Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-06-14
POUR BUILDINGS IN RUINS.
Fire Early Honday Morning Licks up -Four
Business Buildings on Tain Street.


Business Buildings on nain Street.
On Monday morning at O'Clock our
citizens were aroused by the fire alarm.
and before daylight four buildings were
in ruins and another damaged. The
buildings destroyed were located on
West Main street, between Wright s
restaurant and the gypsum building
three of them being known as the burst
buildings and one as the Carmichael
building.
W. E. Stout s. Co., dealers in harness
and saddles, occupied one of the burst
buildings, Harry Briant. barber, occu-
pied another and A. w. Smith. grocer,
occupied the third. w. G. Sellers occu-
pied the Carmichael building.
Mr.. Smith lost everything; the fire had
control of his house when it was first
discovered. w. E. Stout & Co. sue
ceeded in getting most of their goods
out, Briant saved most of his and w.
G. Sellers lost some jewelry and much
of his goods were damaged by moving.
5. I. Hardy, who occupied the gyp
building, got all of his goods out about
the time the fire reached his store and
his loss will be light.
The mystery surrounding this fire is
too deep for US to solve, but the general
impression seems to be that it was the
dastardly work of an incendiary. The
best authority says that the flames were
first discovered in the old coal shed
adjoining Harry Briant's barber shop
on the north, that it quickly extended
to Allen Smiths ware room Ia small
room between the barber shop and
main store room) and in short time
both buildings were ablaze. Kerosene
Oil seemed to be in evidence at the start
ing point. While the theory of lncen.
diarism looks plausible we can scarcely
figure out the motive unless it be sim.
pie deprayity. The men who were af-
fected had no personal enemies so far
as we know and we do net see that any
person could have been benefited by the
fire. Yet the damage has been done
and all diligence should be used to
bring the matter to conclusion. II
the fire was deliberately started, no
punishment could be too severe for the
guilty fiend. The foulest creature on
this earth Is the man who will burn the
property of another.
The insurance carried by the parties
interested was very Light. Allen Smith
carried an insurance of $500 on a stock
of $500. His loss is probably the most
severe. A few months ago he started
in business, had nice stock of goods
and was doing we'll. His loss is hard
to estimate. We are sorry to note the
misfortune. Mr.. Smith deserves sue
cess in anything he undertakes and
there is no man who does not wish him
we'll. We hope he will he able to get
matters in such shape as to be able to
begin again. w. G. Sellers carried some
insurance, but whether or not he will
be able to recover the amount of his
damage is question. There was 10
l1oui olIO Oh Oil VI CuC Ouiiulhkos 11Cl-
ry burst, owner of three of the build
ings, lives in Dayton, Ohio. A sister
of A. l.. Noble, living in New York,
owned the Carmichael building.
Everything possible was done to save
the buildings, and the street was crowd
ed with willing hands, but coming at
the time it did, the fire had gotten too
far to be controlled, yet it might have
been worse. The fire company worked
hard and deserve credit for saving the
brick building on the south and the gyp
building on the north. They think
they could have saved the Stout harness
shop building if they would, have had
sufficient pressure in the beginning, but
no fault can accrue to Engineer Axtell
on this account. He furnished the pres
sure in a reasonable time after receiving
the alarm.
The fire was quite misfortune to
our city as we'll as to the direct losers,
and everybody regrets it.