Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-01-14
AN EXCITING FIRE.
One Hundred People Driven From
a Burning Building.
FORTUNATELY no LOSS OF LIFE,
Breaks Up the Meetings Of some
Secret Societies and n Busl.
ness College = The
Losses

Kansas CITY. Mo-, Jan. i3.--The lives
OF more than 100 pc ople were imperiled
and SIS, 900 worth Of property wa de-
siroyed by fire last night In L. X,
Moore's five-story building at 1913 ard
1915 Walnut street, Immediately N nth
OF Bullene, 4 ore, Emery & Co.'S big
store For several minutes panic
prevailed among the students OF the
National business college on the second
floor an German dyes OF the knights
OF Honor aud knights Of PythiaS which
were in session on the floor abpve. All
were hemmed In by smoke, which PEN
etrated three floors In dense Volumes
and until the fircmen arrived aud Joined
ladders to the front and rear tire es'
ca pes thcv had no avenue of escape.
Three men capcd from the rear IRE
escape before lad Ter could be secured
and one Of them, Otto Hosemann, fell
into the area way twenty feet below.
His leg was br'kon.
The fire started In the basement
where tn, White Sewing Machine Co.
and the firm OF G. A. Swan & Co, pict-
ure frame and art dealers, which
occupied the first floor, tho
former at 1913 and the latter
nj 1918, stored boxes in which their
goods are received and other inflam-
mable material On the second floor
were abo, seventy-ave pupi 5, includ.
ing ten girls. On the third noor two
dozen mem beers of the Gate City lodge,
Knights Of Honor, and thirty members
Of Humboldt lodge No. 4, Knights OF
: Py thias, were holding meetings.
The night engineer, joe Simms, saw
great clouds OF smoke In the hall He
ran T. the business college on the
second floor shouting FIRE" Before
he not there the students had heard his
cry. One OF them opened a door and
smoke ru he'd in, the cry fire was
taken up by the pupils, VIII sprang
from the seats and rushed for the
hall, forgetting IA their excitement
WRAPS. books and everything else,
Prof. q. NJ. Randall, manager Of the
school, who was In charge, attempted
10 qucll the excitement but for ter
minutes or moro the pupils could moi
he Gained At first n r ,sh was made
for the stairway leading to the street
but there they were met by binding
clouds OF smoke which was making III
way up the stairway and the elevator
shaft. The smoke drove them bacl
and fifty Of them crowded around thu
window from which the fire escape raj
down.
Several men had safely made the rur
down the stairway and two OF then
carried In their arms Miss Nellie Pat
terson and Miss Mertirr Thorn. One o
the business college students, Con Nc
Keegan. OF South Dakota, successful,
made the leap from the rear secon
. 81 ry window, but few care to attemp
( Il as IL was fifteen feet t. the groun
and safe footing, on account Of tn
deep area way, was ut least that dis
tnnce from the wall. To fal 10 maxim
! the wi ic leap meant certain injury
? The total loss will be s25. 900. On tn
building It will foot up nearly $500
and the losses OF the White Sc wing Ma
chine Co, Swan & Co. and the bushes
\ college will aggregate owe $4,000
A., The losses were divided: White SEWN
Machine Co, 81, 900; National bushes
10 college, s., 900, ard Swan & Co., s., 90,
= The machine comp my waSnot insured
g but Swan & Co. will be reimbursed f
A., nbout half their loss Ths b ildin
;, was insured for $4,000 There WEI
j many paintings, e,chi1gs and cnRra'
ings in Swan Il Co. = store Of moderat
- value. The painting OF Gen Forest
z charge at Chlckamauga was partial
II burned. 1t is value esS