The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-05
Will Be Replaced I'm Time for the
Democratic National Conven-
tiOn on Independence Day.
TOTAL LOSS ABOUT 100000
CHURCH, SCHOOL AND OTHER BUILD
INGs DESTROYED.
The Hall Mass of Charred Timbers
and Twisted Iron n Few Minutes
After the Fire Started.

KANSAS CITY, Mo, April 4.-Convention
Hall. Kansas City's pride. wherein the
Democratic national convention was to
have been held on July 4. was laid i'm ruins
by fire in less than thirty minutes time
this afternoon from the time it started.
from an unknown source, at o'clock. The
fire burned with such fury that it was evil
dent almost from the start that the struc-
ture was doomed and the firemen soon
turned their attention to saving surround
ing property. A stiff breeze blowing
and before the fire was subdued, at 2:l5
o'clock. the Second Presbyterian Church.
one of the finest edifices in the city: the
church parsonage. the Lathrop public
school. a two-story, thirteen-room build
ing. all situated across the way on Gen.
trail street, and a half block of three-story
flat buildings on Twelfth street were de-
stroyed. Several residences were damaged
to a greater or less degree. and for time
it was feared that several blocks of build
ings in the residence district would go.
The aggregate loss is 100000 apportoned
as follows: Convention Hall, $235, 600; in
surance. s155000. Church, $50. 900: insured.
Parsonage, $4,000; insured. School, $4,000;
insurance, s20400. Williamson block
Twelfth street. $4,000; insurance, $4,000
Plans are on foot TO rebuild Convention
Hall Immediately and make 1t ready for the
Democratic convention in 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 So
liciting funds for new structure. This
| evening $4,000 had been subscribed and
| Secretary T.. Nj. Clending, of the club
| called a mass meeting of citizens for to-
| morrow night to devise ways and means of
| raising an additional $4,000 The hall as
| sociation has $4,000 i'm bank and will
| have the sl55,0O0 insurance for immediate
| use. the insurance companies having spon-
| taneously agreed to waive the sixty days
| limit and make settlement on demand The
| Kansas City Lumber Company, which fur
| nished four-fifths of the lumber for the
| old building has agreed to duplicate its
order at once at the rate In existence two
years ago, and the Minneapolis firm that
| furnished the steel girders for the immense
roof has been telegraphed to duplicate its
| order.
SOON A MASS OF FLAMES.
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 plumbers
/ had been working. There was no fire i'm the
furnace and the supposition is the blaze
| started from spirit lamp by one of the
| plumbers crossing an electric light wire
| still alarm was first turned in BY the
| time the first engine arrived, ten minutes
| later, the whole building was mass of
flames. The entire structure. covering half
a block each way on Thirteenth and Gen.
trail streets was turned into furnace of
| fire before second alarm could be sounded
and in less than half an hour the roof. up
| held by massive steel girders that spanned
| It's 200 feet of breadth, fell with q crash
| that sent showers of burning embers I'm
every direction and drove the fremen
| across the street The brick corinthian
columns lining the building along the front
on Thirteenth and Central streets tottered
few minutes and fell outward and the
hall was complete wreck within fifteen
| minutes.
| strong wind carried the flames to the
Second Presbyterian Church, on the other
| side of Thirteenth and Central streets and
| in forty minutes that building occupying
| half block in length. was i'm ruins The
parsonage adjoining and the Lathrop
School, which had been set aside for the
| use of newspaper correspondents during
the coming convention. were attacked SIM
ultaneously, and soon nothing but the
| walls were left standing. Fortunately the
| school children had not returned to their
| rooms after the noon hour, and all were
got to places of safety. Next the flames
| caught the Williamson flats, across the al
| ley from the hall on the north. on Twelfth
| street, and these were gutted. The flats
| occupied half block and were brick and
| three stories i'm height.
Flying cmbers started blazes on a dozen
| different residences within radius of two
blocks, and. famed by stiff breeze and
aided by low water pressure, threatened
a general confiagration. The fire. which
| Was finally got under control at 2:30 D. m,
| proved one of the quickest and most dan
gerous experiences Kansas City has had
for many years.
| TO BEGIN WORK TO-DAY.
That Convention Hall will be rebuilt and
| before July 4. was settled at the meeting
this evening, of the board of directors of
the Convention Hall Company. That the
necessary funds will be subscribed immedi-
ately is not even questioned Early to-mor-
row morning force OF men will be sent
into the ruins to begin the work of clear
ing away the debris. Tonight the directors
are in telegraphic communication with iron
and steel men throughout the country In
an endeavor to secure the necessary struc-
tural iron and steel. The securing of this
material is the one question that is causing
uneasiness. In the old building there were
] approximately, one thousand tons of iron