The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-03-15
MORE CREMATEO MULES.

The Stables Of the M etr Opolitan street Ran.
way at Kansas City Burned and Sixty
Mules Cremated -Reported Loss of Life.
KANSAS CITY, No., March About ten
O'Clock last night fire was discovered in
the stables of the Metropolitan Street
Railway Company, Fourth and Wyan.
dotte streets, this city, which contained
about seventy mules battered in the lower
stalls. Several police officers and citizens
rushed in the burning building and COM
menced cutting the mules loose, but the
flames spread so rapidly that only few
were gotten out and the men had to seek
their own safety and leave the animals to
their fate. The stables were q total loss.
Fears for the safety Of adjoining build
ings were expressed many times during
the progress of the fire. When first dis.
covered the wind was driving the heat and
flames east toward the wholesale box fac
tory and printing works of Samuel l.. G.
Rhodes on Fourth street. between Wyan-
dotte and Delaware. Men were stationed
on the roof with brooms and buckets to
keep the flames from catching, but the
wind changed and probably saved the
building.
The sparks and flames were now driven
south across Fourth street toward the
large printing establishment Of Bishop
Bros, and half dozen firemen with ex-
tinguishers were required to keep it from
catching. In the meantime the employees
of Thomas Great Western stables on
Wyandotte street, just north Of the Bishop
building, had moved all of the live stock
from the building. The horses were placed
around the neighborhood or taken to diff
ferent stables near by. All of the vehicles
in the stable were moved out into the
street so if it had burned there would have
been no loss of either horses or vehicles.
The firemen finally got the flames so un.
der control that all danger to other prop
erty was thought to be passed, but the
fears of everyone in the neigbborhood
were again revived when a large 800
gallon tank filled with oil, inside the burn
ing stable, exploded and the flames and
sparks were again sent out In great clouds.
Sheets of blue flame shot across the street
and great brands of fire were carried for
blocks away. Luckily, however, nothing
caught from them and shortly after this
tn fire had so far exhausted itself that all
danger to adjoining property was past
At two O'Clock this morning a hostler
named Humble was reported missing. He
is known to have left the barn a few min
utes bel ore the fire and has not been seen
since. A visit was made to his room but
he had not been there. 1t is feared he
might have returned and attempted to
save some of the stock aud persisted. Be-
tween sixty and seventy horses and mules
persisted.
Mr.. r. j. McCarty, the general manager
of the Metropolitan Company, was on the
scene of the fire earIy He es mated the
losses to the company as follows: On
building, $4,000; on horses and mules,
IS, 900; cars, $4,000; hay and grain, 81 900;
miscellaneous, S1Oj0; total, $40 900. The
building and contents were insured in
the Phoenix, Franklin. Norwich Union and
Hartford, of Connecticut, c. mpanies. The
insurance was: On building, $500; on
contents $4,000 The stall IL was a relief
one and there was kept on hand six h ad
Of animals to every ten cars to make the
relief changes necessary. This fact ac-
counts for the large number of mules in
| the stable at the early hour.