People's voice., 1900-04-12
Kansas City's Biz Fire,

convention Hall, Kansas City,
PRIDE, wherein the Democratic nation
al convention was TO have been held
90 July 4, was laid in ruins 10 les.
than' 30 minutes Wednesday after,
noon from fire which started from an
unknown source at l O'Clock. The
nre burned with such fury that it was
evident almost from the start that
the structure was doomed and the
1remen soon turned their attention
to saving surrounding property. A
stltf breeze was blowing and before
the fire was Subdued, at 2:l5 o'clock,
the Second Presbyterian church, one
OF the finest edihces 10 the city; the
church parsonage, the LathrOp public
school, a two-story thirteen-ruom
building, all situated across the way
on Central street, and half clock of
three-tOry fat brick buildings on
Twelfth street, were rendered total
loss. Several residences were DAM
aged to a greater or less degree, and
for some time it was feared that sew.
eral blocks of buildings in the resi-
dence district would 90.
The aggregate loss is 100000, ap.
portiened as follows: Convention
Hall s235,OOO, insurance sl55,OOO:
church $4,000, insured; parsonage
sl5,OCO insured; school $4,000, insur.
ance s2O,4OO; Williamson block, on
Twelfth street, $50, 700, insurance s45,.
900: miscellaneous 5000.
Plans are on foot tu rebuild Conven.
tiOn Hall Immediately and make it
ready for the Democratic convention
10 July. While the fire was still in
progress members Of the Commercial
club, through whose efforts the hall
was conceived and built, mingled IN
the crowds Of spectators and began
soliciting funds for a new structure
Last evening S25,0OO had been sub.
scribed and Secretary E. NJ. Clenden.
ming Of the club, called mass meet
Ing OF citizens for tonight to devise
ways and means of raising an addi-
tlOnal $4,000. The Hall association
has 10000 in the bank and will have
the Sl55, 600 insurance for immediate
use, the insurance company having
spontaneously agreed to waive the
sixty day limit and make settlement
on demand. The Kansas City Lum.
Der company, which furnished four
hfths of the lumber for the old build.
ing, has agreed to duplicate its order
at once at the rate in effect two years
ago, and a Minneapolis firm that furn.
ished the steel girders for the i'm.
mense roof has been telegraphed to
to duplicate their order.
The fire started, as near as can be
learned, at l o'clock just above the
boiler room in the northeast corner OF
the building, on the alley, where some
plumbers had been at work, There
was no fire in the furnace and the
supposltiOn is that the blaze started
from a spirit lamp or by one Of the
plumbers crossing an electric light
wire. A still alarm was turned in
By the time the first engine arrived
ten minutes later the whole building
was a mass OF flames. The entire
structure, covering half a block eacf
way on Thirteenth and Centra
streets, was furnace of fire before {
second alarm could be sounded and il
less than half an hour the roof, upheld
by massive steel girders that spannet
Its 2OO feet of breadth, fell with
crush that sent showers OF burning
emoers in every directing and droy,
the hremen across the street. Th,
brick COrinthian columns lining th,
building along the facades on Thir
teenth and Central streets, tottered
few minutes aud fell outward, anC
the hall was a complete wreck.
Practically nothing remains in:ac
OF Convention Hall save the Thir
teenth street one-story wall and tn,
foundation. The struggling sldewall
will have to be torn down. The build
Ing was supposed to be tireproof.
| Convention hall will be rebuilt II
time for the Democratic national con
ventional, July s. This is the author
lied statement OF Henry W. Evans
president Of the Convention Hal
Building company yesterday. Thi,
morning twenty-five teams and 1Ol
men were at work clearing away tn,
debris so that structural contractor,
can begin to erect the fallen walls.
Kansas City finds encouragement IL
the convention hall question in tn,