The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-12-31
The Terrible Fire Disaster in Buffalo.
BUFFALO, December II.

BUFFALO, December IL.
A MOST disastrous conf1agration occurred
here this evening" the sad and deplorable fea-
ture of which is that it was attended by the
greatest loss of life known upon similar occa-
sion in very many years. The building in
which the fire broke out was five story brick
structure, 800 feet in depth and eighty feet
wide, owned by George W. Tiff, and occu-
pied by NJ. H. BirRe Sons, manufacturers of
wall paper. About ten minutes before six
o'clock one of the men employed in the third
story reported to the foreman, Thomas Henry,
who was on the floor below, that one of the
printing machines was on fire. He speedily
made his way upstairs, and saw the press at
the rear of the room envelOped in flames,
which had by this time, spread to the ada
cent woodwork, while the place was filled with
dense smoke. As temperature of ninety
degrees is maintained continually throughout
the factory, to assist the drying process, and
as this had rendered everything as dry as tin
der, MI. Henry realized that the spread Of the
flames would be terribly rapid, and it was folly
to think that anything could be done to avert
it. He turned and ordered the employees to
fly for their lives, Immediately warning as
best he could those who were in the
fourth and fifth stories, they being prin-
cipally boys. In the meantime an
alarm had been sounded, to which
q portion of the department responded, and q
second and general alarm brought the remain
der. The scene now presented was one that
would touch the stOutest heart. The building
was wrapped In seething flames. Employees
jumped from the highest windows, while many
boys in the two upper stories, who had been
unsuccessful in their efforts to escape, or be-
came too bewildered to follow the example of
their companions, appeared at the windows
with white and terrified faces, and frantically
shouted for help But their torture was Of
brief durBtion, for, almost simultaneously
with their cry for aid, they sank back, over
come by suffocation from the smoke, and,
within twenty minutes from the time the
alarm was sounded, the walls crumbled and
fell with crash. One small boy whose name
could not be learned, cOurageously jumped
from the fifth story, and, catching the tele-
graph wires, which then gave way. slid down
one of them, and escaped with badly cut
hands. John Malone, aged fifteen years,
jumped from the fifth story. struck the
sidewalk, and was almost instantly
killed. John Fields, employed as overseer
among the boys, jumped from the fourth
story and was picked up dead. John T. Berry
jumped from one of the upper stories and
sustained fracture of the spine and of both
arms. He will probably die. With the fall
ing Of the walls the fremen were required to
give their attention to the Union Malt House,
an extensive brick structure, also owned by
George w. Tiff, and occupied by John. b.
Manning. 1t was already in q fair way for
destruction, and, though every effort was
made, the best that could be done was in pre-
venting the further spread Of the fire.
Wild rumors were aflOat In regard to the loss
of life, and anxious parents crowded around
vpifR, klourl,od cov,utov,oucos and woorfv,er