Typed as
spelled and written
- Lena Stone Criswell
THE DAILY
DEMOCRAT
Thirty-First Year Number --
Marlin, Texas, Monday, November 9, 1931
BLAST FOLLOWED BY
FIRE CAUSES DAMAGE
Flareup and Blaze Occured
at Same Place Less
Than Six Months
Ago.
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Preceded by a terrific explosion, fire early Sunday left F. M. Court's fish
market and cafe on Wood street practically a total loss and caused heavy damage
to the building owned by W. E. Johnson, while Nelson's drug store next door on
the west suffered from the blast, water and smoke.
On May 18, last, Court narrowly escaped
with his life in a sudden flareup and blaze occuring just after the place was
opened for the day. Subsequently, it was remodeled and again opened for
business.
F. M. Nelson was asleep in his drug store
when Sunday's blast occured. Awakened by the explosion he said he rushed
out to find flames shooting from both front and rear of the fish market and
cafe.
Many People Awakened.
Many people in that vicinity were awakened by the blast, which rattled windows
as far away as Live Oak street.
Bursting bottles of near beer during the
fire caused loud reports, firemen, who were called to the scene at 4:28 a.m.,
said.
Nelson said the explosion blew plaster off
the interior east wall of the drug store and hurtled bottles from the shelves
along that side of the building. He succeded in getting a few articles out
of the drug store before smoke and heat prevented further efforts to remove the
contents. However, the fames were curbed before they reached the drug store.
Force of the explosion was indicated by
dents in a cement covered wall across the street from the place apparently
caused by shattered transom glass scattered all about. Window glass and
frames also were blown outward from the building by the blast.
Had Closed at 11:30 p.m.
Court stated he had closed the place at 11:30 o'clock Saturday night and that
his first information of the fire was at six a.m. Sunday when he entered a
downtown cafe to get a cup of coffee and was informed by parties there of what
had happened.
Court was en route to open up his place of
business at the time, he said, not learning of the explosion and fire until his
arrival downtown when the flames had already been curbed.
He said he was unable to account for how
the blaze could have started, as there was no fire of any kind left in the
building when he closed up and the only thing of an explosive character there
was a small quantity of kerosene in a bottle.
Court said that evidently his desk had been
moved around from the time he closed Saturday night until he saw the place when
apprised of the fire Sunday morning. He also said that the money drawer
had been pulled out. He had left no money in it, he said.
Included in contents of the place were a
quantity of barbecued chicken, fish, sausage, oysters and mutton, bread, etc.
Insurance in the sum of $3000 was carried
on the building, while Court had been carrying a $1500 policy, on which notice
of cancellation was issued a few days ago.
The principal damage to the stock of drugs
in the building adjoining on the west was from smoke and blast.
Plastering on the partition wall between
the market and drug store was considerably shattered, and fell to the floor, as
a result of the explosion. Bottles on the shelves along the partition wall
were knocked over by the blast.
The drug store stock was placed in
bankruptcy court last week and the stock had been inventoried by the referee.
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Permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for printing by
The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Texas.
