USA > Iowa > Carroll County > Manning > History of Manning [Iowa] a true record of the early surveys municipal history, and the business enterprises > Part 8
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The photograph gallery of Charles Lyden, which stood south of the vacant lot, was damaged to the extent of $75. The greatest damage was caused by the removal of the negatives, many of which were broken or damaged, and to the stock of photographic supplies.
On the corner, directly east and across the street from the First National Bank, was the badly charred, two story, frame builbing, own- ed by C. H. Reinholdt. It was the largest frame business house in the city. The ground floor was occupied by Mr Reinholdt for a hardware and implement store. The second story was occupied as a hall, by the German Odd Fellows, the Woodmen and the Workmen. For a time it looked as though the building could not be saved, and the greater portion of the hardware stock was removed therefrom, while, that which was left in the building was only damaged by the water. Had the upper story of this building not been, as it was, in a large room and accessable from nearly every side, the building would, undoubtively, have been lost. This building was the key to the situation at this time, had it gone, there would have been but little hopes for the rest of the town; as it was, the water that was required to extinguish the flames on the interior of the upper story, stood over a foot deep on the floor of the lodge room, and was so hot that the firemen could hardly bear their feet in it.
Quite a number of business houses on the east side of the street had their fronts somewhat scorched, while considerable damage was
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done by the moving of goods, as nearly all of the places of business were vacated by their alarmed owners. Those who sustained losses were,-P. M. Loes, to stock by moving, and to building by fire; D. Uthoff, stock and furniture damaged by moving, and building by fire; Heitman & English building dawaged by fire; James Armstrong, damage to stock, by moving; M. A. Blohm, damage to building by fire; Manning Herold, Bert. Kraus proprietor, damage caused by the pieing of type while removing stock; H. Wonder, damage to building from fire.
The fire made a clean sweep down the alley in Block 7, and de- stroyed every barn and outbuilding on either side. Following are the property owners who sustained losses :- Fred Wendel, Chris. Wehr- mann, Honnas Mundt and William Rhude.
Following, is a table setting forth the losses sustained and the in- surance carried by each. All personal property is placed under the heading "stock".
Loss
Insurance
Owner
Building $4000.
Stock
Building
Stock
First National Bank
Total- $4000.
$4000.
W. B. Parrott
Total-
$ 500.
None
I. O. O. F .- Lodge
Total-
$ 300.
$ 300.
Masons-Lodge
Total-
$ 200.
None
A. Cloughly
$ 500.
$ 500.
Mrs. Jane Carroll
Total- $ 150.
None
Ferguson Bros.
Total-
$ 300.
None
H. Nuppnau
$ 500.
Total-
$ 70).
$650.
P. & A. Dethlefs
$1000.
Total- $6000.
$ 700.
$370.
Dr. Blakeslee
Total-
$ 240.
$ 1000
G. W. Laflar
$ 900.
Total-
$ 700.
$ 500.
$ 700.
Marie Stoppelberg
$1200.
$ 900.
None
John Vossbeck
$ 800,
Total-
$ 400.
· $ 400
None
Adolph Cook
$ 500.
Total-
$ 200.
None
None
C. H. Reinholdt
$ 650.
Partial-
$1500.
Covered
Covered
C. E. Lyden
Partial-
$ 75.
Covered
German Odd Fellows
Total-
$ 150.
Covered
Woodmen
Total- $ 75.
None
Workmen
Total-
$ 25.
None
P. M. Loes
$ 640.
Partial-
Covered
Covered
D. Uthoff
$ 350.
Partial-
$ 50.
Covered
Covered
Heitman & English
$ 100.
Covered
James Armstrong
Partial- $ 25.
None
M. A. Blohm
$ 50.
Covered
Covered
H. Wonder
$
75.
$ 40.
Fred Wendel
$
75.
Covered
C. Wehrmann
$ 65.
$ 30.
Honnas Mundt
$
50.
None
William Ruhde
$ 100.
Covered
Manning Herold
Partial-
Peter Wacker
Total- $ 750.
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AFTER THE FIRE, the business of the First National Bank was conducted in the north room of the Freelove building till the new building was completed, which is a two story brick, with a basement and furnace, the sides facing the streets are of pressed brick, while the new building is about twenty feet longer than the old one was. The second story is occupied by the Masons and American Odd Fellows, for a lodge room.
