An organization was effected with the following; officers: President, D. W. Sutherland; Vice President, Henry Hoffmann; Secretary and Treasurer, C. D. Dewing; Committees, Soliciters, J. W. Martin, J. W. Barnes and Henry Hoffmann; on Constitution and By-laws, R. R. Williams, W. J. Marrow and B. I. Salinger; on permanent Organization, C. D. Dewing and O. E. Dutton. Members enrolled, John Jay, C. S. Lawrence, J. C. Oard, U. L. Patton, G. W. Umphrey, M. Hoffmann, H. Siem, G. L. Gorman, J. Karstens, J. S. Wilson, L. P. Brigham, H. Rohr, J. H. Chenoweth and F. T. Laird.

John T. Jay

A meeting for the permanent organization, was held May 30. The permanent officers were: President, D. W. Sutherland; First Vice President, U. L. Patton; Second Vice President, Henry Hoffmann; Secretary, C. D. Dewing; Treasurer, George Tank. The object of the organization was, that should any person seeking a place to engage in manufacturing of any kind, become known, it was reported to the executive board who were empowered to offer inducements that would not be ignored. It was known as the Manning Improvement Association. Its object was to promote the financial prosperity of the town. This movement, really, did the town much good, in as much as, it induced many, to improve their homes, and place things in a more presentable appearance, which would not have been done under ordinary circumstances.

Park Hotel, facing Main and Fifth Streets, looking southeast

ON APRIL 16, 1882, about 9:00 o'clock, the second fire occurred while the greater part of the citizens were attending the church services which were being held in the Callimore Hall. The alarm was given just as the minister was pronouncing the benediction. A rush was made for the stairs, but a panic was avoided by a few steady persons who had a quieting and governing influence over the rest.

The fire caught in the store of Heinzman Bros. & Moody, which stood three doors south of the corner of Main and Third streets, and by the time an attempt was made to get at it, the room was so filled with smoke and flame that it was impossible to enter the building. This firm saved nothing at all. Callamore & Priest's store stood next on the north.The goods of this firm were carried out, but in great haste, and they were greatly damaged. One of the families resided up stairs, and barely escaped, one young lady decending from a window by means of a ladder. Wetherill & Morsch's store stood adjoining this, on the corner. The goods were nearly all taken out. On the south of Heinzman Bros. & Moody, was the grocery store of Whealen Brothers.

Some goods were saved but in a damaged condition. Next was Stocker's Meat market, and Gestenberg's saloon. Adjoining this was Dr. Wright's building, occupied by Hoffmann & Schoop as a general store. Some of these goads were removed but were greatly damaged. After these, the postoffice went, and then the store of McQuaid & Hamilton. Their goods were carried into the street. The next three rooms belonged to M. L. Freelove, the first was occupied by W. M. Fullers, as a harness shop; the next as a law office and dwelling; and the third by Freelove's restaurant and family. Most of the contents of these rooms were removed. On the corner stood the large building of Webb & Hartenhoff, used as a saloon and residence. All of these buildings were a total loss. On the opposite side of the street every building was scorched and every glass front cracked to pieces. Nearly all of the buildings in the block were emptied of their contents, as were those of the block south. Considerable damage was sustained in this way.

W.E. Guild

THE FIRE OF JULY 13, 1882, started at about 2:00 o'clock a. m., and was the third large fire that the town had sustained. At that hour Mr. Sims, who was the night watchman, noticed a bright light shooting out from between two buildings situated on Main and Third streets. The building on the corner was occupied by Joseph Loch, as a saloon, and the one adjoining, by W. F. Howard as a meat market and dwelling. The buildings stood two feet apart. The fire, at the time the alarm was given, was well under headway. It had been started at the ground, and had burned up between two studding, spreading out between the joist in the second floor and going on up to the roof. Before the fire was brought under control, a part of the roof was burned off and the building greatly damaged.

"The fire was the work of an incendiary" says the Monitor of that date. "Kerosene was thrown against the buildings on the outside, and, some say, on the inside as well. Auger chips were picked up immediately below where the fire was started and a piece of charred wood, containing the auger hole was found. There are two or three theories, but we prefer to express no opinion".

The building was covered by insurance to the amount of $700.00, and the tables and fixtures to the amount of $550.00. Howard's stock and fixtures and Mr. Woolman's household furniture were removed. Mr. Woolman used the second story of the adjoining building as a residence: Mr. Howard sustained some damage, while Mr. Woolman's damage was very slight. The damage sustained by Mr. Loch, was estimated at $400.00.

