The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-10-20

age to Mirrors and Doors-Not 1Iucl
Water Used, and That Was From tn
Chemical Engiue-Fire was Between
the Walls, and the Fire was Sitting
Firemen Do Excellent worx-Estimat,
of Damage Done-Covered by Insurance
In Sunday mornings Eagle a brief &C.
count of fire which was taking place
just previous to the paper going tc
press was TO be found. A better ac-
count was impossible to be gotten into
the paper at that time. At o'clock the
same morning an Eagle representative
visited the scene. When he arrived all
the fire department had returned to
their respective houses, except the
chemical engine the men who worked
1t and Chief Walden. The electric lights
were burning brightly and TO all ap-
pearances nothing was unusual except
some furniture AMI rugs upon the front
veranda. The chemical engine stood in
the carriage driveway and following
the nose around and into the rear door,
1t soon brought one to the scene of the
trouble. The northwest corner OF the
southeast room was found to be the
center Of the trouble.
The first intimation of anything be-
Ing wrong was the presence of volumes
Of smoke in the building. Mrs. Chesney,
the matrOH, forced her way through the
smoke in the hail to the north room up
on the second floor, where Mr.. Benedict,
an old man so years of age, was sleep
Ing. She soon epprised him of the dam
ger, and they both left the building by
the f1re-eScape Unon the north side. The
alarm was quickly turned in from the
box, No. 1A, which is situated upon the
veranda Of the home The department
arrived in a very short space of time;
the West Side department arriving be-
fore the others, and had their line of
hose well strung out when numbers 1
and arrived. Chief Walden was i'm
ngediately upon the scene, and person.
ally took charge of the work
As soon as the front part of the house
was opened, great volumes of smoke
began TO roll out, but nevertheless, the
firemen plunged into every opening they
could make, in search of the location of
the fire. Two lines of hose were rum
into the building, and the chemical hose
was also run in from the rear door.
The fire was somewhat difficult to To-
cate, but it was soon discovered to be
Between the walls. Chief Walden i'm
mediately had the fire boys use their
axes upon the elegant wood work, and
the heart Of the fire was quickly laid
open. The Iath and woodwork were all
ablaze, and the chemical was turned
upon il and ii was soon eXtinguiShed.
Enough water was discharged between
the walls above 10 eXtinguish all bIaZes
and sparks there. The two lines of
large hose had been run into the upper
windows from the outside and the men
were ready upon a moments notice, to
pour volumes of water upon any place
where it was found necessary; but this
was found to not be needed, as the
chemical was amply sufficient for the
purpose.
The smoke soon cleared away, and all
the department returned TO their re-
spective houses except the chemical,
two fTremen, and Chief Walden, who re-
manned for some time to make sure
that no sparks should start a blaze
anew All the other occupants of the
house, beside those before mentioned
escaped by the rear stairway.
All day Sunday the home was be-
eeiged by anxious people, who were
eager to learn of the damage done, but
admittance to the building was refused
every one. The home is the pride of
Wichita. and 3. large section of country
surrounding it, and it is 10 wonder
that great interest is felt concerning il.
Colonel LoomiS of Winfield, who has
done SO much to aid the project of To-
eating a home in this locality, and who
is one of the directors, read the account
OF the fire in Sunday mornings Eagle
and came w as soon as steam could
was located in the room which was I'M
der the care of the Winfield lodge, and
this made his interest and anxiety the
greater.
Yesterday afternoon the reporter
again visited the institution TO ascer- !
tain if possible the exact amount of
damage which had been done. Grand |
Master Mccall was found upon the !
premises, and he and the Eagle repre- |
sentative made tour of the building. |
The greatest damage was by smoke. |
The large mirrors in the front hall are |
damaged somewhat by heat and may |
have TO DE resilyered. The elegant !
ma ssive doors are damaged by heat |
also. The glass in the front door. now |
resembles cracked glass which was so |
popular at one time. The wallis and |
ceiling in the hall are badly smoked |
up, as are the ceiling and walls in the |
room where the seat of the trouble was /
This room contained a set of elegant /
leather covered furniture, but only one |
chair was damaged by the fire, having |
several holes burned in the seat. The |
other furniture escaped with a slight |
wetting from the chemical. The wetting /
amounted to but very little but wheth-
er or not the chemicals in the water
VIII damage it cannot be stated This
room with its furniture. was finished
and furnished by Queen City Chapter
No. 13S OF Winfield.
Upstairs about the only damage
done was by smoke. The heat had
melted the paint in several places 50
that it had run down the woodwork
and walls but the smoke was the chief
cause Of the damage. In the room di-
recuy over the room where the fire oc-
CURED the walls were quite well brown
ed This room was furnished by the /
Ivy Leaf Chapter. Eastern Star OF this
city. The walls and ceiling were beau
tifully frescoed and the elegant hard
wood floor shared the same fate.
rug which had laid upon the floor had
been moved 10 one side. and the print
II the fringe was clearly left upon the
floor. 1t looked Almost as If another
rug lay there. The fire seemed 10 have
followed the wire Of the electric hell IN
20 the room, as ii had broken through
he I'laSteTing where the buttons were