Omaha daily bee., 1897-04-15
KANSAS CITY VISITED by FIRE.
Scarritt Building burns, EntniIing n
Loss Os $4,000.


| KANSAS CITY, April 14-The Scarritt
block, a substantial five-story brick building
on Walnut street, near Ninth, and directly
across the street from the central station of
the Kansas City fire department, was de-
stroyed by fire this evening. The fire was
| not discovered until the flames burst
| through the front windows on the third
| story, spreading a glare over the whole
| street. Though the fremen had but to run
their apparatus into the street, they seemed
able to do nothing to combat the flames, as
they could throw no water into the third
floor without steam pressure, and to get
pressure they were obliged to wait some
minutes for steam. BY that time the fire
was beyond control, and was threatening an
entire block in the very heart of the city.
The big six-story Hall building, extending
south on Walnut street to Ninth, in which
are the Times and World newspapers, sew
eral stores and many Offices, seemed in
great danger, as 1t was soon on fire in the
upper story adjoining the Scarritt block.
The electric light wires soon went down,
and everybody left the building.
The fire burned fercely from o'clock
until 1890, by which hour nothing but the
walls remained of the Scarritt block. The
loss on this building is 100000, insurance
$50, 900. The building was unoccupied, a
pure food show having Just been held there.
great. The mechanical department of the
Times was shut down for nearly two hours,
but the paper has suffered no material dam
age. The offices of the World were flooded
but the paper will be printed tomorrow as
usual
Outside of the Scarritt building the most
serious damage was done the building oc-
cupied by the Campbell & Eaton Crockery
Co. fronting on Main street, and running
back to the rear end of the Scarritt block.
The building occupied by the Campbell
Eaton Co., which is also owned by the Scar
ritt estate Is damaged TO the extent of prob
ably $4,000, and the loss to Campbell &
Eaton's stock is probably $4,000 more. Not
until midnight was the fire In this building
under control 1t is thought that the fire
was the work OF an incendiary.
In the hallway of a lodging house at
Twelfth street and Grand avenue fire was
caused by the lighting Of a bunch of excel
sior that had been soaked in kerosene. An
other evidence of incendiarism was found in
the rear OF the Armour building at Fifth and
Delaware streets, where policemen found
bunch OF oil-soaked rubbish to which the
torch had been applied
At l o'clock this Thursday morning an
other serious fire has broken out at Four
teenth and Main streets in G. w. Lovejoy's
planning mill. big frame structure that
covers a large area of ground. and Is highly
infammable, The entire building is in flames
and will probably be destroyed
FREMONT. Neb. April 14,-(Special Tele-
gram.)-A barn belonging to Helne Brothers
OF Hooper. situated on South Nye avenue
was burned this afternoon; loss $75, no
insurance. Fred Reike, a tenant of the
property had two horses and COW burned,
Reike's family believe the fire was set by
some children who quarreled with the Reike
children. and had threatened to burn the
barn. Reike had Just moved here from
Pawnee county, and is In straitened cir