SMALL FIRE! BIG SMOKE!

Fire about four o'clock yesterday afternoon came near destroying the old Eagle House, one of the oldest landmarks in Angola.  The fire originated in a room occupied by Councilman Frank Bassett as a storage room for hay and straw in connection with his feed store in the same building.  The blaze was first discovered by Mrs. Bassett in its incipiency, and in a few minutes smoke enough belched forth to make people think the whole block was on fire.  The firemen were soon on hand and quenched the flames in fine shape.  The building is owned and occupied by Miss Louisa Orten, who is in very poor health..  She was carried from her cot to the Hotel Hendry across the street and placed in a chair in the office room where she sat and watched the fire laddies save the old landmark, with more coolness than a girl girl of sweet sixteen.  Had the fire occurred at night, the entire building along with Watson's restaurant and the J.A.J. Sowle saloon building would probably have gone up in smoke, as they are all old wooden structures and as dry as punk.  The corner room of the old hotel building is occupied by John Walker, the cobbler and Timothy Gay, the tailor, both of whom kept cool and saved their "last goose."  Mr Bassett estimates his loss at $50.00.  It is claimed that a little 5 year old boy was playing with matches and started the fire, as he was seen to run away from the building a few moments prior to the discovery of the blaze. 

Steuben Republican October 23, 1901

DISASTROUS FIRE HITS ANGOLA

Destructive Fire

On last Monday night occurred on of the moat destructive fires that ever befallen this place.  The property destroyed will, we are assured, not fall short of eight or nine thousand dollars.  The Eureka building and the greater portion of all the property contained in it was entirely consumed.  (Located where former First National Bank Building and Masonic Building is on the southeast corner of the square)  The fire originated in that part of the building occupied by Wm. Roades as a grocery and saloon, and when discovered the inside of the room was a bed of coals, the flames darting out of the windows and siding above the door.  Any attempt to stay the progress of the devouring element being useless, the citizens went to work with a will to clear the building of its contents.  A large amount of furniture was saved, but a still larger amount was destroyed.  Fortunately there was little or no air stirring, or the loss would necessarily have been much greater.Even with the air so still it was only through the united efforts of the citizens that the Dry Goods store of Hendry and Merriman, the Angola House, and Woodhull and Croxton's Law Office was saved.  The last named building sustained considerable damage.  The Drug Store of L. E. Carver, and Harness Shop of Israel Kemery were stripped of their contents, and the archives of the county removed from the County Offices, but through the superhuman efforts of the citizens the further progress of the fire was arrested at Woodhull and Croxton's office and the danger in that direction averted.

The loss sustained by the destruction of the Eureka is estimated about as follows : L.A. Russel & Co, proprietors of the building, loss $6,000, insured for $2,000 ; Myron Hord, Billiard Saloon in same building, loss $1,200, insured for $500 ; Jacob Stealy, Marble Shop in same building, loss $200, no insurance ; William Rhoades, Grocery Store, in same building, loss $1,200, insured for $600.

It is not known how the fire originated, but it is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary, as there is evidence to confirm this belief. 

Steuben Republican July 12, 1866

DISASTROUS FIRE IN ANGOLA SATURDAY

NATIONAL MILLS TOTALLY DESTROYED

___________________

Fierce Blaze Battled For Hours by Fire Department - Severe Loss To Angola

__________________

National Mill Before The Fire

Angola suffered the most disastrous fire in her history last Saturday forenoon when the National Mills was completely destroyed.  The fire was discovered about 9 o'clock in the forenoon, and was caused by spontaneous combustion in a dust collector on the third floor of the building.  The mill, including the building was owned by J.E. Page, who bought it last September from W.C. Sherburn.  The loss is estimated from $20,000 to $25,000 and the insurance was $14,000,  $8,000 of which was on building and machinery and the balance on the contents.

