Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-10-17
LIKE A TINDER BOX.
Burning of DR.. Talmage's Brooklyn
Tabernacle.
The Firemen Work to Save Adjoining
PrOperty-Dr. Talmase Issues
an Appeal For a New
Temple.

NEW YORK, Oct. 1.-THE famous Brook
| lyn Tabernacle, of which Rev. 7. Dewitt
Talmage, ID. d.. is pastor, was yesterday
Tor the second time in its history to-
tally destroye ed by fire.
AT 2:lJ O'Clock in the morning a police
man di>coN .red flames issuing from the
| small windows over the main entrance
| and rushing to the nearest signal box sent
In an alarm. The fremen found the fire
! had assumed large proportions and addi-
! tional alarms were sent in. 1t became
/ evident that the ediiice was doomed to
destruction as it burned like finder box
and the iiremen despairing of saving it
| directed their efforts toward saving ad-
! joining property.
Many of the inmates of the neighboring
residences were already awake. The
! three story frame structure, 3j3 Schermer-
! horn street. adjoining the church on the
| east side, followed. On the west of the
church the flames extended to two brick
| dwellings and on tie opposite side Of
! Schermerhorn street a row of three story
brick dwellings, numbered 33S 10 54S, suf-
| fered from intense heat, window glass be-
! ing broken and wood work scorched.
! The residents of the neighborhood
awakened either by the roar of the flames
or by the pounding of the police upon
their doors, became frightened and
rushed out half dressed or in their night
clothes and the police had great difficulty
in assuring them that they were in no
danger. Fortunately there was no loss of
life or limb. The police carried out one
lady eighty years of age from 337 Scher-
merhorn street and placed her in house
at a safe distance. All the other inmates
were able to care for themselves.
While the firemen and police worked
for the salvation of property the doomed
church building was rapidly being con-
sumed, and in an hours time only the
tottering walls remained. No church
services were held yesterday, but notice
at the corner of Third and Scbermerhorn
streets announced Sunday school in the
hall of the Young Mems Christian Asse-
citation, where about 600 teachers and
scholars assembled in the afternoon.
The origin of the fire is unknown. The
loss on the church building including the
organ, which was enc of the finest in the
country, is $50, 0O0 1t is said to be COW
cred by insurance in a number of compa-
MES. The building was of fourteenth
century Gothic architecture. 1t had q
seating capacity of $500 and was always
fully taxed at the Sunday services
The previous structure, which was built
of corrugated iron, was destroyed by fire
on Sunday morning, December 81, 1872.
1t was at first said the flames originated
in a defective flue, the statement being
made that fire had been started in the fur
mace Saturday night to heat the
building for yesterday mornings SER
vices. The sexton. however, denies
there was any fire in the build
ing all day Saturday and it is now
thought that during a thunderstorm in
the night lightning charged the wires and
caused some of the woodwork of the in
terror to Ignite.
At meeting of the trustees of the
church Fire Marshal Lewis, who was
present, stated his belief that the fire was
caused by the electric light wires. The
trustees recalled the fact that the iusur-
ance companies had settled their policies
Immediately in the case of the burning of
the Catholic Cathedral last spring and
expressed the hope that similar prompt
ness would be shown in this case. The
insurance amounts to $l29, $50 in Ameri-
can and English companies. The build
ing cost SIlS.000, the organ $4,000, furni-
ture SIG OOO, improvements SS7. OOO orna-
mentation $4,000 and carpets $1,000.
DR.. Talmage has issued an address to
the public appealing for aid. He says the
CT urch has never con fined its work to its
own locality. 1t has never been large
enough to accommodate all who came and
continues: at is now desired to build
some hing worthy of interest and of the
cause of God. We want 500, 000 which
added TO the insurance will Lu lid what is
needed. | make an appeal to all cur
friends throughout Christend I'm, to all
denominations, to all creeds and those of
no creed at all, to come to our assistance.
l ask all readers of my sermons the world
over, 10 contribute. What we do as a
church depends upon the immediate re-
Spouse TO this call"
DR.. Talmage adds that he will postpone |
his trip to the Holy Land on account of
the fire.
The trustees adopted resolutions to |
erect sufficiently commodious structure, |
its size, locality and style to depend upon
the amount of contributions received.
Services will be hereafter in the Brook
Ign Academy of Music, though a letter |
was received from DR.. Abbott offering
Church for Sunday evening
service.