The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-21
a DISASTROUS FIRE.
Hank Heise. mans Beautiful Home Reduced
TO Ashes.

Yesterday morning the beautiful and
| costly home of II. ID. Heiserman, located
in Riverview, caught fire and was reeuced
to ashes. About 2:l5, or perhaps a little
later, Mrs. Heiserman heard noise i'll the
house ami called to her husband to whom
she told what she had heard. Mr.. Heiser-
man listened awhile and not hearing any
thing he told his wife she must have been
mistaken. Very soon after he heard q
noise himself, as if chair had fallen, and
ne Immediately grasped his revolver,
| thinking that burglar was III the house,
and started for the room in which he
heard the noise. Upon opening the door Il
terrific volume of smoke greeted him and
overcame him fpr moment, but, strug-
Cling to his feet, he rapidly shut the door,
told his wife the house was on fire and be
gan removing the bedclothing and such
other portable articles rs were in the room
to place OF safety His wife was greatly
alarmed and went into Mysteries, but when
she recovered her composure she went,
screaming, to the home of Thomas
q. Fitch and alarmed them Mr..
Fitch Immediately went to the phone
to call the fire department, but the phone
would not work by reason of being dis
abled by the cold weather. Mr.. Fitch then
ran ii distance OF several blocks to the
power house of the electric street railway
company, and sent man from there to
the nearest telephone, which was at Main
and Central. From there the alarm was
sent in and the department responded
promptly. When they reached the fire
Mr.. Heiserman's building was completely
destroyed and the adjacent cottage owned
by Miss Seeley Of Kansas City and occu-
pied by A J. Bell, was being rapidly con-
sumed by the hungry flames.
Mr.. HeiSerman's building was one of the
finest wooden structures in the city. 1t
was built when the city was at the height
of its glory, and nothing but the most
costly, substantial and enduring timbers
were employed in it's construction. All
the finishings were of oak and walnut, and
it really looked as if it had been built
very long time so massive and stately was
everything about it. The building, eXclu-
sive of the furniture, cost between ST., 900
and S1S,0 O0 The furniture was not worth
a penny less than 50, Co., as $500 worth
alone was put in when the building was
first occupied, besides what the family
had before In addition to this, Mr..
Heiserman had fine library, worth in
the neighborhood OF $1,000, all of which
was consumed by the flames not volume
being saved. He regrets the loss of his
books more than anything else, for he
really had some rare and valuable works.
All the wearing apparel was also burned,
and as the saying goes. he had not shirt
to his back yesterday morning, with the
exception Of night shirt.
The insurance is about SIS, 500. and Mr..
Heiserman estimates his actual loss at
about 1000
How the fire occurred is mystery, and
the only theory that can be advanced by
Mr.. Heiserman is that the fire was caught
from the steam pipes which heated the
house. Before going to bed at 10 o'clock,
he put little coal in the furnace engine
and at that time everything was all right
Whether or not Miss Seeley's house was
insured could not be ascertained, but the
loss to Mr.. Bell, the tenant, will be NO
small amount.