The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-03-13

] NnIhNu' hllAl u IRE record JtlItfnpll
has The maddeHed, Infatuated flame,
| OF dozen destructive fires have con-
| Yerled thousands OF dollars worth Of
property TO debris here In the last
eighteen months, Other places ~,
cape n visitation OF suoh cNlamllles,
hul the scOurge II seems sticks 20 Jet
lersOn, determined tO destroy the pro-
porly, and with II, the energy, enter
prise and hopes of those who own IT,
The Ilrcs thNl have destroyed 10 many
cost y and beautiful blocks of buildings
here, since 1869, have caused rulnOus
loss u many, Tor white Insurance conn
panics have been taxed heavily, the
losses upon real capital Invested have
been fearful,
Buildings thus destroyed have
rarely been hNlfCOvcred by insurance.
Stocks of merchandise only, whore
comparatively small, In many In.
stances, have reupcd rich harvest
from conllugrnton. This truth con.
WINGED ~ long ago that the red hand
Of arson was AT work In our midst
Where Is the man who thinks that
even half the fires we have witnessed
here were uccidentaE And yet man
has never been convicted of arson.
These things are injurious to. W., al
though we cndenvOr 10 guard against
fire rs stronuouslY and vlglluntly as
any other people,
Monday night, when the alarm pealed
out upon the silence of night, and we
started half awake from bed TO see
what It's boiling sound told we saw the
lurid flames tapping high above one of
the most beautiful and substantial
buildings in The city. The hope that it
might only be false alarm dicdwlthin
W., and as we turned to follow thc cX-
cited throngs of men to the scene, n
sullCnucss Of almost despair came
over us, to think that the curse Of awful
conlagr0tion was still holding Jeilcr-
son In its coils of ruin TO the place,
On reaching the scene we saw Mrs.
Ward, Ter three daughters and two
little sons, all weeping, They had
narrowly escaped the flames, while
over the way was their home, all in
flames. Mrs. Ward secured her mon
cy and papers, at great peril, but they
lost everything else This sad scene
was enough TO excite the tendcrest
emotions Of sympathy, yet 1t was Whis-
pCred around in almost hreuthless fear
that little boy had persisted in the
burning building! The minutes speed,
and still no tldings of him. Ills uncle,
row convinced that he must lave per-
ished, was almost frantic in his grief
The engines r0ared and the busy fire
men turned the water steadily upon
the flames. At length, when the muir
Ky morning dawncd and the rubbish
began TO cool u search was made and
Il shapeless mass of charfcd humanity
was found. 1t was all that remained
of poor little Jake Nausbaum He had
persisted in the fire. having heen
aroused from his boyish dreams only
to face death in its most dreadful form,
After the inquest, which was held on
the spot by Justice llaughn, the re-
mains were tenderly gathered up and
carried to his grief stricken relatives,
and from thence TO the cemetery yes
terday evening.
This fire may have been accidental.
1t has not yet been determined, by
those Investigating the cause, whether
ii started in the room where little Jake
might have left a light burning and
dropped oil to sleep, or whether it @as
kindied by some iiend in vacant bed
room adjoining. If the latter, we hope
it may be traced, and the double Grim
inals whoever he may be, punished rs
he deserves
The Ward building was erected three
years ago, 10y Colonel w. II. Ward, de.
ceased, at Il cost Of 100000. When CO.
lionel Ward died his estate was in
debtcd to Colonel w. NJ. Harrison for
about 100000, and to- j. H. Bemis for
$4,000. Subsequently suit was brought
against the heirs, and up to date the
building was thereby in litigation. Mr..
Earrison's claimupo the property was
not secured against fire; Mr.. Bemis,
we understand, had $1,000 insurance.
Mrs. Wards loss of household furni-
turc amounted to $1,000, insured for
5000; f.. Duncan, photograph. who
occupied rooms up stairs, lost $500 in
material; no insurance. Messrs. II.
Welch d Co., merchants, loss $4,000
on stock; insurance, 5000. Nj. Stein
lem, dry goods, loss, 1000; insurance,
$40 900. The. Nichols, dry goods, $780,
600; insurance, $4,000 \. $. Hoffman
d Co., dry goods, $4,000; insurance,
$1,000. Il. Kleinbach, saloon and fix
lures, 81 ,500 70 insurance.
1t is feared that man named Dan
Gallagher was burned to death in the
flames, as he was thought to be asleep
up stairs.