The age-herald., 1900-04-05
Presbyterian Church and Other Houses Were Also Burned.
STRUCTURE WILL BE REBUILT
Directors Have Already Gone to Work and Say They Will Have the Great Hall Built in Time For the
 Democratic Convention

Kansas, City, Mo-, April 4.-Convention Hall, Kansas Citys pride, wherein the democratic national convention was to have been held on July 1, was laid in ruins by fire in less than thirty minutes time this afternoon from the time that it start ed, from an unknown source at 1 o'clock. The fire burned with such fury that 1t was evident almost from the start that the structure was doomed and the firemen soon turned their attention to saving surround ing property A. stiff breeze was blowing and before the fire was subdued at 2:15 o'clock the Second Presbyterian church. one of the finest edifiees in the city; the church parsonage; the Lathrop public school, a two-story, Broom building, all situated across the way on Central street, were rendered a total loss. Several resi- dences were damaged to a greater or less degree, and for time it was feared that several blocks of buildings in the residence district would go.
 The aggregate loss is s4OO OOO, apportioned as follows:
 Convention Hall, $295,OO0, insurance, S155,- GOO; church, $5O,00O, insured; parsonage, $15,- 600, insured; school $35,000, insurance, $2O,- 400; Williamson block, Twentieth street, $60000, insurance, $45,O00
 Plans are on foot to rebuild Convention Hall immediately and make it ready for the democratic national convention in July. While the fire was still in progress mom- bers of the Commercial Club, through whose efforts tine hall was conceived and built, mingled in the crowd of spectators and began soliciting funds for a new st This evening x21 000 had been subscribed, and Secretary Clendennlng, of the club, called mass meeting of citizens for tomorrow evening to devise ways and means of raising an additional S50,oO0. The dIall Association has $1O,00O In the bank. and will have the $l55 900 insurance for im- mediate use, the insurance companies hav- ing spontaneously agreed to waive the sixty days limit and make settlement on de- mand. The Kansas City Lumber company, who Furnished four-fifths of the lumber for the old building, has agreed to dupli- cate their order at once at the rate in ex- istence two years ago, and the Minneapolis firm that furnished the steel grders for the immense roof has been ,telegraphed to duplicate the order.
 Started atI O'clock
 The fire started as near as can be learned at o'clock this afternoon, just above the boiler room, in the northeast corner of the building, on the alley, where some plumb CTS mad been at work.
 strong wind carried the flames to the Second Presbyterian church on the oppo- site side of the street and in forty minutes that structure, occupying half block in length, was in ruins. The parsonage ad- joining and next to the Lathrop school, which was partieally destroyed in the cyclone of 1888 and which had been set aside Tor the use Of the newspaper correspondents during the coming convention, were at tackled simultaneously and soon nothing but their walls were left standing. Fortu- nately the school children had not returned to their afternoon hour, and all were gotten to places of safety. Next the flames caught the Williamson flats across the alley from the hall on the north, on Twelfth street and these were gutted.
 The fire which was finally gotten under control at 2:3O proved one of the quickest and most dangerous experienced in Kansas City for many years.
 Convention Hall had been classed by travellers as one of the largest and most perfectly constructed auditoriums in the world. The building was erected in 1898 at cost of $235, 900, which. was raised entirely by public subscription. It occupied piece of ground 314 by 200 feet in extent The total seating capacity of the building was nearly 20OO0, and, with standing room, the building was capable of holding more than 22,00o people. The building had no stair. ways, the upper seatngs being reached by means of inclined planes. Separate exits were used for the balconies and roof garden, and 1t Is estimated that the hall could be empted at the rate of 5000 people a minute.
 Practically nothing remains intact of Con- vention Hall save the Thirteenth street wall and the foundation. The struggling side walls will have to be torn down.
 Hall Will Be Rebuilt
 That the Convention hall will (be rebuilt and before July 4, was settled at the meet ing tonight of the board of directors of the Convention Hall company That the nec- essary funds will be subscribed immedi- ately is not even questioned. Early tomor- row morning force of men will be sent into the ruins to begin the work of clear ing away the debris. Tonight the directors were in telegraphic communica tion with iron and steel men in an endeavor to se- cure the necessary structural iron and steel. The securing of this material is the one question that is causing uneasiness. In the old building there were approximate Iy 1000 tons of iron and steel. There is doubt whether the great steel girders and trusses that supported the massive roof can be constructed in time, owing to the present great demands upon the iron and steel works.
 It has also been suggested that. the old exposition building, located two miles east of the burned hall could easily be trans formed into a satisfactory auditorium This building would probably seat 10000 persons.
 The spirit everyw where manifested tonight Is that the hall must be rebuilt, and must be rushed to completion before July 4.