Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-22

tion Of their property All their uniforms
and guns were gotten out, but the plano,
carpets and other furnishings were almost a
total loss. They had $4,000 Insurance
miscellaneous Notes.
/ The Rifles have $1,000 insurance on the
contents Of their armory.
Emil Brandeis says that the stock that
the Boston store had in the cellar OF the
Patterson block was worth from $4,000 to
100000. He cannot tell the exact amount
until he can ascertain definitely what was
there. His insurance is not more than
$4,000.
When the crowd had reached its maximum
1t was diverted by the appearance of a fire.
man at one of the windows with a large
American flag which had adorned the Thurs
ton Rifles armory. The unfolding of the
emblem brought forth a cheer that could be
heard for blocks.
The nurses of the Clarkson Memorial hoss
pital did valiant service at the scene of the
disaster. portion Of the corps ran to the
! tire as soon as it was learned that the
women had been injured They bandaged
and dressed the wounds OF the victims as
they lay on the pavement and thus made
their removal to the hospitals much easier
than 1t would otherwise have been.
Lieutenant James Adams of Engine COM
pany No. was one of four firemen to carry
line of hose where the flames were fiercest
near the elevator shaft on the third floor.
Being unable to see because of the dense
smoke, he fell down a stairway and was
severely injured about the hip and back.
He was taken to his home and will be given
short vacation in which to recuperate..
After the flames had been overcome some
of the Thurston boys entered the building
to see how badly their belongings had been
damaged. When they appeared they bore
cot covered with blankets upon their
shoulders. 1t looked as If they were carry
In hnlx ], ,gglNR R..l Hoo, Ia, tI,A
building and crowd of curious spectators
followed them down Douglas street When
about to disappear in a store the wind dis
arranged the blankets, revealing a lot of
uniforms underneath. The pursuers turned
away in disgust over their deception.
The new uniforms of the Thurston Rifles
were saved and after q thorough renovation
they will be nearly as good as new These
are the handsome green uniforms purchased
by the Rifles not long before they relin-
quished them for the more serviceable hab-
iliments of the volunteer army. They had
been worn only once and were stored in the
lockers on the second floor. AS soon as en-
trance could be obtained number of friends
of the soldier boys got into the room and
tossed lthe uniforms 10 the crowd below.
Many of them were stained by water and
smoke, but none were permanently injured,
( Tie lack of first class hose that is owing
TO the rigid economy in municipal affairs
was conspicuously apparent all through the
fire and 1t proved big handicap in the
stubborn fight that the tiremen were COM
PEELED to make. Half a dozen times a line
of hose was laid and the nozzle carried
laboriously to a point where the streant
could be applied with effect, but as soon as
the water was turned on the rotten pipe
/ burst and the pressure was lost. At least
five minutes were wasted in several instances
in securing lines of hose that would hold
and this made the task of the fremen i'm
| measurably harder.
The fire caused more excitement than any
| that has occurred in the city for many years
From the first the interest was intense. The
| building was SO centrally located and the
hour one during which the streets We're
crowded with pedestrians that it was not
long before the location of the fire was sur
rounded by mass of people. Women living
in the neighborhood said that they hastened
out on the sidewalk to watch the blaze and
were Mortified to see women jumping from
the third story of the building They
watched until five had sought safety by this
perilous method CT escaping from the
flames, when they could stand it no longer
and turned away, -heartsick.
G. p. Getz, Prof. R. X. Love. Miss Pau
line Sturges and Miss Ella Loux were in
one of the lodge rooms rehearsing the play,
Rough Rider,.r which is to be given soon
for the benefit of the Organized Charities,
when they were startled by noise resem-
bling an explosion in hpne of the adjoining
rooms. Mr.. Getz Ylstened to the door lead
ing into the hall.N When he opened it his
moustache, eyebrows and hair were singed
by the flames raging within. He withdrew
his head instantly and quietly informed the
others that the building was afire and that
they must resort to the fire escape, as the
stairway was a seething mass of fire The
four went to the north side of the room and
easily made their way downward to safety,
little the worse for their experience except
for their nerves, which had been slightly
nlli