Ferguson Brothers discontinued business, while Andrew Cloughley sold his lot to the German Odd Fellows, who erected a fine two story brick building, with pressed brick front and a basement. The second story is occupied by the German Odd Fellows as a lodge room.
H. Nuppnau continued to wait on his customers in the Loch build- ing, on Block 4, till his new two story building was completed.
P. & A. Dethleffs discontinued business after the fire, but rebuilt a two story brick on the site of the old building.
What was left of the Free Press office and fixtures, was moved to the back rooms, on the second floor of the Lawrence building, in Union Block. Mr. Laflar sold the building to W. W. Carpenter, who erected a two story brick, and occupied the same, as a general mer- chandise store.
John Vossbeck continued his trade at blacksmithing in a temporary frame structure which he erected on the rear end of his lot. This he occupied till his new building was completed, which was a one story brick building, fitted with all of the modern improvements, that was consistant with his trade.
The wagon shop of Adolph Cook has not been rebuilt, however, he follows his trade in a small building which he has erected on the rear end of his lot.
C. H. Reinholdt moved his damaged stock into the building situat- ed on Lot 2, Block 6, where he accommidated his customers till his new, one story double brick, store and implement rooms was complet- ed. The north half is used for hardware and shelf goods; while the south half is used for implements. The north room has been fitted up with all the modern improvements for the handling and display of shelf goods. The old frame building, which was badly charred, was torn down and put into new buildings. The German Odd Fellows, Work- men and Woodmen who used the second story of his building for a lodge room, and the American Odd Fellows and Masons who used the second story of the First National Bank for the same purpose were ten- dered the use of the Knights of Pythias hall which was thankfully ac- cepted, till their new quarters were ready for occupancy.
H. G. GRAU
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75
P. M. Loes, instead of repairing the charred front of his harness shop, had the same moved off from his lot, and a new two story brick, with fine pressed brick front, erected in its stead.
The remainder of the buildings left in this block were repaired and placed in a better condition than they had been for some years previous. They, also, presented a much better appearance.
First · National Bank.
The effect of this fire- as is the case in most instances where a town or a portion of it is "ripe for a fire"- was to lend inducement to- wards the erection of a uniform size, style and quality of buildings that were to be constructed, this, greatly improving the appearance of the town.
The fire limit, after this fire, was extended to cover Blocks 7 & 8.
THE FUNK FIRE, was discovered about 2:15 o'clock, Thursday morning, of September 19, 1895. The building was situated on Lot 21. Block 3, and was rented by Mr. Funk, proprietor of the Monitor, for a dwelling. The occupants barely had time to seize a few clothes and make their escape, before the house was filled with suffocating smoke. The firemen did excellent work and managed to get the fire under control but not until every article in the dining room, kitchen and pantry had been completely ruined or damaged beyond repair; while the parlor sets, bedroom furniture and clothing escaped with a severe drenching and smoking.
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The dining room, kitchen and pantry were badly charred, and damaged by water. Both the house and household goods were insured. The fire was supposed to have started in a packing box which stood un- der the kitchen window. A number of strangers were on the streets at a late hour that evening, and it is possible that the fire was caused by some of these "night hawks".
An incident of the fire, which- to the spectator, presented a rather amusing aspect; but to the participants was rather of a hair raising and hair bleaching effect- was a little episode in which the writer- with out any premonition what-ever,- took a very important part, so much so, that it might have cost him his life. The pantry, in which the fire had gained the greatest headway, was a mass of flame inside; but as the doors and windows were closed, and the smoke and flame instead of breaking out was carried into the other rooms, the extent of the fire inside was not anticipated. The writer, with D. W. Patton and another fireman, ascended to the roof of the pantry with the hose, to play water on the fire that had burned up along the studding of the main part and had broke out under the eaves. The writer was stand- ing near the center of the pantry roof and had let go of the hose nozzle to use the ax in making a larger opening through which to play the water. Mr. Patton and the other fireman were standing near the eave of the main part. In the pantry, the fire had burned up from the inside and had nearly consumed the roof without breaking out; but when the writer raised his ax to strike, the roof gave way from under him, and had he not fallen astride a rafter- which was still strong enough to sup- port his weight- he would have gone through the roof into a room of solid flame through which it would have been impossible to find an exit. As it was, he was encircled in a ring of fire, but by the assistance of those who held the hose and had gained a firmer footing on the adjoin- ing roof, he was pulled out of the flame by the assistance of the hose. His only damage, however, was charred shoes and trousers, singed eyebrows and hair, and possibly an extra palpitation of the heart.
