The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-04-05
CONVENTION
AUDITORIUM
DESTROYED.
o.. r,vs Waste the Structure Where
'+S W. Democratic National oOnven-
'', tion Was to Have Been Held.
WILL BUILD IMMEDIATELY.
vast Members of the National Com
ri,tee Still in Favor Of Kan
sas City as Meeting Place.

V,ysAs CITY, Mo-, April 4.-The
caaypntfpa AudItorIum,where the DEM
s.r,,Ic national convention was to have
s.on held on July 4, was laid in ruins
{. less than thirty minutes this after
Noon, by fire
The fire burned with such fury that
:, r,s evident almost from the start
,s,, rho structure was doomed and the
srsmen soon turned their attention to
sayInr surrounding property. A stiff
s,.,,c was blowing and before the fire
a,s subdued the Second Presbyterian
.Snrrb ona Of the finest edlfices in the
.I,y. The church parsonage; the La
nm, ppblIc school, two story. thir-
,acn ~ room building. all situated across
,to way on Central street, and a half
Eock Of three story fiat buildings on
TueInh stree. were totally destroyed.
ssyeral residences were damaged and
+or a dim, 1t was feared that several
bIocEs OF buildings in the resident por-
lion would 60. The aggregate loss Is
10000
solicited Funds While Fire Burned.
Plans are on foot to rebuild the con-
yeotlon hall Immediately and have 1t
ready for the Democratic convention in
JpIy While the fire was still in pro-
rress members of the Commercial. club,
,b,oggb whose efforts the hall was
byllt mingled in the crowds of specta-
t,s and began soliciting funds for A
Baw structure. This evening. $4,000
had been subscribed. and Secretary Z.
N Clendernin, OF the club, called a
mass meeting Of citizens for tomorrow
pIgh,, TO devise ways and means for
ralsIpr m additional $4,000. The hall
association has $4,000 in the bank and
viii have the Sl55,OOO insurance for i'm
mediate use. the insurance companies
having offered to waive the usual sixty
snys limit and make settlement on de-
nand. The Kansas City Lumber Com
plny ;ha, furnished four-hfths of the
lumber fo- the old building, has agreed
10 duplicate the order at once at tho
nate In cxiatcnce two years ago, and the
Minneapolis firm that furnished the
ssal gIrdar5 for the immense roof have
ben asked to duplicate their order.
Fire Started Above the Boiler Room.
The fire started just above the boiler
iOom, where some plumbers had been
a, work There was no fire in the fur
naca and the supposltIon is that the
blaze started from spirit lamp or by
the crosstns Of an electric light wire,
As,ll alarm was first turned in and by
the time the ayst engine arrived, ten
minutes later, the whole building was 4
mass OF flames, and in less than half an
hour the roof, upheld by massive steel
grders that spanned its 200 feet Of
breadth icll with a crash that sent
showers Of burning embers in every
direction, The brick corlnthian COLI
umns. llalng the building along the
facadss on Thirteenth and Central
streets tottered few minutes and fell
outward, and the hall was complete
wreck
A strong wind carried the flames to
the Second Presbyterian church on the
opposite SIDE Of Thirteenth and Central
and in forty minutes that structure,
Occupying half block in length, was in
rains. The parsonage adjoining and
next to La;hrop school, which was par
tally destroyed In the cyclone of 1883,
and which had been set aside for the
use Of the newspaper correspondents
during the coming convention. were at
lacked simultaneously and soon nothing
but their walls we're left standing. For
IanateIy ,Se sch01 children had not re-
turned to 'heir rooms after the noon re-
cess and al. were gotten to places OF
safety Next, The flames caughs the
Williamson brick flats across the alley
nom the ball on the north. on Twelfth
WJet and these were gutted. The flats
occupied half block and were three
stories in height
One of the Largest in the World.
convention hall had been classed as
one Of the largest and most perfectly
constructed audItoriums in the world.
la' building was erected in 1898 at u
@N Of 82250ol. which was raised en-
ley by public subscription. 1t occu-
NAa place OF ground 3l4 by 200 feet in
uslt was two stories high and built
" native stone, cream brick and terra
.o'A The FIRST story was Of the renals-
aa' style Of architecture and the Sec
way ss9Fy IN peristyle form. with groups
sul columns. The building was Of
Tl'ss construction without a column,
wy ''ot being supported by great steel
s''a''. lta ground seating arrange
+y'' was modelled somewhat upon the
W." OF lhe Metropolitan Opera House,
W." York The floor space was divided
-'o arena, arena balcony balcony and
'"' Garden boxes sMrlIng the arena
wv 'oe a7ona bai5ony. The total seat
Wy .apanIiy OF the building was nearly
~" ami with gtaudlng room. the