Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1897-04-17
FIREBUCS AT WORK.
Kansas City, NO. Experiences an
Exciting Night.
TEN Calls FOR The FIRE ENGINES.
Thousands Assembled to Witness the Con-
hsgrations and Many Merchants Threw
Out Guards 10 Protect Their Props
perty-Loss About elt7,000.

KANSAS Ctri. Mo-, April t5.-The fire
Hend was busy in Kansas City Inst
night. Over the business center Of
the town the torch of destruction WINS
brandishcd and stiff breeze caught
up and scattered myriad sparks us they
welled from famc-engulfcd building
and menaccd millions Of dollars worth
Of property and threatened for while
10 blaze chnrred aud blackened path
along Walnut and Main streets rs long
as there was food to feed upon.
Never before In the city's history has
the alarm of fire carried such feeling
Of terror to the people. The wild cry
of fire sounding in the night had added
horrors last night. There was every
evidence that o well-organized and
systematic band Of firebugs was indus
triously at work. Thousands assem-
bled to witness the illumination.
Thieves circulated in the crowds.
When the alarms began to come In,
men and women pushed and jostled
through the streets, shouting Fire,
fire." in delirium OF excitement. The
feeling that firebugs were Mt work
spread among the crowd, and muttered
threats could be heard on every side.
Many merchants took the precaution
to throw out guards to protect their
property from incendiaries. 1t was
thought that an effort was made by
gamblers to burn the town; another
theory was that robbers did the work
to enable them to loot the homes OF
the people.
At 9:l5 last evening great sheet Of
flame suddenly broke through the win
dows of the fourth and fifth floors Of
the big five-story building located in
the middle OF the block on Walnut
street, between Eighth and Ninth
streets, directly opposite the fire de-
partment's headquarters. The big
building was practically unoccupicd.
Last week it had been used for the pure
food show, and all the exhibits of
the show had been removed. While
the walls are still standing, the
building is n total wreck. 1t cost
$50, 900 when It was built, and was well
worth this amount. The buildings in
the rear, fronting on Main street, were
also damaged. The entire loss, incluc-
ing the damage done by water, will 40.
be more than 100000.
While all the fre-fghting force of
the city was engaged in stopping the
big blaze in the Scarritt buildings
alarm after alarm came in from differ
ent parts of town. There were eight
separate alarms besides the first two
the department to the big
fire on Walnut street rs follows: At
1918 p. M, a small fruit stand ut SIS
Delaware; at 1925, stairway leading
to deserted cellar ut $40 Delaware
street; at 10:45, a false alarm OF fire Mt
Twelfth street and Grand avenue; ut
Il:lO, n shanty at Second and Wyan-
dotte streets; ut 11:20, bicycle ware
house belonging to Lawrence Bros.
Mt 1910 Walnut street; shortly after
it was discovered that the floor Of the
d. S. Mayer Liquor Co., ut ia East
Twelfth street, had been saturated
with coal oil and was ready for the
torch, but the proprietor had guards
surround the building and saved 1t
from destruction. At 1890 a. m, the
southeast corner of Eighth and Main
streets, top of Economy furniture
building was discovered on fire; at l:l0
G. w. Lovejoy's planning mill, Four
teenth and Main streets, and at eco
Shanty on Guinotte avenue, near
Helms brewery, was burned.
The total losses amounted to about
BIG, $50.