The morning times., 1896-10-12
STABLES BURNED
Leishear's Place Destroyed in
South Washington.
FIRE STARTED BY CINDERs
Half n Dozen Wooden buildings 8 on
Furnished Material for the Flames.
Tie Loss About 5,OOO-Firs
Alarm Sy stem Out OF Order.

a fire which broke out in South Wash
ingtyn shortly after O'Clock yesterday
morning destroyed Samuel A Leishear's
livery and express stable and Il haif dozen
wooden buildings on Liberty ana Golden
streets before it suecumbe ed to the efforts
OF the fireman. The total loss viii rx-
ceed 81 700, the greater naru II which
falls on Mr.. Leishear
His barns and wagon sheds were Quilted
and the contents Completely DESTROYED.
Owing to the crippled condition OF the fire
alarm system IL was some time after the
fire stared before an alarm reached thu
engine houses, and by the time the COM
pdnies arrived the flames had gained CON
siderable headway.
Mr.. Leistiear's barns and stables occupy
the square between Golden and Liberty,
and Ninth and Tenth sIIeets southwest.
Edward Kelly, his stable boss discovered
the flames IN the rear OF the barn shortly
after O'Clock, when he went out to water
the horses He at once ran 10 Mr. Leis-
hears house, on Tenth street, and gave
the alarm. The blaze was eating its
way through the woodsheds in the rear
OF tue houses on Liberty street, and the
wind was driving it toward the stable at
rapid rate. Police Officer Burns, of the
cenulal Office, who lives on Ninth street,
saw the fire from the rear windows OF
his house and turned in an alarm from
Box i6. The wires were down, how
ever, and the first word was bro: ght to
the engine house by milk man, who saw
tue snIuKe and drove TO No engine COM.
pany.
WAGON HOUSE DOOMED.
Before the engines arrived the flames
had rushed through the long row of wooden
sheds in the rear OF Liberty street and at
IkaiS u no hril
ing was fllled with express wagons, buggies.
excursion vans and heavy trucks. 1t was
wooden structure and in but a moment
was blazing mass. Before the crowd
Which had gathered on Golden street could
break in the doors the building and its
contents We're beyond help. In the brick
stable adjoining Were twenty-eight horses,
all of which were gotten out safely before
tue flames reached the structure. The fire
had been burning twenty minutes before
tue firemen reached the scene, and all
hope of saving the buildings which had
already caught was at once abandoned.
4 row of two-story brick dwellings, the
property of George Z. Emmons, on Golden
street, opposite Leishear's stable, Were now
in danger and the firemen directed their
attention to them.
The high wind kept the fire burning
fiercely and the low wooden buildings burned
rapidly Within ten minutes Of the time
the fire was discovered it had completely
destroyed the sheds in the rear OF Nos.
926, 92S. $50 and s32 Liberty street and
secured firm hold on the buildings be-
longing to Mr.. Lcishear.
Mhrd Cni-I .taTf, s-achcd the scene he
at once sent out general alarm by tele
phone and there We're soon half u dozen
engines in action. Several streams of
water wa sturned on Leishear's stable
and the flames held in cheek until the
horses were removed tn a place of safety.
The stable, which is of brick and adioins
the wooden wagon shed. could uo5 be saved
however and was completely guttei. The
tiremen were unable To save the buildings
on Liberty street. " hich had not caughs
when they arrived
THE LOSS.
Mr.. Leishear estimates his loss at from
S12 200 to 81 ., 900, moStl Y on roIliDgstock,
harness, feed and tools. He has between
$4,000 and $4,000 insurance. divided be-
tween buildings, harness and feed, but did
not carry any on his wagons The loss to
other property owners is small, as the
building were shanties and wood sheds
W hich contained nothing of value.
The origin of the fire is unknown. al
though it is supposed that the flames first
started in the rear of No. 932 Liberty
street from hot ashes thrown against the
side of the woodshed.
In the wagon shed belonging 10 MT
LciShear were twenty-five wagons, trucks,
vans and light buggies, which were coin-
pletely destroyed Mr.. Leishear valued
them alone at between So 600 and Sc 900,
and carried no insurance on them.
Stored in the stable We're twenty-five
tons of hay. over S70O worth of feed, and
large quantity OF blacksmith's and
wheelright's tools. All of these were COIN
pletely destroyed, together with large
s,F q. Il frwT.a
thirty extra wagon poles. Mr.. Leishear
stated last night that he would resume
business as usual this morning. as he had
been able to secure n number of wagons
through the kindness OF Messrs. Knox
and Springman.