The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-01-02
ANornEn rIHE IN K,rronrA
The Madison Hou.s in I.uIn..
Loss OF the B1iIdIsg. Furniture: Cloth
Ing, baggage. and breakfasts.

The Madison House I'm Rains.
I.oss OF the BUiIdIsg. Furniture. Cloth
Ing. baggage. and GroenDaeks.
We regret to have TO notice the des-
tructioh OF another piece of valuable
property By that most remOrseless des-
troyer, fire. At half past three o'clock
Wednesday morning, the hour when
the drowsy god hoidss uin his embrace
more securely than at any other, the
church bells rang out, and the cry OF
fire was echoed and re-echoed from
street to stseet, and the dawn of the
last day OF the year marked the last of
the popular Madison house in this
city. AS we write the smouIdering
ruins, and cli9rred and falling walls
are being visited by scores of people,
who gather in huddles and discuss the
incident of the confiagratiOn.
The fire caught in the rear end OF
the kitchen between the plasterIng and
Notwithstanding; at least there is
where Mr.. Webster, the steward, found
It burning. The alarm had been given
by Mrs. Greslish, laundress, who was
sleeping over the kitchen. Mr.. Web
Ster Immediately put the fire out, as he
thought. Mr.. n. L. Funkhourer,
the landlord, who had been called
up By the alarm, and had gonS
to the kitchen, also supposed the
fire was out. Before returning 20
his room he stepped out at the
back door, when to his utter horror he
found the upper part OF fhe building
enveloped In flames. 1t seems the
fire had been carried up between the
plastering and the weatherboarding at
its earliest stage, and the large addition,
being OF pine, was soon envelOped IN
flames. There was no fire In the kitch-
en- or In the wooden part of the build
Ing. 1t Is supposed either to have
caught fire from'mathches carried be-
tween the plastering and weather
boarding and lgnited by rats, or TO
have been set on fire.
The wind was blowing gently from
the south, and the fire being in the
south end of the frame part, the dense
smoke and flame was soon carried
through the halls of the entire build
ing. The inmates had to hurry to
make their escape. Before the fire de-
partment arrived on the ground the
building was so far gone that nothing
could be done to save it, and Chief
Schmidling and the boys turned their
attention toward preventing the fire
from spreading. Within six feet of
the hotel stood q large frame building,
and almost miraculously this was saw
ed with but little damage, by the Bab-
cock engine. Next to this stood an
other small frame building which
would also have been destroyed had
the flames been carried to the building
adjoining the hotel. The flames al
most touched the adjoining building,
and yet It was saved. This was good
work for the IRE boys and their engine.
The Madison house was owned by d.
S. Gilmore and r. w. Hirth. The
main part was built by them four or
Eve years ago for furniture store. 1t
was two stories high, of stone, and
brick front. a large twO-story addi-
ton was put to the rear of the build
ing when 1t was turned into a hotel in
1859 or 1870. This part belonged to
Mr. Gilmore. The cost of the entire
building was about $1,000. On the
front part, owned by Gilmore 6 Hirth,
there was an insurance of $500 in |
the Germania. On the rear part Mr.. |
G. had no insurance. The furniture
belonged to Mr.. Funkhouser, the land |
lord, and was valued at from $4,000 to !
$4,000. Insurance 81, 200.
We regret TO hear that Mr.. Funk |
houSer lost about 500 in greenbacks,
which he had in a pocket-book under |
his pillow, and which he forgot until |
It was too late to reach it.
Mrs. Anna Greelish, the laundress,
abe cOnld not escape through
The hall, jumped from the second story
window and broke her leg near the
ankle. She also lost $500 dollars In
money and clothing.
A Mr.. Smith, general insurance
agent, from Boston, lost his gold
watch, $40 in money, overcoat, bag
gage, etc. By the way, good one is
told on this gentleman. He had the |
watch, etc., under his pillow. |
The ''etc." means a bottle of whiskey.
The only thing he saved was the bot
tie of whisky. He was determined to
secure that. The servant girls lost all
their clothing. The entire loss by this |
fire cannot be less than about $4,000.