The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-03-25
GREAT FIRE AT MIDNIGHT.
TWO BUILDINGS DESTROYED.
Loss FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.

About u o'clock last night, a couple boarders
at the Madison House, as they were going to
bed, discovered by the light in their rooms,
that fire was issuing from the roof in the rear
Of Ruble q spangier's harness shop, frame
building owned by J. c. bali a Bro. The
alarm was instantly given, and spread very
quickly through the town, and but few min
utes elapsed until an immense crowd was on
the spot. The flames had made considerable
Roadway at the time the fire was first seen, and
In q little time, the whole building, and anoth-
or frame adjoining on the south, belonging TO
Henry T. Newell, Of Dwight, Illinois, and oe-
cupied by j. l.. Dalton n restaurant, was a
burning mass. The stone building adjoining
on the north, belonging TO Van Holmes, occu-
pied by Hall Bros. as a dry goods store, on
the first floor. and by II. Z. Norton & Co.'s real
estate Office, and the Tribune Office, on the sec
ond, was saved with much difficulty. The
credit OF saving this building Is generally CIV
en- to w. J. Andrews, who was on hand with
one Of Babcoek's fire extinguishers, which was
the only means at hand by which the flames in
the ceiling ofthe Tribune Office could be reach
cd, the heat from the burning buildings outside
coming through the windows being so intense.
The damage sustained TO the various parties In
volved, Is as follows:
J. G. Hall & Bro, on his building burned,
q, 600; insured in the Etna, Of Hartford, Con-
necticut, for $1,000; damage to their stock of
dry goods in the building adjoining, about
81 900; insured In the Hartford, OF Hartford,
Conn.,, for $4,000.
Ruble & Spangler nearly entire loss Of stock,
about 5000; insured In the Etna for $4,000.
j. L. Dalton's loss $1,000; insured in the
Home, New Haven, for $500.
rr
$500; no insurance.
Damage 10 the building Of Van Holmes $3.50:
covered by policy Of $4,000 in the North
American, Of Philadelphia.
Damage to material I'm the Tribune Office,
about 500; covered by policy in the Home,
OF New Haven.
Damage to Office furniture, etc., in ii. L. Nor
toms real estate Office, not over 500.
The printing Office OF Mains & Nixon is quite
serious pied this morning, and their press is
somewhat damaged by the loss ofbolts, caused
by taking it TO pieces, but they say they will
be able TO get out their paper about the usual
time next week. The inside pages Of their last
issue, fortunately, were locked up on the press,
and are thus preserved intact.
As to the origin of the fire, very little is
known, and great many things said, but
from the best information we can obtain, the
fire started inside of the workshop of Ruble It
spangler. Mr.. Rnble, going home from the
theatrical entertainment last night at the Court
House, about II o'clock, went through the front
store room, and took letter from his desk in
his work shop, and says there was then no fire
| in the stove, and that there had been no fire in
1t after o'clock in the afternoon. An impress
sion prevails that 1t was the work Of an incen-
diary. Fortunately there was no breeze at the
time, the smoke and sparks ascending perpen-
dicularly. Several buildings at some distance
were endangered notwithstanding by the de-
| scending Goals.