THE COAL SHED OF THE MANNING ROLLER MILLS, took fire in the third week of November, 1897. The people of Manning were aroused by the fire bell about 3:30 in the morning. An investigation showed the coal shed of the Manning Mill to be on fire. The fire spread rapidly and caught in the engine room, which, how- ever, was extinguished before any great damage had been done other than the charring of the engine room walls. The fire was caused by spontaneous combustion in the coal bins, which was attributed entirely to the carelessness of the management. The damage was slight, probably $200 and fully covered hv insurance. The mill was saved
-
77
only by the efficient work that was done by the fire company. But little damage was done to the machinery, however, a new engine room was built to take the place of the old one. The coal sheds were also rebuilt.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE MANNING ROLLER MILLS occurred about 2:30 o'clock, on the morning of March 14, 1898. It appears that the fire was first discovered in the south west corner of the mill, where there was practically no danger of fire, and entirely remote from any sparks that might issue from the furnace that was in the brick engine room adjoining but at the opposite end of the mill. For this reason, it is presumed by the owners of the mill and the public in general, that the fire WAS STARTED BY AN INCEN- DIARY. In less than half an hour from the time that the fire was discovered, the structure had fallen in and was a total wreck with the exception of the engine room, which was of brick and suffered but little damage. For some time, A. T. Bennett's cribs, which were situated across the street south and were stored full of corn, were in great danger; but the wind changing and the practical calm that follow- ed was all that saved them and the residence of S. D. Priest which was located in the same block, as the mill and east of it. The fire was be- yond control before the fire company appeared, however, it would have been of little avail owing to the lack of discipline and the condition of the hose; for at least twenty minutes were consumed before a full pressure of water could be obtained. The mill was owned and operated by Sutherland & Button. The loss was estimated at $6000, with no in- surance. It appears that the firm had always carried a heavy insurance previous to this and up till the time that the coal sheds took fire, when the policy was paid in part and was cancelled for the rest; is the Insur- ance Company agreed to reduce the rate of insurance if the firm would erect a brick engine room, which the firm did, but after which the in- surance company refused to live up to their agreement by reducing the rate. As a result of this breach of faith, the milling firm decided to carry their own insurance, and had the policy cancelled accordingly. 'The mill was rebuilt, an account of which will be given under the head- ing, The Manning Roller Mills.
Storms.
May 1I, 1881 Manning was threatened, and the country lying north was visited by a cyclone which did but slight damage in this country. West Side, which is just across the line in Crawford County, suffered from a terrific rain storm. A livery barn was carried from its founda- tion, and the floor was floated off. The horses would propably have
78
been drowned had they not been cut loose and allowed to swim out. Stock was drowned or floated off. Water stood in the Hanley house twenty two inches deep. Merchants suffered much damage to their stocks, where they were stored in cellars. Bridges were washed out, and yard fences were floated off, while whole herds of swine were drowned.
THE MEMORABLE GRINNELL CYCLONE of June 18. 1882, is still vividly remembered by many of Manning's early settlers. The main storm cloud passed north east of Manning and met the oppos- ing current, which passed south, at Sheldahl, where it assumed the shape of a cyclone and proceeded on its course of destruction. Iowa College, at Grinnell, suffered to the extent of $50,000, while 41 per- sons were killed outright and 150 were wounded, 80 of which. were serious; 23 dead were reported at other places. Those who witnessed the storm say that Manning's location at this time was "to ncar the scene of uction to be comfortable".
Manning Roller Mills.
A HEAVY SNOW STORM set in from the east, January 25, 1883,- says the Manning Monitor- which increased towards night and continued with a heavy fall of snow and strong piercing winds until January 30. The railroads were all blocaded, and the trains on the Milwaukee that were not abandoned, stuck fast in the drifts. The train due here Friday morning, going west, suppered at Coon Rapids and reached the big cut west of Templeton, at 10 P. M., where it re- mained until 10 A. M., Saturday, when it came through, piloted by a mammoth snow plow and four engines in addition to its own, reaching here at noon. It carried about fifty passengers and about that many hands who shoveled snow, all of whom took dinner at Manning. It
WM. METZGER
U. S. HEFFELFINGER
79
was a feast day for resturants. This train had gone about ten miles west by nightfall. Later in the night it met the east bound train at Defiance, and the road was then comparitively clear into Council Bluffs. The wind continued to blow all of Saturday night and all day Sunday, so that it became necessary for the snowplow to run back over the track before a light train could pass over the road on Monday. On the South- western, the work of clearing the right of way was slower. The train ran into Carroll on Friday evening and did not return until Monday evening; and then only to Manning, as both the Audubon and Kirkman branches were snowed under.
