The herald., 1897-12-22
FRASER'S LOSS
But Little Less Than Half
a Million
KANSAS CITY AUDITORIUM
DESTROYED BY CROSSING THE
ELECTRIC WIRES
KANSAS CITY AUDITORIUM
All the Guests Escape Without Injury.
Jaccard C Mermod, Jewelry,
Only Slightly Damaged

KANSAS CITY, Dec. 21.-The Audi
torium, the largest and finest place west
of Chicago, and the Auditorium Hotel,
one of the most fashionable Of family
hostelries in the city, situated at Holmes
and Ninth streets, were gutted by fire
that started shortly after l o'clock this
morning. The 105 hotel guests escaped
in safety, although many were COM
pelled to leave the building in their night
clothes The loss on the entire property,
which is owned by Alexander Fraser, a
local business man, will aggregate $780,
900, The aggregate insurance amounts
to but $S5, 900. Owing to high insurance
rate a great deal Of the insurance had
been allowed to lapse.
The fire originated in an unoccupied
room on the sixth floor of the theater
and resulted from the crossing of cleo
trio light wires. 1t was first noticed by
Night Clerk Haak, who turned in an
alarm at 1:12. Haak Immediately woke
the guests. They included many fam
lilies and children of all ages and the
greatest confusion ensued. For time
it seemed that the flames would be con-
fined to single story, but after the fire
had apparently been got under control it
burst forth again and defied all efforts
of the firemen. Many of the guests, as
sured after the first alarm that the fire
would not spread, returned to their
rooms.
Delay in getting continuous stream
on the fire, however, enabled 1T to get
beyond the firemens 8 control. The flames
spread rapidly along the tier Of rooms
on the fifth and sixth floors and soon
communicated with the hotel through
the small apertures in the f1rewall,
which separated it from the theater.
Once in the hotel, the flames were be-
yond control. Excitement broke out
among the hotel guests afresh and a
hurried scramble to save their personal
effects ensued. Everything available
was pressed into service as receptacles
for the valuables and before the guests
had been ordered from the building a
second time the bulk Of their belongings
had been carried out. More timid ones
who had fled from their rooms in their
night clothes at the start were given
quarters in neighboring hotel.
In the theater the Woodward Stock
Company, which had been the standing
attraction since the re-opening of the
playhouse last October, managed to save
the bulk of it's property.
Superintendent Pellitier, of the insur-
ance patrol, refused to allow his men
to enter the building to spread tarpau-
lins and all efforts Of the firemen were
confined to the outside.
Luckily the structure stood alone and
lat no time was surrounding property
threataned. The firemen worked heroic
ally, but within few hours both the
theater and hotel had been gutted, the
bigger part of the roof had fallen in and
about one-third of the west wall Of the
hotel had collapsed.
The Auditorium was built in 1886 by
Col. Geo. w. Warder at cost Of $780,
900. 1t was named the Warder Grand
Opera House and was opened by Booth
and Barrett. After brief but unsuc-
cesSful career Warder traded the prop
erty to Geo. w. Henry Of Chicago. Henry
reopened the theater but it again failed
to pay expenses. In 1896 the National
Bank of Omaha purchased the prop
erty and, installing Jno. p. Slocum, a
known Eastern theatrical manager,
the house was run for season in the
most approved metropolitan style. Af-
ter another failure the bank traded the
property last october to Alexander Fra
ser and the latter leased the property to
Paxton and Burgess. Fraser expended
$92 900 in improvements and repairs on
both hotel and theater. Paxton and
Burgess presented the Woodward Stock
Company and a list Of first-class spe-
cinlties at prices of not over 10 and 25
cents. The plan proved a decided sue
cess and for some time since the Audi
torium has been a paying property for
the first time since it's inception.
Later in the day the aggregate loss,
sustained almost entirely by Fraser, was
placed at between $780, 900 and $3.50, ,0OO
The total insurance amounts to $40, 900
Late this afternoon the vaults of the
Mermod & Jaccard Jewelry company
whose immense establishment was
burned on Sunday morning, were opened
and the contents, consisting of jewelry
watches and diamonds valued at more
than a quarter of million dollars, were
found intact. 1t was found that the
vault, though flreproof was not water
proof, but as the result of the dampness
there will only be loss of per cent.
A NEW YORK FIRE
NEW YORK, Dec. 21.-Fireman Mar
tin ]. Oakley was killed tonight at fire
which started in Woodbine in the base
ment Of f1ve-story tenement house on
East Fourteenth street. Oakley was
|suffocated by smoke and escaping gas
Assistant Fireman Thomas Head, James
Davis and Peter Donnelly Of the same
company were rendered unconscious by
inhaling smoke and gas and were with
difficulty revived.
They are in hospitals and their condi-
ton Is serious.