The Jewell County Monitor on March 20, 1925, reported the following:
The worst thing which has happened to Mankato in a long time was the loss of the large modern Metz Packing Plant on North High Street by fire Sunday morning. The fire evidently originating in the furnace corner of the basement, just how, when, or where was not known as the fire had gained such headway before being discovered that the basement could not be checked.
The Formoso Fire Department was called and reached Mankato in 29 minutes although the roads were bad to assist in preventing the spread of the fire to the large oil tanks nearby belonging to the Standard Oil Company and the Bonecutter Oil Company. The prevention was successfully, if almost miraculously, accomplished with the wind being in the most favorable direction.
The fact that Rock Island Train No. 6 came just at the right time, too, and kindly stopped and pulled all box cars out of reach of the fire, removed another grave danger of the flames spreading to other buildings.
The loss, which was estimated between $60,000 and $75,000, was fairly well covered by insurance. No definite plans had been announced as to rebuilding at press time but the Monitor editorialized and noted, “It is very important to Mankato and surrounding territory that the plant be replaced. The Monitor goes on record urging strongly that it be done at the earliest opportunity and that the entire county get behind the project and lend all possible cooperation toward rebuilding.” (Editor’s Note: The plant was rebuilt only to become a tornado victim in the 1950s.)
Many neighboring towns sent delegations of visitors to Mankato later that day to see the ruins of the packing plant.
The Metz fire was the second fire for Mankato in a week. The department having been called out the previous Thursday afternoon to extinguish a fire in the laundry which was accomplished without any great damage being done.
There was positive news reported that week as well.
A new water main was being laid connecting Jefferson Street with the monument works.
The Drake and Davenport Agency sold a handsome Willys-Knight coach to Perry Kier, an Overland sedan to Guy Hawk of the Ionia country, and an Overland coupe sedan to Edgar Dresslar of Randall. Dresslar carried mail on one of the rural routes out of Randall and planned to use the new car on the route.
C. A. Garber was awarded a judgement of $515 in district court for insurance on his Buick automobile which was wrecked and burned west of Mankato.
The first 1925 tourists from California visited Mankato. They had come from Omaha, plowing mud all the way. They were driving a Dodge touring car.
The Duco Paint Shop in Mankato was becoming known over a large territory, having refinished several cars in the short time they had been in business. Cars from Osborne, Concordia, Red Cloud and Scandia had been in the shop just prior to the publication of the newspaper story. The prior week the shop returned a Willys-Knight to Concordia after giving it a light blue Duco baked enamel finish.
E. Greenstreet of Agra had leased the corner building just south of the C. B. Wood Store and planned to open a variety store there.
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