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Show COUNCIL BLUFFS VISITED fly FIRE SECTION OF IOWA CITY IS HEAVY LOSER WHEN FLAMES TAKE TOLL Over One Million Dollar Loss Is Estimate Es-timate Placed On Loss of Buildings Build-ings And Contents; Hotel Guests Forced To Flee Council Bluffs, la. A destructive fire struck the business section of Council Bluffs causing a property damage estimated at more than $1,-000,000 $1,-000,000 in loss to buildings and several sever-al hundred thousands of dollars in loss of stock in store. The fire started in the basement of the Continental Furniture company when a boiler exploded. J. McMani-gal, McMani-gal, night watchman at the building, was badly burned about the head and body before he escaped from the burning building. Eighty guests at the Grand Hotel were safe but forced to flee in scant attire when the flames enveloped and later destroyed the hotel. ho-tel. Their personal property was lost-Eight lost-Eight fire companies from Omaha and Council Bluffs battled the flames and -for a time it appeared as if the fire would spread throughout the entire en-tire downtown district. The fire destroyed the seven-story Grand hotel, the Shugart Block, four-story four-story Smith building, four-story Continental Con-tinental Furniture company building, the general office building of the Citizen's Cit-izen's Gas and Electric company, the New York Plumbing shop and the consolidated offices of the Chicago, Great Western, Milwaukee, Rock Island, Is-land, Illinois Central and Wabash railroads. rail-roads. Officials of the furniture company said they believed the explosion was due to a defective boiler. |