Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-10-02
COLORADO SPRINGS FAMOUS HOS
TELRY BURNED.
ENTIRE CITY WAS THREATENED
STRIP FOUR BLOCKS LONG AND TWO
WIDE FIREswEPF.
Loss Estimated mt n Million Dollars
Help From Denver and Pueblo
Saved the City-Fire Was
Famed by n Ter
rifle Gale.

COLORADO SO1>.' OSh-
This city had visitation of fire this aft
ernoon which threatened for four hours
TO destroy the entire business district the
wind was blowing at the rate OF foFty-five
miles an hour from the southwest when
the fire started at the Denver & Rio |
Grande freight depot, at the foot OF Ouch |
aras street, at 2:l0 p. m, and the flames |
spread with great rapidly.
A strip four blocks long from north to |
south, and two blocks wide from east to |
west was burned over, and the flames |
would not have been checked there but for
assistance from Denver and Pueblo.
The Antlers hotel, one of the largest IN
the West the lumber yards and two blocks
of business houses were destroyed. In
round numbers the loss is estimated at
100000. insured for one-half that amount.
The losses estimated are as follows:
Antlers hotel, $4,000; Newton Lumber
Company, $4,000; Crissey & Fowler Lum-
Der Company, $4,000; FL Paso Lumber
Company, $4,000; Irvine & Sons. black
smiths, 5000; Denver & Rio Grande rail-
read, $4,000; Gulf depot, 5000; Home no.
DD---~-~
and individuals not enumerated, s465,0oo.
The fire started in a pile of rubbish I'M
derneath the platform of the Denver &
Rio Grande freight depot. Within five min
utes IL had communicated to freight cars
standing at the depot. and 1t spread go
rapidly that il was impossible 10 move any
of the cars. Half a car of powder consigned
10 G. S. Barnes & Son exploded.
The cans were thrown for hundreds OF
feet. and the wonder is that nobody was
injured. Then came the terrible danger to
the city. Great chunks of fire were seat
tered about, and in a few moments the
Crissey & Fowler lumber yards, 500 feet
away were burning. The wind was sweep
ing perfect hurricane. The flames rushed
through the lumber yards and burned all
the light frame buildings in the block. Then
they leaped across the street and burned
the FL Paso Lumber Company and the
paint establishment Of Sperry & Tucker
man. A few minutes after the Newton lum-
Der yards caught.
For time after this, it looked as If the
Antlcrs might be saved, but the heat was
too great There was not water enough to
send a stream half way up the building.
At o'clock, it was burning on the south
end and the famous hotel was doomed.
The colored employees of the hosiery
showed great intrepidity in climbing out of
the upper windws in the face of an in
fernal heat and pouring water upon the
fire through a small hose. They left their
posts only after the heat became positively
unbearable.
Down below, the flremen were also d.
recting streams upon the buildings. but
the water pressure had become so reduced
that the streams We're of little effect. The
contour of the buildings, the upper stories
OF which were of wood, served TO make a
SUGGESTIONS of smok stacks along the
sides. and il was but few moments until
the smoke and flames were leaping from
nearly every window.
The building stood for a long time
against the tremendous heat. The flame:
rose higher and higher. and soon the wood
works burned away from them. Here and
there blue flames shot up where the copper
cornices caught fire. 1t took about two
hours for the hotel to burn. and 1t made
a tremendous hot fire. The walls began
TO fall after the building had been burning
perhaps an hour. and they went down will
a tremendous roar. The smokestacks re
manned for quite long time. and some o
them are standing yet.
The Antlers annex was quickly in flames
and went up rapidly.
Two or three explosions were heard Will
the Antlers was burning and these ar
l..
of the Antlers people. from the engineer
to the bell boys, stayed at their posts mt
they could stay no longer.
At 6 o'clock all that was left of the ono
beautiful Antlers was a mass of blazin
debris. Thousands gazed upon it with sol
row and regret. as it was universally cor
coded to be the chief ornament of Il
town.
The Antlers was a beautiful six stor
building owned by the Colorado Spring
Hotel Company in which General Paine
was heavily interested. The lessee prope
was E. Burnett. The building was il
sured for $4,000. and the furniture, value
al $1,000, was insured for S3l 500. Tt
building and its contents are almost
total loss. The hotel will be rebuilt
There were several guests in the hote
including number of invalids, but a
were gotten out in safety and taken
comfortable quarters.
The Union Pacific and Denver & Gu
railroad passenger depot, on Huerfar
street, was burned. but the other railros
passenger stations were unframed.
While the big fires were burning sever
small ones broke out through the city, d
stroying several residences, and threw pc
pie into CONSERVATION.
The limits of the burned district are Z
Denver & Rio Grande railroad on the we:
Cascade avenue on the east. Pixies Pc;