Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-04-26
ADISAsTROUS FIRE.
The New York Store Escapes with
a $40. 600 Scorclihg.

w do 1dIoCO oiIu IL NdO AOuIU CHao SHC
New York Store building was on fire
and the rapacious element was eagerly
licking up the richest of fabrics and
finest of goods belonging to Mr.. j. D.
Wiener.
The members of hose company A, or
as many of them as heard the imper-
feet alarm, responded to the call, and
with the aid of willing citizens soon
had stream playing upon the flames,
and in a very few minutes thereafter
the fire was subdued.
There are many theories as to the
origin of the fire, but the one which is
generally accepted, and apparently the
only one which the circumstances will
uphold, is, that the fire started in JUS
tice John w. Browns Office, which oc-
cupies the front room over the New
York Store. Squire Brown, Marshal
Airhart and night watch Whitcomb,
had been in this Office between one and
two O'Clock in the morning. getting out
a search warrant for a party who it
was supposed had gotten away with a
$500 bill at the Union hotel. When
they left the room they think the lamp
was put out The lamp sat on a large
desk table, just over where the fire
burned through into the room below.
When the fire was subdued it was found
the desk had been burned completely
through the middle, hole burned
through the floor, and through the cell
ing of the dry goods store.
A stranger who came in over the
Santa Fe and walked up town saw the
fire as he passed and ran to the Morrison
hotel and gave the alarm. Immediate
ly people were on the streets, and some
one ran to the school house and tried
to ring an alarm; but the result was
not very satisfactory, as most of those
who heard it thought it was Sunday
School bell. In course of time, man
on white horse was dispatched to the
water works engine house, and before
long the unearthly screech of their
whistle reused the Sunday morning
sleepers.
The New York Store is one of the
largest dry goods and clothing estab
lishments in the city, and the damage
will reach way up into the thousands.
Mr.. Weiner says he had something
near a $4,000 stock of goods
the store, and that the damage will
almost reach so per cent. of that
amount.
The insurance is ample to cover all
losses. Messrs. Odell & Gunnell, had
written insurance ON the stock for the
Phoenix of Hartford and Brooklyn,
American Central, Home,
and the German, of Peoria. Mr.. j. w.
Brown wrote insurance for the North
British, Underwriters and National.
Mr.. B. Negbaur wrote for California
and British America; and Messrs.
Palmer & Moore for the Connecticut.
The insurance adjusters will probably
be here in day or SO and take inven-
tory of the damage.
The fire came through the board cell
ing, near the front of the store, and
first caught among the expensive
fabrics such as laces, silk, 'shawls, fine
dress goods, toilet goods, etc., and
spread rapidly among the costly goods.
If not discovered when it was, a few
more would have served to
ruin the entire stock, as the fire would
have reached the stairway leading to
the carpet rooms above and thus ere
ated a draft that would have famed
the flames into unquenchable fury.
Willing hands turned to and rapidly
carried goods out of harms way The
water of course damaged lots of goods,
but it is pretty well agreed that with
out the water works the entire build
ing and contents would have been de-
stroyed.
Justice John W. Browns office is a
total wreck. Almost everything in the
room is ruined. Valuable papers and
books are destroyed, and at the present
it is impossible to estimate what the
amount of loss will be through that
Office. Some of the records which APP
pear to be ruined may still be sufficient
ly preserved to be of value. AS there
is no insurance ON this outfit the loss,
whatever it may be, will fall heavy.
There appears to be no sentiment to
attach blame to Justice Brown. as he
apparently took every precaution to see
that things were all right when he left
his Office.
NOTES AND INCIDENTS.
A. S. Allen says he overlook ore lady
running TO the fire with a two-bushel
clothes basket in which to carry water
to the fire.