The Hood River Glacier, Hood River, OR., October 10, 1907, page 8

GRAND DALLES LAND MARK DESTROYED

     The old shoe factory at the Grand Dalles was entirely destroyed by fire Saturday morning.  The origin of the fire is unknown.
     At eight o'clock the old land mark across the river at Grand Dalles known as the old shoe factory caught fire supposedly from a spark from the pipe or cigarette of one of the laborers here, as the fire started on the second floor and in a short space of time had spread to all parts of the building, enveloping the entire structure in a sheet of flame.  No effort was made to save the building as there was no effective means on that side of the river for fighting a conflagration and in course of half an hour the old shell, evidence of the days when O.D. Taylor, the speculator and wildcat financier, was in his glory, was burned to the ground.
     The building itself, which consisted of three wings, 36x60, 37x80, 36x50 feet, respectively, was valued at $5,000, but this was not the greatest loss. Twohy Bros., the contractors for the North Bank road, and stored extras for their machinery and materials used in the construction work on their contract with Jim Hill, in a shed just north of the factory.  This shed caught fire soon after the main building and the entire contents, amounting to about $7000 with the exception of a few pieces of casting which were isolated from the rest, is a total loss.
     Fortunately, there was no wind, and by copious applications of water the book houses and commissary were saved.
     The old building was built in 16 years ago under the direction of O.D. Taylor, who fathered the Grand Dalles scheme, at a cost of $14,000.  That is to say there was that amount of material and labor put into the building, though the greater portion was never paid for.  Familiar to all readers who have been residents of this city for the 16 years past is the audacious manner in which Taylor promoted his worthless property across the river, how he employed a fake expert photographer who made fictitious photographs of the great bridge which was represented as spanning the river between Grand Dalles and this place, and that how these pictures sent east to real estate speculators and even across the Atlantic to England and the old Scotch barons who invested their spare rounds in Klickitat lava.  Then came the retribution when the mulcted investors awoke from their dreams to the fact that their money had been swindled from them and that litigation was their only recourse.  Thousands of dollars were spent by speculators in trying to retrieve their lost coin, and though they were rewarded by judgments against Taylor, the adventurer being “broke” could not refund.  Taxes being delinquent the shoe factory and the 28 lots in occupied were taken by the county.  Later they were put up for sale and J.T. Rorick, the present owner, bought the property.
     Since this time nothing has been done with the property which had become the rendezvous for tramps, with the advent of the construction crews for the north bank road Al Nelson put in a bar in a portion of the factory, but this was removed about the middle of last month.  There was no insurance either on the building or on the shed which contained the property of the Twohy Bros.  -- Chronicle.