The Waterloo Times
Friday, April 23, 1915

Barn Burned 

The large barn on the Henry Toenjes place, 4 ˝ miles northeast of Waterloo 
was totally destroyed by fire Friday morning at about five o’clock.  Louis Toenjes 
occupies the farm and with the assistance of a few neighbors worked heroically to 
get out the stock, four horses and four cows, in which they were successful; however, 
two of the horses were scorched before they could be removed.

A lot of harness, feed, etc., was consumed by the fire, which burned fiercely until the 
entire building was consumed.  Mr. Toenjes received several painful burns while 
fighting the fire, which however are not serious.

It was lucky that the wind was from the southwest at the time.  Had it come from an 
opposite direction the house, too, might have gone up in smoke.  After the fire fighters 
saw they could not save the barn, all their efforts were directed towards saving the 
other buildings, which they did by heroic work.