The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-10-04
OMAHA BIG FIRE,
Burning of the Fernham-
St. Opera House,
Causing a Loss of Nearly
Half a Million.
SIX FIREMEN INJURED
And At Least One Other Life
Crushed Out.
Heavy Loss for a Dramatic
Company Also,
Practically All Their Effects Being
Consumed in the COndagration-
Only About Half the Loss Covered
by Insurance-The Injured Firemen
Hurt by n Falling Wall.

OMAHA. Oct 2.-From till after s
the Omaha fire department had cam
paign that tested it to the utmost. At
5:02 D. m. an alarm brought the down
town companies to the Farnham-st. the
ater. Here a fierce blaze was raging on
the stage. During the next hour five
alarms were sent in. While the opera
house fire was at it's hight a second
alarm called a portion Of the fighting
force to Twenty-seYenth and Leaven-
werth-sts., where a hugh frame block
was sending up a cloud Of lurid smoke
to vie with the rosy hue Of the western
sky. At the theater the battle was a
notable one. The building was a huge
five-story shell, the auditorium being
on the second floor, and above the stage
the fly gallery filled dome thirty feet
higher than the roof of the building.
When the fire on the stage was burn
ing most fiercely the back wall of the
building fell outward and fell on the
first story Of the Karbach block on the
north. Six firemen We're hurt and one
killed. This building was much damaged
by the tumbling brick. How the fire
men who were at work in the alley. es-
capped will always be a mystery, for the
great pile Of masonry fell without warn
ing, crushing down with tremendous
force of a mighty avalanche.
A wild rush of men, a mighty surge
Of the crowd, and all but one escaped.
]. NJ. Gaynor, athlete and dancing mas
ter, was struck in the back by falling
bricks and will die. In the crowd many
people were knocked down and trampled
on, but no one was badly injured. The
WAITS Of New York" loses everything
but its fire engine. BY strange coinci-
dent of fate the steamer was the only
property Of the company that had not
been taken on the stage. All the menu
bers Of the company lose their ward
robes.
The theater was owned by the Ameri-
can loan and trust company, which as
signed during the summer but was soon
after reorganized. 1t was valued at
$25O,000 and insured for $4,000. The loss
to the owners of the WAITS of New
York. company is $500. and the mem
bers Of the company lose as much more
The theater was built in 1881 by the
then mayor, since governor. James Z.
bOyQ, DIT q COSI OI SLO0,UuO. II was
opened by the Fay Templeton opera COM
pany in August, 1881, the piece being the
Mascot" During its time the stage has
borne the stars of the dramatic and oper-
attic firmament-Booth, Barrett, Jeffer-
son, Florence, Salvini Gather and SOM,
Bernharct, Patti, Kellogg, Abbott and
hundreds whose names are famous hav-
ing appeared there. 1t was christened
two years ago when Governor Boyds
new theater was opened.
Several Injured.
Six firemen and one bystander were
injured Their names are:
John Mcbride, captain No. 2 hose. face
and head crushed, injured Internally;
may die.
Tom Ruene. No. hose. head cut and
legs broken.
Jim Downs, pipeman No. i hose,
crushed about chest: condition critical.
James Mattson, lineman No. 2 leg
broken, internal injuries; condition
critical.
]. n. Scott. driver No. ?. face burned,
John Simpson, driver No. 3. same in
juries as Scott.
]. B. Gaynor, internal injuries; may
die.
While the firemen were playing on the
ruins about the west wall fell without
warning, burying three fremen under
heap Of brick. The work Of rescue was
quickly begun and in a few moments
the men had been dragged from their
perilous positions. Capt. William Nc
Bride, Of hose No. 2, was the worst hurt;
apparently of the three, his head and
face had been crushed by the weight
of brick and his body seemed mashed
fiat. Pipeman Jim Downs of No. 1 was
hurt about the head, and his chest was
crushed. Lineman Mattson was caught
about the lower part Of the body and