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Fire Seriously Damages Iowa State Dormitory
Tribune photo published Jan. 8, 1951

Unpublished Tribune photo of the fire that damages International House, Iowa State College’s dormitory housing foreign students.  The fire, brought under control by 5 p.m., was believed started by sparks from the chimney.  [Buchanan Hall currently stands on this location.]

An emergency fire call in freezing weather to Iowa State college's International house, dormitory for foreign students, 2814 Lincoln Way, was answered by fire company No. 1, Sunday, Jan. 7, at 3:32 p.m.

Fire Chief Sam Long said the whole roof was ablaze when the trucks arrived and believes the cause to be sparks from the chimney although another source said that defective wiring may have been the cause.  By 5 o'clock the fire was under control, but the company did not get back from clean-up until 10 last night.

The roof was destroyed and attic and upstairs badly damaged by fire and water.  Considerable water damage was reported for the first floor, also.  "It was a bad fire, and a mean fire." Chief Long said.  "We must have poured close to 10,000 gallons of water on it.  But it was hard to get at.  It's an old building, not all of the rooms are on the same level, and the fire would keep mushrooming so that we'd have to open up another wall."

He explained that mushrooming was the term applied to the effect of fire moving into a wall or floor, leading across the space due to cobwebs, and going up or down to the next floor.

Cold weather and a shortage of men handicapped them in controlling the blaze earlier.  The extension ladders froze from time to time due to water falling on them, and men had to be called up to help.  Chief Long said that the men were very good about coming to help, and that eight besides himself were on the job when it was completed.

At the time of the fire the house was occupied by 10 students.  They are: Lalit N. Bhagwatl, India; Clifton B. Ching, British Guiana; Howard T. Fredeen, Canada; Hideo Murakami, Hawaii; Hikaru Okubo, Hawaii; Dahyabhal J. Patel, India; Ole With, Norway; Homer M. Chen, China; Fazal Choudhary, Pakistan; and Robert O'Connor, Ireland.

Dr. J.C. Schilletter, director of residence at Iowa State college, said that all of the students had been moved to quarters in Friley hall.  Mrs. Esther Heryford, housemother, has taken quarters in Barton hall, women's residence hall.... most of the personal belongings of the occupants were saved.  Schilletter said he understood that one student lost a thesis on which he was working -- a loss that would be difficult to replace.

International House was bequeathed to the college by the will of Mrs. Sally Stocker Smith.  Originally built by A.S. Welch, first president of Iowa State college, it served as his home for a number of years, and later was readied by the Welch family to serve as the home of succeeding presidents until about 1893 when it was acquired by Milliken Stocker and his sister, Sally Stocker Smith , both of the class of 1873.  Milliken Stocker served on the Iowa State faculty and his sister at one time was preceptress of Margaret hall, women's dormitory on the campus.

After the death of Mrs. Smith in 1922 the house was occupied for a time by Kappa Sigma fraternity, and in 1927 became college property by terms of Mrs. Smith's will.  She stipulated that the house, known as The Gables, be used by the college to house male foreign students and that it be given in the name of Milliken Stocker and Sally Stocker Smith to further the cause of international good will.