A SECOND ATTEMPT AT INCENDIARISM, was made Monday, July 31, at about 5:30 a. m. This fire was also started in the basement of the building of W. F. Howard which was occupied by him in the first story and basement as a butcher shop, while the second story was used as a dwelling. Kerosene had been freely sprinkled through the basement and ignited. The fire was discovered by Mr. Wetherly just as it was breaking through the first floor. However, it was extinguished before much damage was done. This fire was started close to where the former fire was set. Howard and his partner, who lived in the building, are said to have been away from home, on a visit, at the time the fire occurred.

A THIRD AT TEMPT AT INCENDIARISM, was made Sunday morning, July 5, 1883. The fire was discovered about 1:00 o'clock a. m. The building was occupied by the Farmers & Traders Bank, in front, and the Monitor office in the rear. The fire was discovered in the rear room, where the Monitor office was. Mr. Lisk was the party who gave the alarm. Some one had filled a tobacco bucket with shavings and saturated them with kerosene. He then placed them well under the building, out of the way of observation, and fired it. There was also quite a quantity of paper cinder found at one place under the building, and a bundle of old papers had been removed from Callison's Hall, which indicated that the fire bug was well acquainted with the surroundings and intended to make sure work. The fire had scorched the end of the building and extended under it to the distance of twenty feet or more, charring a 2 x 6 joist half off. The damage to the building amounted to about $25, and to the Monitor office about $6. The principal damage to the latter, was the pieing of type, As to the motive for setting the fire, there were several opinions, But the most commonly expressed opinion was, that it was an attempt to suppress the Monitor.

THE AMERICAN HOUSE FIRE, was discovered in a closet under the stairway, about 4:00 o'clock, Wednesday morning, October 29, 1894. The cause was unknown. The roof of the building was blown off by an explosion of the accumulation of gas in the attic. The Loss sustained was about $400.

THE FIRE IN E. C. PERRY'S STORE, broke out about 5:00 o'clock, Sunday morning, March 4, 1884. Mr. Perry, who occupied a room over the store as a sleeping apartment, discovered the fire and gave the alarm. He had been awakened by the smothering sensation caused by the smoke. The fire was beyond control, in Perry's building, before water could be brought to bear on it. E. L. IVES and A. L. WRIGHT were THE HOSE TEAM on this occasion, as they had the hose cart on the scene before the other people had arrived. When it was discovered that Perry's building could not be saved, the efforts of the firemen were turned towards saving Hoffmann & Schoop's Store. The goods were all removed, although they were damaged to the extent of about $400. "It was while at work saving this building from the fury of the leaping flames, that F. W. Arney inhaled some smoke and gas from the effect of which he was confined, for some time, to his bed. To MR. ARNEY is GIVEN the CREDIT for saving the adjoining building and possibly the entire block. He slid down the south side of the roof, adjoining the burning building, which was covered with ice, and with one hand holding the hose, he dropped to the eaves, and with the other hand played the water in such a manner that the siding was but slightly charred. If the boys holding the hose had loosened their grip, Arney would have met his doom in the fiery pit." Perry's loss was estimated at $7000. He carried insurance to the amount of $1500.00 on the building and $2000 on the stock.

SMITH GRINNELL & CO., sustained a heavy loss by fire, November I3, 1888. It was only by the most determined efforts of the fire company, that the fire was confined to this building, Never had the boys done better work than was done on this occasion, The whole block was threatened, but by almost superhuman efforts the fire was extinguished, while the two small buildings on the north and south were hardly scorched. The building was insured for $400 and the stock for $1900. Mr. Smith, who had rooms in the back part of the store where he resided, lost everything, and carried no insurance. Only a Jew pieces of furniture were saved, The stock was valued at $3600. Mr. Grinnell, a member of the firm, lost all of his tools which were valued at $300, and on which there was no insurance.

THE MOST DISASTROUS CONFLAGRATION IN MANNING occurred May 8, 1891. It was discovered, about 2:00 o,clock, Saturday morning, in the Brunnier building. I quote, in part, a description of the fire as chronicled in the Monitor, issued May 14, 1891. "The wind was blowing a terrific gale from the south, and as the building referred to was located next to the corner on the south end of the block, the flames swept on with a furiousness that cannot be described, leaping from one building to another in quick succession, totally demolishing the buildings in Block 5 in less than an hours time. No one ever witnessed a fire that spread more rapidly and destroyed more property in the same length of time.

The first building on the south was a frame structure (as were all in the row except two), one story high, owned by John Albert, the front part being occupied by him as a saloon, and the rear by C. F. Rosenberg as a residence. Albert managed to save one pool table, and Rosenberg got his family and a very slight part of their clothing out.

