Disastrous Fire

Total Destruction of Reed & Burton's Confectionary House

Joseph & Nelke's Stock Very Badly Damaged by Smoke and Water

Losses Which Will Foot Up Over $26,000

Serious Accident to a Fireman

A very disastrous fire occured in the city last night, originating in Reed & Burton's confectionery house on Hampshire Street near the corner of Fourth. The flames appeared on the lower floor in the rear, a policeman immediately giving an alarm; but befroe the firemen could get to work the blaze had reached the second story and was spreading with great rapidity. It appeared at the front and back windows simultaneously, and threatened the total destruction of the whole block, the intense cold making the work of fighting the fire arduous. The entire interior of the building occupied by Reed & Burton was destroyed, including the stock. The adjacent buildings-Joseph & Nelke's on the east and the People's store on the west-were filled with smoke, and the fire began to creep into Joseph & Nelke's so that it was necessary to put some water in the upper stories. All of the premises were flooded, so that the water went into the basements adjoining Reed & Burton's, damaging stock for Kingsbaker & Brothers, besides ruining a stock of tobacco owned by F. W. Huffman and stored in the upper floors of 333. The heaviest loss, however, was sustained by Joseph & Nelke, who estimate the damage by smoke and water to their millinery stock and woolens on the third floor at $15,000. The loss on the stock of Reed & Burton is total-not less than $7,500; and on the building occupied by them, owned by Mr. Ward, $2,500. The Messrs. Kingsbaker estimate the damage to their leaf tobacco at $500, and Huffman's loss will be at least three times that amount. The fire raged for over an hour before it was fairly under control. There is no accounting for its origin, as no one was in the building atthe time and the flames had made a good deal of progress before they were discovered. It was only by the most desperate exertions of the firemen that the blaze was confined to the building in which it started, for there was every prospect that in the high wind prevailing it would spread in all directions. During the time the men were taking up hose a distressing accident occurred by which one of the bravest firemen on the force was seriously injured. Joe Guth, driver of the hose cart from No. 1, was in the upper story of Reed & Burton's, and while groping in the smoke to find the fire up there, fell through the elevator hatchway and went to the basement, sustaining the fracture of one of his thighs and bruising him severely. He was taken home and surgical attendance summoned, and today he was as comfortable as circumstances would allow. The losses by the fire are as follows:
Reed & Burton, stock.......................$7,500
Joseph & Nelke, stock.....................$15,000
L. L. Ward, building..........................$2,500
F. W. Huffman, tobacco...................$1,500
Kingsbaker Brothers, tobacco............$500
Total............................................$26,500

Transcribed from The Quincy Daily Whig, December 28th, 1880.

Marcellus Jabez Reed Obituary

Death Comes To M. J. Reed Here Sunday

Well Known Quincy Man Dies At Home; Was Drug Salesman

Marcellus J. Reed, a resident of Quincy for the last 50 years and for 35 years traveling salesman for the Miller & Arthur Drug Company here, died at his home, 307 South Eleventh Street, at 1 o'clock Sunday morning of a complication of diseases. Mr. Reed had been in poor health for some time. After he had traveled for the local drug company for 35 years he retired from active work four years ago.

Mr. Reed was born in Milwaukee, Wis., December 16, 1853, the son of James and Mary E. Reed. When he was a child the family moved to Racine, Wis., where Mr. Reed lived until 1876, when he came to Quincy, where he lived until his death.

On October 27th, 1881, he was married to Margaret C. Schmitt. There were six children, one of whom died in infancy. Besides his widow, he is survived by five children, Robert C. Reed, with the Brown Drug Company here, Mrs. A. J. Rupp, Miss Helen Reed, and Miss Margaret Reed of Quincy, and G. Edward Reed of Omaha, Neb. There are six granchildren.

Mr. Reed was a devout member of the St. Boniface Catholic Church and was a member of the Travelers Protective Association and of the Modern Woodmen.

Mr. Reed had made a wide circle of friends in Quincy during his long residence here and had also a legion of friends in the towns and cities which he visited regularly while representing the Quincy drug firm for so many years.

Transcribed from The Quincy Whig-Journal, February 15, 1926

Articles and Obituary submitted by Scott Reed.