DESTRUCTIVE FIRE LEAVES BUSINESS SECTION OF ELGIN IN ASHES: $50,000 BLAZE.
Those were the headlines in the August 22, 1919 Elgin Times. At nine o’clock Wednesday morning two important streets in the city of Elgin lay smouldering in ruins. The fire almost wiped out the city of Elgin. It started in the second story of the Julius Heil Pool Room at about 3 a.m. and by 9 a.m. ten buildings were razed.
Elgin fire-fighting apparatus was inadequate and little could be done to prevent the spread of flames. People gathered and two chemical engines were put in use but with little effect. The bucket brigade did the best it could. It was not until the fire departments from New Leipzig and Carson were called and Bleick’s traction engine was employed that the fire finally was brought under control.
Those businesses and buildings that were destroyed by the fire were: The Balliet building that housed the Heil Pool Hall and George Neal’s Barbershop; Mrs. Rehndahl’s Restaurant; Dittus Brothers Implement Business; the Post Office building owned by G.H. Freitag; F.G. Boetcher building belonging to the Elgin State Bank; J.S. Mayer’s Tailorshop, owned by Curlew Lumber Co.; J.K Pettis building occupied by Wm. Rivinius, George Monson and A.D. Knight; The Henning’s Restaurant and the Lemke building.
In most cases the contents of the buildings were removed before the fire reached them expect for those owned by Mrs. Rehndahl, Mr. Heil, Mr. Neal, and Dittus Brothers. The entire loss was estimated at $50,000, but insurance covered only $11,300, leaving a total loss of approximately $38,000.
The fire was a disastrous one and it took many years for the city of Elgin to rebuild. The origin of the fire is still a mystery.
Reprinted from the Elgin Diamond Jubilee History Book