As a result of this storm and a few that followed shortly after, a large force of men were shoveling snow, west of Manning on the Mil- waukee, when a few men stepped back from their work and slapped their hands about them to increase the circulation of the blood. The engineer of the snow plow seeing the motion, mistock it for a signall to come ahead. He drove his engine forward and would have crushed a number of men, whom he could not see for the flying snow, but fortun- ately his engine was choaked down by a heavy drift before the wretched work was accomplished. The men were standing in the narrow cut where there was no possible means of escape had the engine not stopped when it did.
The stories of the railroaders and shovelers of the west for the month of these heavy storms was full of wonderful adventure, narrow escapes, and examples of great bravery. As an illustration,- while an engine, standing in the blinding storm, was taking water at the tank at Aspinwall, a snow plow driven by two huge engines went rushing through to the west, and failing to see the engine at the tank because of the blinding snow. went crashing into it.
A passenger train with more than a hundred passengers, lay at Manning from Saturday till Sunday noon waiting for the road to be opened. The mayor kindly made himself known to them and offered to secure comfortable quarters for any who desired them. Several passengers availed themselves of the opportunity and was handsomely cared for in the town.
A SEVERE HAIL AND WIND STORM struck Manning about 6 P. M., Friday evening, April 11, 1833, when a dark cloud came up from . the south, overspreading the entire heavens. The wind blew a gale and a great quantity of hail and rain fell before dark. The wind continued to blow and increase its fury until midnight, when it swept over the town like a hurricane. This continued for nearly half an hour, during which time considerable damage was done to some of the buildings in the town. The tin roof was swept off from one building, and one store building which stood on a pin foundation, swayed back and forth like a drunken man, while small out buildings were completely demolished.
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A TERRIFIC HAIL STORM visited Manning about half past six, Thursday evening, August 7, 1883. A dark and threatening cloud overshadowed the town from the north and seemed to bear slightly to the/east. It came directly in the face of an undercurrent of wind blow- ing warm from the south. Scarcely had the cloud overspread the town when rain. and hail began to fall and suddenly increased, until the storm fairly raged, and the hail came in a perfect torrent. The wind changed in a few minutes and drove the hail through nearly all windows facing to the east. There was scarcely a house in town that was not flooded with water and hail. Hail, as large as hens eggs and a few as large as goose eggs, are said to have crashed through the window panes. All of the business houses, situated on the west side of Main Street not cover- ed with awnings, had their glass fronts broken, while the number of panes of glass broken in town is estimated at not less than 1000. The loss in the town was very slight when compared with that which was sustained by the farmers who lived between Manning and Arcadia on the north and Manning and Audubon on the south. The corn was cut down clean; not a stock of it was left with sufficient life to revive; it was worth no more than the stubs would be after the corn had been cut for fodder in the fall; whole farms were like a barren waste. The grass on the prairie was beaten off to the ground, even the rank grass in the sloughs. Fields of wheat and oats, that had not been cut, had the appearance of stubble well pastured down. The prairie grass look- ed as though a herd of cattle had trampled it into the ground. The train which was due from Audubon at 7:15 p. m. had just left Gray when the storm struck it, and was stopped in a cut where the train men said that they were "well nigh hailed in". Nearly every light of glass on one side of the train was broken, and the hail piled up about the train and upon the platform of the cars three to five feet deep. What was seen one day after the storm, convinced the spectator that the rain fell in torrents; as the hail was carried down the valley and ravines and washed into the buyous, where it then lay 18 hours after the storm, in a hot sun, in heaps covering acres and acres of ground, from one to five feet deep. In two instances, two fence posts were covered out of sight by clean hail. Not much stock was killed but there was not much left on the farm to feed those that survived. The crops damaged, will amount to over 12000 acres, of which, most is a total loss, while the owners are reduced to extreme want. A meeting for the relief of the unfortunate sufferers was called and every advisable step was taken that could lead to procuring aid for them and sufficient funds to carry them over till a new crop conld be harvested.
