Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-05-20
THE WORK or FLAMES.
Consumes Schmidt l. GanO's Stock OF
Groceries and Meats and Corner lot
Building. Only a Comparative
Jy Small Insurance.

On midnight of last Wednesday our
people were aroused from their slum-
bers by fire which originated in the
rear OF Schmidt & Gano'S store in the
McNeal building, corner Main and
east Kansas avenue. The fire was first
discovered by Lester Simpson and Miss
Stella Lebrecht who had just returned
from party about four miles east of
town. Mr.. Simpson broke the glass
on the ire alarm box and pressed the
button to give the signal to the engin-
eer at the pumping station. In short
time the fire assumed larger proper
tions and could be seen at a distance.
Bells began to ring, Landlord Bristow
of the Grand hotel, sounded the alarm
by discharging shot gun several times
and it was not long until most of our
citizens were on the scene.
The hose company were soon at their
places. adjusted the hose to the fire
plug, but they had no pressure and
were helpless. 1t it stated that if the
water power would have been at the
command OF the fire department as
soon as they were on duty, only the
rear end of the building and small
part of the grocery stock would have
been injured. In this connection
Engineer AXtell was censured by some.
but il is our opinion that it was not
well grounded. In the first place the
lire was banked at S O'Clock, and the
mains were empty. In the second
place Mr.. AXtell states that the fire
alarm was out Of order. gave only a
very weak alarm and that the boiler
was so coated that it was impossible tC
raise great amount of steam on short
order. These circumstances are worthy
of consideration before censuring a
man because he is new engineer.
Fortunately it was A still night, the
fire was easily controlled and did not
spread. The pressure came IN time to
put the fire out before it consumed the
old building adjoining the burning one
and it would now be IN order to re.
remove the trap before it could cause
any similar calamity. Had there been
strong wind from the north, the large
b:ick building occupied by Davis dry
goods and clothing store in the lower
story and the Cresset office in the up
per story, would have been in great
danger, and it is hard telling where il
would have ended.
The building was owned by Mrs. L
a. McNeal and was insured in the
commercial Union for $30000.
The grocery stock, fixtures, etc.
carried by Schmidt q Gano were worth
fully 50, 600, insured for $4,000, in the
Commercial Union, and $4,000 i'll the
Continental, L. l.. Lindley being agent
for both companies. Only a small
amount of goods was saved. The books
were not destroyed, George Honey
the book keeper. having taken them tt
bis room in the hotel to do some WORK
in the evening.
The loss is a heavy one to MessrS
Schmidt u Gano. They are new firm
and haYe had quite an expense Incl
dental to starting, buying fixtures, EN-
ploying labor to repair, etc. The cause
of the fire is a mystery which canno
even be lntelligently guessed at. There
had been a fire in stove IN the bacl
part of the building i'll the Afternoon
but it had died away before night 81
that the cause could not be traceablt
to this circumstance.