Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-03
A BIG BLAZE,
A HALF MILLION DOLLAR FIRE
AT OMAHA.
A Fine Opera House and a Block OF
Buildings Burned to the Ground.
Four Men Reported Killed.

after tonight the Omaha hre depart
ment had campaign that tested It to
the utmost. At 3 an alarm brought the
downtown companies to the Farman
street theater. Sere fierce blaze
was raging on the stage. While the
opera house IRE was at its height, a
second alarm called part Of the force
to Twenty-sevenlh and Leayenworth
streets, where huge frame block was
sending up lurid flames and smoke. At
the theater the battle was a notable
one. The building was huge tye-story
shell auditorium, aud the fire be-
ing on the second floor and
above the stage fly and gallery,
filed the dome thirty feet higher than
the roof Of the building The burst Of
smoke from the roof of the dome was
noted by thousands, the theater being
located at the busiest corner IN the city.
The smoke was followed by flames and
before the first fireman reached the stage
the building was doomed. The fire start
ed on the stage In the fly gallery. The
stage hands were busy setting scenery
for the evening production of Waits
Of New YORK. "One Of the HES swung
against gus jet and in second the
whole mass Of painted canvas was blaz-
ing, 1t burned 50 swiftly there was no
time for lowering the iire-proOf curtain
that cut the stage from the auditorium.
Companies . and 3 We're the first there
and began the fight on the stage. They
were not permitted TO remain long, for
soon after they got to work the roof of
the dome fell In. u H. Scott aud John
Simpson were caught by the falling roof
but were rescued 10y companions. Out
side of the building the hremen We're
hampered by the network of wires, tee.
graph. telephone. electric light. cic., and
found great difficulty in doing effective
work
Finally men from the Thompson-Elous
ton company plant cnt the wirAs. In
front of the auditorium were numerous
suites Of offices and the contents that
were not burned were rliinel 10y water,
Alarms kept coming In and Chief CALI
gan, who had called the entire force to
the sceuc, was compelled to send de
iAchmcnt after detachment 10 answer
calls for the outlying districts.
Daring the first hour alarms for five
fires were sent In. Al $ O'Clock the fire
al the thcater was under control and the
chief other blaze that was ut Twenty
eighth and Leavenwurth streets, was
extinguished,
When the fire on the stage was burning
most iercely the back wall OF the build
ing fell outward Six hrpmen and one
bystander were injured. The names are
JOHN Mcbride, may die; Tom Reune
and jim Downs, will probably die; James
MnttsOn condition critical; j. n Scott,
John Simpson. j. Il. Gaynor and by
standcr will die.
II crushed down into narrow alley,
Il. "a
hr3t story of the knrblch block on the
north. This building was much damaged
by the tumbiing brick, All iiremen at
work IN the alley, but one, escaped J. III.
Gaynor, an athlete and dancing master,
was struck IN the back by falling bricks,
and fatally hurt In the crowd many
people were knocked down and trampled
on, but no one badly injured
While the iremen were playing on the
ruins about . O'Clock, the west w,ll fell
without warning, burying three liremen
under heap Of brick Tho work of
rescue quickly began aud In u few mo-
ments the men woN dragged from their
perilous positions.
The Waits Of New York" company
losgl everything but It's Ere engine,
The thcater was owned by the Ameri-
can Loan and Trust company, aud was
valued at S2jO0OO, and insured for 500
600. II was built In 1891 by the then
mayor, since Governor Boyd.
The total loss from The fires Will be
over one-half million. II Is impossible
now TO give the detailed loss and iusur-
aucc.
OMAHA, Neb.. Oct. 2.--Bullelln--It
Is reported four men were buried under
the fallen wall Of the opera house. The
report cannot be verified.
The ground floor was occupied by
stores and offices, On Fnrnam street
the side tenants consisted OF Muller
corfrctioner, Snow, Lundy 4 Co, drug
gists. aud Allen Spaugh, ticket broker
A small fruit sltand occupied space
near the entrance On Fifteenth street
the side ground-tlOor was occupied by
Jack Woods saloon, Peaboly's hat store.
Hess, Swaboda * Ruddy. opticians. and
the American Fuel company The base.
lnent of the building was occupied hy
n barber shop and Turkish bath rooms
On the second aud third floors were the
JaclSmnn dental narlors ana laboratory.
Some of the goods in the stores, par-
ticularly In Snow, Lundv & Co.'S win
be saved. Most Of the contents were de.
slroyed by fire or water
About one-half of the losses are GOV.
cred by insurance, The buildings adj
Joining on the east were occupied Inv
lcnz Williams and Edward Wittig. rs
saloons, and were oneestory strurllires
aud were damaged by falling wpi,s'
later--1ust discovered. the body of
Albert jerome, pipeman under tho
west wall, He was - years old anil