The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-22
IN RUINS
KANSAS CITY'S BIG AUDITORIUM
THEATER Quilted BY FIRE.
Fashionable Family Hotel Also De-
strOyed, the Total Loss Being $780,
900, with $4,000 Insurance.

KANSAS CITY, No., Dec. H.-The Audi
forum, the largest and finest playhouse
west of Chicago, and the Auditorium Ho-
TEL one of the most fashionable family hos
telries in the city, situated at Holmes and
Ninth streets, were Quilted by fire that
started in the theater shortly after o'clock
this morning. The 106 guests escaped in
safety, although many were compelled to
leave the building in their night clothes.
The loss on the entire property, which is
owned by Alex. Frazier, local business
man, will aggregate $350,O00. The aggregate
insurance amounts to about $4,000. Owing
to high insurance rate good deal of the
insurance had been allowed to lapse.
The fire originated in an unoccupied room
of the sixth floor of the theater, and re-
suited from the crossing of electric-light
wires. 1t was first noticed by Night Clerk
Haak, who turned in an alarm at lip.
Haak Immediately woke the guests. They
included many families and children of all
ages, and the greatest confusion ensued.
For a time it seemed that the flames would
be confined to a single floor, but after it
had apparently been gotten under control
it burst forth again, and detied 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 it to get beyond
the tiremens control. The flames spread
rapidly along the tier of the rooms on the
fifth and sixth floors, and soon commune
Gated with the hotel through the small
apertures in the fire wall which separated
it from the theater. Once in the hotel the
flames were beyond control. The excite
he
afresh and hurried scrambles to save their
personal effects ensued. Everything avail
able was pressed into service as receptacles
for the valuables, and before the guests
had been ordered from the building a Sec
ond 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
a neighboring hotel.
In the theater the Woodward Stock Com
pany, which has been the standing attrac-
ton since the reopening of the place last
October, managed to save the bulk of it's
property.
Early after the second burst of flames
the firemen gave up hope of saving the
structure. Although the building in which
the fire started is practically a one-front
annex to the main Auditorium building,
there were openings in all the upper stories
which made the two buildings one and
made them both easy prey for the flames
once started. Superintendent Pelletier of
the insurance patrol, refused to allow his
men to enter the building to spread tar
pauins and all efforts of the firemen were
confined to the outside Luckily the struc-
ture stood alone and at no time was sur
rounding property threatened. The firemen
worked heroically but within a few hours
both theater and hotel had been Quilted,
the main part of the roof had fallen III
and about one-third of the wall of the
hotel collapsed.
The Auditorium was built in 1886 by
S25U,000 1t was named the Warder Grand
Opera House and was opened by Booth and
Barrett. After brief but unsuccessful sea-
son, Warder traded the property to George
w. Henry, of Chicago Henry reopened the
theater but 1t again failed to pay expenses.
purchased the property and, installing John
p. Slocum, well known Eastern theatre
cal manager, the house was run for sea-
son in the most approved metropolitan
style. After another failure, the bank trad
ed the property last October to Alex Fra
Paxton & Burgess. Frazier expended $75,-
900 in improvements and repairs on both
hotel and theater. Paxton 81 Burgess
presented the Woodward Stock Company
ard a list Of first-class Specialties at seat
prices of not over 10 and 20 cents. The
plan proved decided success and for the
first time since its inception the Audto-
rum, which had booked some of the best
companies on the road, became paying
property.