Stories

Published in the Nowata Advertiser on February 5, 1909

On last Saturday morning at 2:10 o'clock, Nowata was aroused from its slumber to witness one of the fastest and fiercest fires ever seen in Oklahoma.

The fire originated from, presumably, an over heated bake oven in the Exchange bakery first door north of the Pioneer Drug Store in Maple STreet, and in an instance spread to adjoining buildings on either side. Moser's harness shop, next door north, a frame structure was licked up by the flames in a few minutes. The fire then swept across a twenty-five foot vacant lot and burned the barber shop owned by George Kauffman and the Electric Cleaning and Dye Works, both in the same building, also a frame structure, the property of J.A. Burns.

In the meantime, the First National Bank building caught fire and in a few minutes was completely enveloped in flames. In the building, on the first floor, was the Pioneer Drug Store, owned by W.N. Dodge, C.H. Wardell, jeweler, the First National Bank, while the second and third floors were used as the county court house, in which many valuable records, all property of the county, were lost.

The Roberts Realty Company and the Nowata Abstract Company were next in the path west of the bank, on catching fire lasted no longer than the ones ahead of them. Next, the new barber shop owned by Blacklidge and Samples who had only been in business three days, and next door west were the offices of W.H. Cochran, Indian Agent, W.F. Gilluly, and the Nowata Commercial Club. Everything was saved in this building.

The Montgomery rooming house adjoining the photograph gallery was saved by a heroic bucket brigade.

The wind blowing a gale from forty to fifty miles an hour and no water made prospects good for the whole south part of the city burning.

The Wood & Dodge store directly across the street in the Nowata National bank building caught fire and had a good start when the powder fire extinguisher was put into service. To this, and a number of our good citizens, credit is given for the saving of the Nowata National Bank block, Greenwood's livery barn and the Carey hotel.

The south wall of the First National Bank standing as long as it did saved the Barndollar buildings, south of the bank, where are situated some of Nowata's largest business firms.

E.R. Bender, of Barndollar's, and Tom Glass of the Nowata Hardware and Supply Company, kept a brigade on top of the buildings putting out hot coals, and any fire that may have started.

All books, papers and valuables in the First National Bank were saved as the vault done its work admirably. Excluding the many conveniences and accessories, the bank's loss above insurance will amount to between $7,000 and $8,000. The owners of the First National appreciate, very much, the assistance rendered them during the fire by their friends and the public in general.

While the fire was raging here, Coffeyville was having her troubles along the same line.

Halloway's livery barn and two nearby residences were burned. Twenty six horses were cremated in the barn. Loss $28,000.

The citizens of Nowata in general are very grateful to the Telephone operators, Mrs. Lulu McCartney and Miss Dora Sanders for arousing the city by continuously ringing the fire and telephone bells, and the engineer on the Iron Mountain freight who kept the whistle going for half an hour will never be forgotten.

The letters on page five of this issue from Messrs Weaver and Wilkinson will explain the loss to the county.

First National Bank over and above insurance $8,000.

W.N. Dodge, proprietor of the Pioneer Drug store, $9,000. Partially insured.

Letch Estes, owner of Exchange Bakery, $1,500.

John Moser, harness maker, over and above insurance $1,200.

J.A. Burns, building and plate glass, $1,700.

Roberts Realty Company building fixtures, etc., $3,000.

Judge Van Leuven, law books and furniture, $1,500.

George McCaffree plate glass $250.

Wood & Dodge, dry goods, $200.

John Foresythe, plate glass and mirrors, $1,000.

Nowata National Bank, plate glass, $600.

C.H. Wardell, the jeweler, suffered a loss of about $2,000.

Others around the neighborhood suffered small losses in the way of broken window glass.

The actual loss to the county, not mentioning books, papers, etc. that cannot be replaced, is estimated at $40,000.

In all it was about an $85,000 fire.