The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-05-19
HOMELESS AGAIN.
Rev. DR.. Talmage's Home Flock
Again Burned Out.
The Brooklyn Tabernacle and Mnch Ad-
Joining Property q Heap of Ru.ns
The Fire Started In
the Monster Organ.

De the NeIueSls OF heV. L. ftt al
mage's congregation. Their beauti
full tabernacle at the corner of Clintoi
| and Greene avenues, Brooklyn, was de
stroyed by FIRE yesterday afternoon
Flames broke out in the church edific,
just after those who attended the
morning service had left the building
Not only was the church destroyed
but the nearby hotel and number o
buildings were also greatly damaged
Had the fire broken out one hot.l
earlier. while the building was filled
with worshipers, it is almost certain
that dreadful panic and loss of lif,
would have resulted.
This is the third time that the Tai
mage tabernacle had been destroyed
by fire. BY singular coincidence
each fire occurred on Sunday.
Everything in the tabernacle yester
day was destroyed with the building
Perhaps the loss which will grieve DIR
Talmage most is that of the mefhCria
stones which he brought from the east
and which were set in the wall at tn,
right of the organ. They were four il
number. The top block was from
Mount Calvary and bore the wore
Sacrifice. The stone below from
Mount Sinai, bearing on it "The Law.
The bottom stone is from Mars hill
and bears the inscription Gospel
The fourth stone was unmarked.
"A more unique collection never wa:
gathered from one place" DIR. Talmags
says of them.
The fire was discovered shortly after
IL o'clock, just after the congregation
service. DIR. Talmage was in tn,
church shaking hands with Mr.. Leon
ard Moody, W. ii. Adams, James II
Ferguson and their wives, when 4;
small boy rushed into the churcl
through one of the open doors and in
formed the sexton, James Day, that ht
had seen smoke coming out of the win
dows on the Waverly avenue side o
the church.
Mr.. Day, without speaking to DIR
Talmage, rushed down stairs to tn,
motor room and began making n thor
ough examination. After searching
and not being able to find any indica
tiOns OF Il fire lie ran upstairs As III
entered the church he met DIR. Tai
mage with Mr. Moody. They had alsC
smelled smoke. The boy who first en-
tered the church and informed Mr.
Day of the fire then volunteered t.
go up in the back of the organ
and see if it was there. lie did so
and n second later appeared before the
three gentlemen who were waiting
for him, with his face blacked and al
most suffOcated from smoke. All he
could say was that he discovered the
fire in the back of the organ. DIR. Tai.
mage, Mr.. Day and Mr.. Moody then
started for the organ, but before they
from the top. They then made hur'
ried exit.
In the meantime ex-Supervisor Reed,
who was in the Summerfeld NJ. +.
church, directly opposite. had also
seen the smoke coming from the tab
ernacle window. and had sent in an
alarm of fire.
BY the time the firemen arrived the
flames were bursting from all the win.
dows. Two extra alarms, and finally
a special call was sent in bringing all
of the engines in Brooklyn and vii.
liamsburg to the fire. The flames
spread with lightning rapidity and the
sparks flew in all directions. The
greatest excitement prevailed.
Frln .ntn nf l,a nh,.-al 4,
seething, roaring mass of flames inside
of three minutes after the fire was dis
covered, and by o'clock the roof and
the handsome steeple had fallen in.
Great Jets of flame shot across the
open space between the tabernacle and
the Hotel Regent, which is next to the
church, on Clinton avenue, and in u
short space of time that portion of the
hotel nearest the church was burning
fiercely. The Regent is family ho-
tel. The guests fled in dismay. Some
of them stopped to throw their valua-
bles and clothing from the windows,
while others hurried to places of
safety just as they happened to be ap-
PARALLEL when the panic struck them.
At the time of the fire there were
eighty-five guests and ninety servants
in the hotel, and many of them had
narrow escapes. The fire extended to
the hotel between the first and second
floors. Before the employees gave the
alarm, they attempted to get it under
control. The fire soon spread up to
the third and fourth floors, however,
and the guests and servants rushed
pell nell into the street
There were two ladies in the hotel
who had to be carried out. On the
fifth floor Mrs Loomis, of Savannah,
was lying ill with her young baby. a
few days old. She was carried safely
from the burning hotel and, with her
child, was removed in an ambulance to
the Homeopathic hospital.
Miss Kean, the assistant housekeeper
of the hotel, was also carried from the
building. She had just passed through
u severe illness, but was convalescent.
The flames spread rapidly through
the hotel and it was soon afire from
cellar to roof. The firemen then de-
voted their efforts to save surrounding
property. a number of dwellings in
the vicinity caught fire again and
again, but the firemen each time
flooded them with water and extin-
guished the flames.
The Summerfield VI. f. church also
caught fire from flying sparks, but the
flames were soon extinguished.
The numerous small fires continued
until o'clock by which time the fire.
men had gotten the flames in the
tabernacle and hotel under control.
The tabernacle and Hotel Regent
were completely gutted. Nothing re-
mains but the walls. At 6 o'clock por-
tions of the rear wall of the Ia abernacle
fell. The total loss is estimated at a
little over 81 ZOO. 900. The loss on the
Hotel Regent, including the building,
paintings and guests household goods,
will amount to a bout $500, 900. The loss
on the tabernacle is about $500, 900,
and the adjoining buildings are re-
ported to be damaged to the extent of
$50, 900. 1t is said that the hotel was
insured for $500, 200.
Four fremen were overcome by heat
during the progress of the flames aud
had to be removed from the scene.
All subsequently, recovered.
1t is supposed the fire was caused BY
a spark from one of the electric light
wires behind the organ in the taber.
nacle.