured.  Most of the stock was carried from O. F. Ward's place of business.  An electric piano, an organ some stoves and other articles went up in smoke.  Some insurance was carried.  But little was saved from Hilficker tin shop.  Mr. Hilficker carried $400 insurance on his stock.  O. W. Burger saved all of his tools, desk, etc., (including a scientific treatise on astronomy.)  Everything was removed from the engine room.  The only thing about the building worth anything was a set of big garage doors, almost new.  They were pried off and saved.

   No one knowns how the fire originated.  Some hold the theory that it started from the electric sign on the restaurant, others that it started from defective flue.  It is know that it originated over the restaurant, however.

   The fire was a lucky one, as there was no wind and roofs were covered with several inches of snow.  Had there been a terrific wind from the west, the whole south side of street would have been imperiled; had it been directly from the north, F. A. Barrett's fine house would have burned; had it been from the east, the oil station and Woodman hall would have burned.  As it was, the Hawkeye oil station got pretty warm.  All east-side glass were shattered.  The Moser garage across the street is practically fireproof.

   Again, the absolute necessity of waterworks has been demonstrated in a most practical way.  The little chemical outfit did little if any good.  A petition asking the council to act upon the waterworks propostion has been filed for next meeting.  It is our opinion that it will come out victorious with colors flying - then it will be up to you, Mr. Property Owner, to determine whether or not you wish to be at the mercy of the fire fiend.