Taken soon after the roof and
upper  floor  fallen in.  Firemen can
be  seen  to the left on the
 roof of  the plant of the
Indiana Utilities Company

The mill was running a usual, and William Allen, the miller, had just been up on the third floor a few moments before the fire and noticed nothing out of the ordinary there at the time.  He had returned to the lower floor of the mill and within a couple minutes he noticed that the electric motor which drives the machinery was laboring under its load, and called Mr Page's son Joseph, who was loading an auto in preparatory to a trip to Orland, and they rushed to the motor and threw off the currant, and hurried up to the third floor, and by the time they arrived there found the upper floor so full of smoke and fire that they could not gain entrance. They immediately returned and turned in the fire alarm to the water and light plant which is located in the south one story addition to the mill.  The company responded promptly to the alarm, but the nature of the fire gave it such headway that it could not be controlled.  For about a half hour it looked as though the department could hold it in check and confine it to the third floor of the mill but it suddenly burst out of the roof and quickly spread to the lower floors and it was easily seen that the building could not be saved.  

Photo shows the fire
at it's height, when
the flames were mounting
100 feet in the air

The firemen labored heroically in their battle against the flames and at times were in exceedingly perilous
situations.  It soon became evident that the greatest effort must be exerted to protect the water, light and power plant of the Indiana Utilities  Company, which adjoins the mill, and with a strong wind blowing from the northwest, the heat about the power plant was intense, making the work there difficult and hazardous.  The pumps and engines in the plant were operating to the limit, and even then there were times that the water pressure was too low to reach above the second story of the building.  The heat from the fire was intense, and a number of buildings in the neighborhood caught fire, some of them repeatedly , and earnest effort of citizens was necessary to guard them.  The work of the Boy Scouts about the Sheldon hay barn was especially commendable, this building having caught fire five times, and at one time the fire went through into the baled hay, but a member of the organization stationed inside extinguished it.   number of residences in the surrounding locality were also guarded by their owners.  The Chester Crain residence, several blocks away, and on the way to the college, caught fire twice, but was quickly extinguished.

The owners of the mill were somewhat fortunate in regards to the contents.  They had a couple carloads of wheat in transit, one of them to arrive the next morning, and the stock of wheat was comparatively low.  They estimate that they had about 600 bushels of wheat in the mill, and nearly a car load of oats.  There was also about 100 bushels of flour, but Irvin Metzgar chanced to come upon the scene with his wagon and team soon after the fire started, and his wagon was hurriedly loaded with flour, and others following with wagons assisted in this work and the flour was practically all saved in good condition.

The walls of the building remain standing, but the interior was completely gutted, and everything is a total loss,  It was built in 1895 by Kinney & Croxton, and soon passed to Croxton & Pilliod, where the milling business was conducted for some time in connection with the power plant, and since its erection it has changed hands a number of times, and it has always been used for the milling business.  It was a substantially built structure of three stories and a basement, two stories being of brick, and the upper story of frame with steel siding.  It was one of the best of the industrial buildings of Angola, and the loss is keenly felt, it probably being the most disastrous fire in the history of the city.

Steuben Republican March 7, 1917

DISASTROUS FIRE IN ANGOLA

Most Expensive and Dangerous Conflagration that Ever Visited Angola

_______________

FREIGHT DEPOT DESTROYED

______________

Including Grain Elevator - High Wind Causes Great Peril To City --- Heroic Work of Brave Fireman