THE HEAVIEST RAINSTORM that had-considering the time of its duration-ever visited Manning, is chronicled, in part, in the Manning
8I
Monitor bearing date of May 21, 1897 :- Not since the spring of 81 have the people living along the Nishnabotna valley witnessed such a rush of water as swept down over the valley on Wednesday evening of this week. All afternoon a threatening and angry looking storm could be seen gathering in the northwest, and by four o'clock it had started in a southwesterley course and was soon upon us. When approaching there was a great commotion among the advance clouds, and the storm was watched with considerable anxiety by the inhabitants, fearing a a heavy wind. They were happily disappointed, however; but it rained, and it was never known to rain harder, for about three quarters of an hour. Shortly following the passing over of the storm a great valley of water came rushing down over the valley as if it had broken loose, all at once, from some great dam or reservoir. Standing on the Milwau- kee trestle at eventide, one could easily be led to imagine that they were overlooking the raging Mississippi. From the time the storm ceased till long after sunset, all of the railroads leading into town, were lined
with people watching the progress of the water. Both North-western trains, due here from the south at 6:20, were an hour late, being com- pelled to run slow on account of the soggy condition of the track. The Carroll train did not get out north until about 10 a. m. the next forenoon, owing to a washout a couple of miles north. A gang of men were seen out from here to shape up the track, taking them all night and part of yesterday forenoon to complete the job. The whole bottom east of the city was also covered with water to a considerable depth, several dwell- ing houses there being partly imerged. The occupants succeeded in get getting out their household effects before worst came. Many wagon bridges were either removed from their foundations or entirely washed away. When the flood had reached its highest mark, a farmer, accom- panied by his wife and child, drove across the bottom on the road west of town. The water was so deep and the current so swift at one junc- ture in the road that they were almost capsized; but, luckily, they pull- ed into town allright. They had not even anticipated the danger enough to get scared. A young son of Claus Opperman, residing northwest of town, fell into the water, at a point near his home, and was only rescued in the nick of time to save his life. From all around, consider- able damage was reported to crops on the lowlands, besides much corn being washed out on the hills.
A SECOND HAIL STORM visited Manning on August 5, this same year, reaching its greatest fury about 5:30 o'clock in the afternoon The rain came down in such torrents that it was almost impossible to see across the street. Those occupying office rooms in the top floors of buildings were terrified by the force of the rain and hail pounding on the tin roofs over their heads. It was so deafening that it was almost
82
impossible to make yourself heard at all. During the storm a large plate glass three eights of an inch thick, in the front of the Lawrence building, went to pieces. Some houses had every glass in them, that was exposed to the storm, broken. The wind played havoc with the trees. out buildings, unharvestered small grain and corn, although, most of the grain was either in the shock or stack; the corn was whipped nearly to the ground while the hail stripped it completely of its plumage. Some trees were uprooted by the wind and others were stripped of their foliage and branches by the hail and wind. Gardens and green fruit were ruined, while all unsheltered stock was greatly injured. The storm lasted about half an hour and cut a swath about half a mile wide.
That Bond Case.
In 1886, an election was held to decide whether or not the city should construct a system of water works, and issue bonds for the pay- ment of the same. It was decided in the affirmative, and bonds to the amount of $5000 were issued to the Freeport Machine Company who disposed of them to the Freeport German Insurance Company, in whose hands they now are. The bonds, which were for ten years, matured in October of 1894, but, owing to the question of their legality which then arose, the council took no action, and the holders of the bonds commenced suit against the town. It was commenced in the Federal Court at Council Bluffs, but, by agreement, was transferred to Des Moines, and will come up at the May term.
The bonds were issued under the following Statute of the code of Iowa :- "Loans may be negociated by any municipal corporation in an- ticipation of the revenues thereof, but the aggrigate amount of such loans shall not exceed the sum of three per cent upon the taxable pro- perty". "The foregoing is amended by striking out the word three, and inserting the word five, provided, that the provisions of this act shall not apply to cities having over six thousand inhabitants, or less than one thousand inhabitants, and in all other cases such loans shall not exceed the sum of three per cent on snch property."
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