The herald., 1897-04-15
SEVERAL FIRES
Set by Incendiaries at
Kansas City
GOOD WORK BY THE FIREMEN
SAVES MOST BUILDINGS FROM
DESTRUCTION
Two Structures Of the Scarritt Estate
Burned Up and Business Firms
Are Badly Damaged
SAVES MOST BUILDINGS FROM
DESTRUCTION


KANSAS CITY, Mo-. April 15.-Since
9 o'clock last night Kansas City seems to
have been at the mercy of band Of in
cendiaries. Between o'clock last night
and / o'clock this (Thursday) morning,
seven fires broke out in the business
center Of the city. At least four and
probably all Of these fires were of incen-
diary origin.
While the majority of the blazes were
extinguished in their incipiency, two Of
them resulted in heavy damage.
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 ad-
joining structure on Main street, also
owned by the Campbell & Eaton Crock
cry company.
The building on Main street was dam
aged to the extent of $4,000 and the
crockery stock suffered an equal dam
age. Only by a very narrow margin
were other adjoining building saved from
destruction.
1t was while these dangerous fires were
raging that the torch was applied in
various parts of the business district.
At Twelfth and Walnut streets, fire
was started in pile of dry goods boxes
in an alley. At Twelfth street and
Grand avenue the torch was applied to
excelsior thrust into the Railways of a
lodging house. At Fifth and Delaware
another fire was started in the rear of
the Armour building. Another fire was
started near Loose Brothers cracker
mandatory at Fifth and Main streets
and another at the Helms brewery in the
bottoms.
In some instances coal oil was used
profusely by he incendiary.
At o'clock, while the forces of the de-
partment were scattered and somewhat
demoralized fire was discovered in
Lovejoy's planning mills at Fourteenth
and Main streets. The fire had gained
such headway that the building was
soon in flames, and within a short time
the planning mill with all its valuable
machinery and big stock Of manufac-
tured lumber was in ruins.
The loss is heavy. That this fire and
the fire in the Scarritt block were of in-
cendiary origin there is no direct proof,
Oul diH tAC lhuiSdtioio a. tAAUs AAA ~ -
alone are responsible.
The loss on Lovejoy's planning mill and
machinery is SIC, 900 and on his stock the
loss is $1,000 additional.
THE BIGGEST FIRE.
KANSAS CITY, April 1.-THE Scarritt
block, a substantial f1ve-etory building
on Walnut street, 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 of the
third story, spreading a glare over the
whole street. Although the firemen had
but to run their apparatus into the street
they seemed to be able to do nothing to
combat the flames, as they could throw
no water into the third story without a
strongspressuer and to get that pressure
they were obliged to wait some minutes
for steam. BY that time the fire was
beyond control and threatening an en-
tire block in the center of the city.
The big six-story Hall building, stand
ing south on Walnut street, on to Ninth,
in which are the Times and World news
paper officee several stores and offices,
was in great danger as it 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 fiercely from o'clock
until 1880, byswhich hour nothing but
the walls remained Of the Scarritt build
ing. The value Of this building is $780,
600 and insurance $4,000. A pure food
show had just been held there. The
loss on the Hall building is not great.
The offices of the World were flooded
but the paper will be printed tomorrow
as usual.
The Times suffered no material dam
age.
Outside Of the Scarritt building, the
most serious damage was done to the
building occupied by the Campbell and
Eaton Crockery company, fronting on
Main street and running back to the
rear end Of the Scarritt block. A few
thousand dollars will, however, cover
the loss on the building and contents.
A