The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-05-01
ANOTHER FIRE.
Three Buildings and Two stores Almost
Totally Destroyed
The Work OF = Fiend
Seven buildings Burned since the First
OF January.

= mere Dy the nrey fiend since the firs
+ OF January last. These fires Occurrin
SO frequently and so unaccountably i
some instances, has raised the sus
picion In the minds of many people
that there is q regular plan to burn tn
city, or great portion of it. Tn
fact that several other buildings hav
been discovered on fire in time To saw
them does not tend to weaken such sns
picion. The buildings burned wer
situated on the east side of Commercial
street just south OF Fourth avenue.
The alarm was given Oh Saturda,
morning about half past two O'Clock
The fire was first discovered in a two
foot-wlde passage way between ]. B
Hinkle's building, occupied as q gro.
Gerry store by 4. G. Beynon, and Johr
Hammond's carpenter shop. It wal
back from the front end of the build.
ings about twenty-five feet, and was
not near where there had been fire in
any shape. There can be no doubt
but that the fire was the work of some
hend In human shape. A colored lady
living in the vicinity, and back from
the street, states that when the alarm
was given she saw man mount horse
hitched near her residence and ride
away in great hurry. When the en-
CINE arrived 1t was too late to save any
OF the buildings. Good service was
performed in combining the ravages of
Il
the fire. Fairchild's date Davis) liV-
cry stable was in great danger as was
the grocery store on the corner above.
The fire was so hot as to blister the
front of Cases feed store on the oppo-
site side OF the street, with the wind
blowing from it. Many window glass
were also broken on the north side of
the Sherman house from heat.
The first building belonged to j. B.
Hinkle, queensware merchant of this
city. 1t was erected some four years
ago, and cost about $500. 1t was
worth, probably, $4,000. He had $500
insurance on it. The lower room was
occupied by II. G.. Beynon's grocery
store in the front and by his residence
in the back part. He had a stock VAL
ued at about $4,000. This was insured
for $1,000. He succeeded in saving
some of his household goods, clothing,
ETC., but lost many articles of furni-
ture, and clothing; also lost his books
and accounts, and q small sum of
money which was in the drawer. The
upper rooms of this building were
used by Mr.. Birdsall, of the Sherman
house. They were occupied by four
dodgers that night, and aided by them
Mr.. b. got out most of the furni-
ture. He lost bedstead, carpet, etc.,
valued at S25. North of this, and two
feet from it, stood Hammond's carpen-
ter shop, large One-story building,
and in which Mr.. ii. was sleeping
when the alarm was given. The fire
was working up the south side of the
wall when he discovered it, but so rap
idly did the flames spread that little of
the property was saved. The shop
contained about $500 worth of dress
ed lumber fer jobs which Mr.. III. had
on hand, together with the tool chests
of Mr.. Hammond, John Wood, and
Robert and j. w. Thomas, the last
three of whom were working for Mr..
Hammond. Hammomd's loss was from
$500 to 81 800. The other gentlemen
lost $40 to$ l25 each in tools. Adj dining
Hammond's building was the grocery
store of Ben. Trumbull. lie had
stock of from $500 to $4,000 1--WE es-
timate). On this there was an in
surance of $1,000. His building Zone
story was a total loss. The aggregate
losses of this fire will foot up over
$4,000. Nothing remained when day
light dawned upon the scene but the
smoking ruins and the red looking
stone foundations, except the few
goods rescued from Trumbull's build
ing, which had been stored in Bells
grocery store, opposite, an old tool
chest of Mr.. Hammond's, q few house
hold goods of Mr.. Beynon's, and some
scattered furniture belonging to Bird
sail, of the Sherman.
We suppose IL Is useless to speculate,
but one thing seems certain, and that
Is that steps should be taken to prevent
the too frequent occurrence of these
fires. The most rigid steps should be
taken to ferret out who 1t was that set
out this fire, as there seems to be no
room to doubt but that 1t was the work
of some devil in manhood's form.
These fires arc too frequent to be acct
dental, and it would be well If some
means were adopted to watch the city
more closely by night. We have one
efficient night policeman, but he can
not do the work in all parts of the
town. He passed by the buildings
burned less than half an hour before
the fire broke out, and was several
squares away when it was discovered,
and did all in his power to give the
people warning. Chief engineer
Schmidling was on the ground at the
earliest moment, and so were others of
the fire company with the engine, but
the buildings being pine and a stiff
wind prevailing at the time, dozen
engines could not have put out the
fire. We trust some means will be
adopted at once TO relieve our people
of tho visits of the frey fiend.