To the editor:
I enjoyed Rowena Plett’s article on the 1968 fire which destroyed Duckwall’s and Case and Son. There was one small mistake. The ice cream store across the street where the firemen came to get warm was not the Dairy Queen. It was the Peter Pan.
Neil Colle and I spent the night watching the fire in amazement. The incredible courage and determination of the volunteer firefighters was incredible to watch. I remember having to use lighters to melt the ice from the zippers of their coats so they could take them off.
The heat from the fire cracked the large plate glass window of the Peter Pan. I also remember a light pole in front of Duckwall’s bending almost to the ground from the intense heat.
John Sandwell
Evansville, Ind.