      On Friday evening of last week, about 7:40 o'clock, a spark from the engine of the south bound passenger train caught in the roof of the freight depot at the south end of the building and within an incredibly short space of of time the entire structure was a seething furnace of flames.  An unusually strong wind was blowing from the southwest, and when it became certain that there was no chance to extinguish the fire in the freight depot, men's hearts trembled with fear for the safety of the city.  It is safe to say that Angola in all the years of its history never before saw a conflagration so menacing and so horrifying  in its possibilities as this fire promised to be.  The wind, as it  blew a gale, carried in its current a perfect stream of burning shingles and pieces of boards which drifted as far north as Fairview before falling to the ground.  Near at hand to the burning depot were the coal yards of Mrs. Linder, the battery of oil tanks of the Standard Oil Company, Owens packing house, and the well stocked lumber yards of Shank & Son.  IN the face of all of these appalling circumstances the local fire company, which had responded with alacrity to the alarm, worked with a zeal, courage, and wisdom they very memory of which must make the hearts of all our citizens thrill with a just pride.  
    Hundreds of volunteers with tubs and buckets of water were stationed at different points of danger, on the roofs of houses and barns and in the lumber yard and sheds near the burning depot. It took but a few moments for the destruction of the offices and storage rooms in the burning building , but the grain elevator constructed of plank nailed one upon another, made a furnace that became heated to a white heat.The sow storm of the week before over which we offered so much complaint, was indeed the salvation of our city, but in spite of the dampness that still remained, it was estimated that as many as a dozen buildings were on fire at the same time, and some of them caught half a dozen times.
    The loss is estimated at about $15,000, And is largely covered by insurance.  The greatest loss aside from that of the Lake Shore, fell upon Campbell & Co., of Kendallville, and their agents F.W. Sheldon & Co., of Angola, who owned the machinery in the elevators and had in storage there about 3,500 bushels of grain, 1,600 bushels of which was wheat.  It is estimated that the insurance will cover this loss except about $1,500, two-thirds of which will be sustained by Sheldon & Co.  Mrs Flo VanBuskirk sustained a loss of furniture of between $600 and $700.  She was shipping here good to northern Michigan and had them nearly all in the spot only a few hours before the fire, but had not yet received a shipping bill from the company.  Mrs Frank B Jones, clerk in Patterson's Department Store, also lost her household furniture which had been shipped from Stanwood, Mich., and only unloaded about two hours before the firs started.  Mrs Jones had carried $500 insurance on the goods just before  they were shipped from Michigan.  There were very many other losses, among them being a half car load of freight intended for the stations on the Valley Line, and had been unloaded for transfer.

SPARKS FROM THE FIRE 

    Farmers drove into the city from the country for miles around.   Burning shingles fell in Mr Rowley's yard east of Fairview Church. Grant Dunlap had six pianos taken from the depot the evening before the fire.  
    Now that the Lake Shore will not rebuild the grain elevators, local parties will take the matter in hand and will probably soon arrange for the erection of the necessary buildings.
    Calls for help to fight the fire were sent to Hillsdale and Auburn, and the fire departments in those cities made strenuous efforts to respond, but were unable to secure trains to make the trip.
    Hundreds of men watched the fire out of danger to themselves, without apparently realizing the great danger in which houses of many of our citizens, were placed and the assistance they might have easily rendered

    The large barn filled with baled hay just south of the dept was undoubtedly saved solely by the heroic work of the volunteer bucket line of man and boys.  It was indeed a great task, but they performed it manfully.
    The residence nearest the fire was the home of G.W. Fox and family. When the fire started it was thought to be in great danger, and in spite of the water thrown upon it, the paint on the building was badly blistered.
    The explosion which was heard soon after the fire got under way, was caused by a box of dynamite caps stored in the building.  It had the effect to move the by-standers.  So great was the detonation of the explosion that it was heard three miles in the country, several farmers hitching up their teams and coming to town after it occurred.  The nearest approach to this fire in point of danger to the town, occurred about thirty years ago when a livery stable owned by Ell Croxton, and a saloon with billiard tables and other fixtures burned near the depot where the Daniel Shank lumber office is now located.  At that time there was a strong wind blowing from the west and burning embers were carried by it all over the city, but fortunately the roofs of the buildings were not dry and no great damage was done.
    Officials of the Lake Shore were here last Saturday making plans for erection of a new freight house, and we understand the work of construction will be commenced very soon.  The new building will stand on the east side of the tracks, and the north end will be in line with the south end of the passenger depot.  The office will be 24X30 feet in size and in the north part of the building.  The storage room  will be 30 X 100 feet and a platform the full width of the building and 80 feet long will extend south.  The structure will be one story high and there will be no grain elevator connected with the building, as the Lake Shore has quit building them.  Last Monday afternoon a passenger coach from which the seats had been removed was brought to Angola to be used as an office during construction of the new building.  Box cars will be used for story freight.


Steuben Republican Wednesday May 4, 1910