Courthouse fire is quickly extinguished

March 24, 1899

HARTINGTON — A small blaze on the upper floor of the Cedar County Courthouse called local citizens out about half past seven Tuesday evening and for a short time it looked as through the fire fiend would get the better part of the situation.

Judge Plumleigh, C.N. Champion and R.R. Eby were the ones who discovered the fire.

As they were about to go up the walk leading to the main corridor of the building, they saw the blaze shoot up in the court room in front of the windows right above the main entrance.

They gave the alarm, but before the fire company got onto the ground ready for action, they had the fire almost extinguished.

A hole had to be chopped in the floor as the fire seemed to be burning in the rafters between the ceiling and flooring.

The base board and flooring were damaged some, but fifteen dollars will more than cover the repairs. How the fire started remains a mystery.

The assessors had a meeting in the courtroom earlier in the afternoon and the supposition is that one of them threw a lighted cigar stump into the trash can.