Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-20
A s1.O0O,000 FIRE.
Serious Blaze in Terre Haute. Ind,
Last EveninS-ReEan In Christi


TERRE HAUTE. IND, Dec. 19.-The
worst fire in the history of Terre Haute
took place tonight. causing loss of more
than Sl,GO0.0C0. The blaze started in the
big show windows of the Havens & Geddes
company, wholesale and retail dealers in
dry goods and notions. The cause IS not
definitely known, but ii Is supposed that
n live wire set fire to the cotton with
which the windows We're decorated. and
before the blaze could be extinguished
spread to the decorations of evergreens in
the store and the building was wrapped in
flames in an incredibly short space of
time.
The following firms are the losers:
Haven & Geddes. s6eo, 600: Breinig & Mill
err furniture S25 600; Pixley & Co., 100:
Terre Haute Shoe Company. wholesale,
10000: Albrecht & Co.. retail dry goods.
$4,000; United States Banking Company,
$4,000; Thorman & Schloss, clothers. s5O.
0Oo.
A number of small concerns were liter
ally annihilated in the fall of the rear
wall Of the Haven & Geddes wholesale
house and the loss in their case will more
than bring the total loss up to the $1,000, 900
mark.
The fire started at $50 o'clock, when half
the employees of the establishment were at
their homes for supper. There is a force
of 800 or more in the retail department of
the establishment, and had the entire force
been present the loss of life would have
been frightful. AS it is, Kate Maloney, a
clerk in the notion department, is at the
point of death. She sprang from 4 window
in the second story and sustained injuries
from which she will probably die.
Miss Luella Ferguson, a clerk in the
same department. jumped just before Miss
Maloney, but was caught by some men who
We're watching for her. She is internally
injured. but will recover.
Louis Kramer. the trimmer. who was in
the show window when the fire started, is
frightfully burned about the head and
arms. When rescued from the burning
building he was insane from the pain. and
begged to be killed.
Firemen Austerloo, Walsh and Shay were
badly injured in the falling of the floor iE
the Albrecht building. and are now in the
city hospital.
The fire department worked admirably
and there We're many narrow escapes
among the men. Several of the fremen are
in precarious condition from burns anh
the effects of the sitting smoke. but it is
thought tonight all Will recover.
At II o'clock tonight the fire was still
burning fiercely in the rear of the United
States Banking Company; but the firemen
had the fire under control.
a heroic act on the part of Il man named
Peters. travelling salesman. from chi
cago. for the Baldwin music house. called
forth cheers from the crowd watching the
flames. When the fire started Peters was
standing in the crowd and saw the Maloney
and Ferguson girls appear at the second
story windows. The girls We're panic
stricken and were in momentary danger of
going down with the floor. Peters spranc
through the door with his coat over his
head and. dashing through the flames and
smoke, reached the window at which the
girls appeared and. after talking with
them swung out from the ledge and
dropped. His example was followed by the
girls