The next building to the north was also a one story and occupied by J. Brunnier with a large stock of general merchandise of which not a solitary article was saved.

Mrs. C. A. Benson owned the two story building adjoining. The lower floor was occupied as a saloon, and the loss to the occupant was small, G. M. DAILEY AND FAMILY BARELY ESCAPED WITH THEIR LIVES. They occupied the upper story as a residence. The family was not aroused from slumber until the flames had almost reached them. Egress through the door and thence down stairs had been cut off by the flames, and they, responding, rushed to the building farthest from the advancing flames, thinking that they would meet their doom together. A happy thought suggested itself to Mabel, the daughter. There were windows in the west end through which they could pass to the wooden awning and jump to the ground. A window was raised by Mr. Dailey and Mabel opened another. Mr. Dailey told his wife and daughter to follow and he would catch them, jumping at the same time, Mabel followed and was caught in the arms of her father, but Mrs. Dailey being blinded by the smoke, thought that Mabel was still in the rooms and made a desperate effort to find her. She had given up all hopes of being saved- in fact, wanted to die with her daughter when Mrs. bailey's brother, M. Hire, called frantically for her to jump, that Mabel had been saved. This command was obeyed, and she was saved, but not before the flames had reached her and fearfully burned her so That her life had been hanging in a balance for several days. She is now on the way to a very slow recovery. Miss Mabel's feet were considerably burned, and Mr. bailey received a fracture of the patella. Their household goods and clothing, also an organ, were consumed.

The next building was occupied by the post office on the first floor, and J. C. Engleman's law office on the second floor. POSTMASTER CARPENTER MADE AN ATTEMT TO SAVE A FEW EFFECTS. He got in all right but was soon surrounded by the fiery enemy, and was lucky in leaping through the flames and escaping with burned hands and singed hair and mustache. All of the mail matter; fixtures and government matter was a total loss with the exception of a little that Mr. Carpenter saved, Mr. Engleman's loss was total.

The next building was owned and occupied by L. L, Lightfoot as a restaurant and bakery. They also had living rooms in the building, and MR. LIGHTFOOT AND FAMILY BARELY ESCAPED with their lives, not getting enough clothing to complete their toilet. Dr. G. M. Barber sustained a complete loss with the exception of a showcase containing brushes. Karsten & Dethlefs, who carried a fine line of general merchandise, also sustained a complete loss.
John T. Jay was the owner of the next building north. It was two-story, being occupied on the first floor by W, F. Eckles, as a saloon and in the second story by Miss Lena Lohmeier, for dressmaking and residence. Miss Lohmeier lost all of her household goods and barely escaped from the burning building.

The Heffelfinger building, occupied on the ground floor, by him, as a jewelry store, and the second story, by Mr. Dillingham and family as a dwelling in the front rooms and by Seth Smith as sleeping apartment in the rear, was the next. Mr. Heffelfinger lost alI of his stock which was covered with only $500 insurance. Previous to this he had carried $7500 insurance, $7000 of which had expired only ten days previous to the fire. Mr. Dillingham lost all of his household effects. Mr. Smith managed to get several trunks out, however, he sustained quite a heavy loss.

Now comes the bricks owned by C. D. Dewing. One was occupied by John T. Jay as a clothing store, and the other by Ives Brothers, general merchandise. Mr. Jay estimates that if he receives the insurance in full on his stock, his loss will not be much over $1000, as goods to the amount of about $5000 were saved. Ives Brothers stock invoiced at about $12000. of which, about $3000 of goods were saved. The second story of these buildings were occupied by Dr. Eckmann as an office; F. A. Bennett, sleeping apartments; Strong's hotel and Knights of Pythias Hall. Dr. Eckmann lost everything and carried no insurance. Mr. Bennett had just furnished his rooms with fine carpets ance furniture, and commenced to enjoy his bachelor quarters. The intrinsic value of his loss is small but he had many relics and keepsakes which he prized highly.

Strong's hotel was the last building in the row. It reached to the alley on the east and was a two story frame. The building was owned by Mrs. H. B. Barbee and cost not, less than $3000. The house had twenty-two guests, all of whom had hair breadth escapes. After seeing them safely out, landlord Strong set about getting his goods out, but he was not very successful, owing to the large number of persons who had no time to assist him. They preferred watching the flames and criticizing every act of the firemen, however, there were a number of willing hands and quite an amount of goods was saved, Tank & Hoffmann sustained a heavy loss in coal and shingles that were situated just east of John Albert's building.

Block 5 facing Main Street, in 1881