The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1897-04-16
INCENDlARIS M.
Kansas City at the Mercy of Band of
Firebugs-SeveraI Fires ia the Very Bus
mess Center of the HusiIing City.


Kansas City at the Mercy of Band of
Firebugs-several Fires ia the Very Bus
mess Center of the Husiling City.
KANSAS CITY, Mo, April Is. Since
% O'Clock Wednesday night Kansas
of band of incendiaries. Between
D o'clock Wednesday night and
o'clock Thursday morning, seven fires
broke out in the very business center
of the city. At least four and probably
all of those fires were of incendiary
origin. While the majority of the
blazes were eXtinguished in their
incipiency, two of them resulted in
heavy damages. The big five-story
Scarritt block, on Walnut street, near
Ninth, was destroyed, entailing a loss
of $50, 900, and from this structure the
flames spread to an adjoining structure
on Main street, also owned by the
Scarritt estate, and occupied by tie
Campbell 81 Eaton Crockery Co. The
building on Main street was damaged
to the extent OF $1O,O 900 and the crock
cry stocks suffered an equal damage
Only by a very narrow margin were
other adjoining buildings saved from
destruction.
1t was while this dangerous fire was
raging that the torch was applied in
various parts of the business district
At Twelfth and Walnut streets fire
was started in a pile of dry goods
boxes in an alley. At Twelfth street
and Grand avenue the torch was ap-
piled to excelsior thrust in the hall
way of a lodging house. At Fifth
and Delaware fire was started in the
rear of the Armour building. Another
fire was started in the rear of Loose
Brothers cracker mandatory. at
Second and Main streets, and still an
other at Hills brewery, on the East
bottoms. In several of these fires coal
oil was freely used by the incendia-
ries
At o'clock Thursday morning, when
the forces of the fire department were
scattered and possibly somewhat de-
moraliz lied, fire was discovered in C. S.
Lovejoy's planning mill, at Fourteenth
| and Main streets. The fire had gained
such great Roadway that the building
was soon enveloped in flames, and
within short time the planning mill,
with all it's valuable machinery and a
big stock of manufactured lumber,
was in ruins. The loss is heavy. That
| this fire and the fire in the Scarritt
block were of incendiary origin there
is no direct proof, but all the indica
lions are that frebugs alone are re-
| sponsible.
Nor are the fires of Wednesday night
the first of the kind recently. About
two weeks ago three fires were started
within two days at Twelfth and Wal
nut streets, but all were eXtinguisheC
without serious loss.
The loss on Lovejoy's planning mil
and machinery is 10000, and on his
stock the loss is $1,000 additional.
What could be the motive of the in
cendiaries is purely a matter Of specu
lation, but among the excited business
men who were gathered about the
streets in small groups at 2 O'Clock
Thursday morning seriously discussing
the situation, the opinion is frequently
expressed that the gambler element
which has so long held full sway il
Kansas City and which is now forced
to quit it's operations, owing to a com
plete overhauling of police administra
ton, is at the bottom of the incendi
| aries