Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-01-21
A BIG FIRE.
A Large Building in Kansas City
Destroyed.
AGGREGATE LOSS ABOUT $4,000.
None of the Contents of the Building Es-
cape the Fire-Floors Burned Out
and Safes FAN to the Base
ment.

KANSAS CITY. Mo-, Jan. IS-A de-
structive fire occurred last night in the
Dearborn building, which is located at
the southeast corner of Eleventh and
Main streets. The building is four
stories in height and has frontage of
100 feet The fire started in the room
occupied by the Benjamin Jewelry Co.,
In the second story of that part of the
building that is at No. HOS Main street.
1t rapidly spread to 1907, the last of the
four numbers occupied by the building.
The value of the property involved
was nearly 1925, 900 The aggregate
loss will, according to members of the
fire department., amount to almost
S170. 600. The insurance carried by the
owners Of the building and the con-
tents is said to amount to SIPS 400,
making the net loss about $4,000
None of the contents of the building,
except the valuables contained in the
safes of the occupants, escaped the raw
ages of the fire. All the floors of the
building were burned out causing the
safes to fall into the basement.
A number Of alarms were turned in,
the last of which was general alarm,
which brought out the entire depart
ment- The irst alarm was responded
to by six companies Three streams
were thrown into the burning struct-
,ure. Within half an hour from the time
the first company arrived upon the
scene the fire was apparently ont All
the companies were sent to their re-
spective engine houses except No. in
surance patrol company II order to
cot SCfx hi
Superintendent Pelletier examined the
building. While thus engaged
flames that were creeping up
ward in partition burst forth
from the center of the building and
at its rear and from the roof at its rear
Another alarm was quickly turned in,
but before the companies could return
the flames had gained such Roadway
that the fremen could do nothing but
attempt to confne them to the Dear
dorff building. For nearly an hour
the fire was kept in the south half of
the building. No 11O5 and 11O., bat =
gradually worked its way northward
in the face of a strong wind that was
blowing from the north and attacked
the floors ceilings, partitions and roof
of No 110l and 11O3.
For while it looked a S though the
entire block bounded by Eleventh,
Twelfth, Main and Walnut streets
would be engulfed by the sea of flame
The Hremen made heroic efforts to pre-
vent the building occupied by the Bos-
ton store, which joins the Dearborn
building on the south. from catching
fire The wind carried millions of
sparks and pieces of flaming cinders
over the Boston store building and
over the other buildings to the south in
the block. Had it not been for the
snow on the roofs of the many business
houses in the vicinity of the fire, a con-
hagration would doubtless have oc-
CURED. At one time during the fire
frebrands from one to six inches in
length and from half an inch to two
inches thick were carried across
Twelfth street
The intense cold interfered with the
work of the firemen. Several of the
hose burst, causing streams of spray to ,
rise in the air and fall upon the fire
men. Soon they were a mass of ice
The bursting of the hose reduced the
size of some OF the streams that were
thrown from them, and thereby made
the efforts of the department to extin-
guish the blaze less effective The
water thrown from the hose nozzles
froze as fast as it struck an object that
was outside the building. Soon the
telegraph wires and the poles upon
which they were strung in front of the
building were coated with ice
About two-thirds OF the entire loss
was covered by insurance. The build |
ing, which was owned by the Dearborn
estate and valued at 500, 900, is covered |
by $50. 600 insurance, while the loss of !
rent is covered by $40, 900 insurance
The Irwin & Eaton Crockery Co.'S
stock was valued at $40, OOo Insurance |
not given.
The insurance on the Browning King |
Co. S stock Of clothing amounts to 500 |
coo. The value of the stock is roughly |
estimated at from SIS, 900 to $50. 600. |
About one-haf of the entire stock |
owned by the firm had been removed |
to tho new Dearborn building on WAL |
nut street. while their own store rooms |
were being repaired. making its loss |
just that much lighter.
The s. d. Mills Jewelry Co. has it's |
loss. which amounts to about $4,000, |
fairly well covered by insurance.
The Boston dry goods store suffered /
a loss of about 1.500 on account of |
water. 1t carried $50. 600 insurance.
Considerable loss was sustained on
personal effects of people who had Off
ces in the building. There is insurance |
held on the property in some of the .
principal offices, but the flames made |
an absolute loss to the owners of mos. !
of the personal and private effects /
Irwin & Eaton have been peculiarly
unfortunate. Something less than three I
years ago their store on Delaware
street burned, involving loss of about i
SIS, 600.
Arkansas Pass Freight Handled.
GALVESTON, Tex, Jan 1S-The In
ternational & Great Northern railroad /
at this point has commenced handling