Handbook N-P - Fulton County Public Library

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Mr. McMahan has not decided what to do with the stock. An auction may be held, or
someone may be placed in charge and the business continued. Mr. McMahan expects to return
soon to Florida.
For several days Mr. McMahan had been trying to open the big Yale safe in the store, but
finally had to call on Bill Loy, who Friday morning opened the safe, a difficult type.
[The News-Sentinel, Rochester, Indiana, Friday, February 26, 1926]
PIGGLY-WIGGLY GROCERY [Rochester, Indiana]
MAY HAVE PIGGLY-WIGGLY
A Chicago representative of the Piggly-Wiggly serve-yourself grocery concern, with
establishments all over the world, was in Rochester today inquiring about a location in which to
put one of the stores. He had an eye to the building owned by Mrs. A. H. Robbins and now
occupied by Harry Thalman, who conducts the Little Italy Pool Room.
[Rochester Sentinel, Tuesday, February 19, 1924]
PIKE LUMBER COMPANY [Akron, Indiana]
Located E edge of Akron N of Erie Railroad.
[NOTE: See Ann Ellen, From Ties To Technology, 1997 for further]
See: Akron Lumber Co.
See: Lidecker Mill
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AKRON SAW MILL DESTROYED BY FLAMES
One of the most destrictive fires in the history of Fulton county occurred shortly after
midnight Saturday morning in Akron where the D. A. Pike sawmill and lumber company building
was completely destroyed. The loss which was not covered by insurance will exceed $10,000.00.
It is the belief of inspectors who made a thorough investigation of the ruins that the blaze resulted
from an incendiary origin.
The fire was first noticed about 12:20 Saturday morning by George Harper, who is
employed as night watchman for the Genrick foundry which is located about 30 rods south of the
saw mill on the south side of the Erie tracks. Harper immediately tried to telephone an alarm to the
Akron fire department, but owing to the fact that the flames had destroyed the telephone lines, it
was necessary to dispatch a negro employee of the sawmill, who resided near the foundry, to
spread the alarm.
The Akron fire fighters reached the scene at about 12:30 a.m., but by this time the entire
structure was a roaring mass of flames and their efforts were centered in saving adjacent
structures, among which was the basket factory which is located but a few rods northeast of the
sawmill. A terrific explosion which awakened the entire populace of Akron occurred soon after
the fire fighters’ arrival. This blast was believed to have been caused when the flames spread to a
large gasoline storage tank which was used in the supply of the sawmill’s motor trucks. The
company’s four motor trucks were successfully removed from the building they being the only
property which was salvaged.
Soon after the fire was underheadway the entire town was in pitch-black darkness,
excepting for the light from burning structures, as the electric light wires which furnished power to
the mill were quickly consumed by the intense heat, and short-circuited the town’s lighting
system. A box car loaded with saw dust which was sidetracked near the mill was also completely
destroyed by the flames. Besides the complete loss of the mill’s structure, which covered three-