The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-01
FIRE BUGS SUSPECTED
Business Block at 18th and
Emporia Burns,
". H. LEISURE NARROWLY
EsCapes--Carried From Build
ing in Helpless Condition.
". H. LEISURE NARROWLY

The big two-story brick building stand
ing At the corner Of Emporia avenue an,
Eighteenth street, and its contents, wer
completely destroyed by fire at Il o'cIocI
last night The occupants Of the build
ing only escaped in scant clothing.
W. Il Leisure, young man who i
employed at DoId's packing house, mar
rowly escaped from being burned {,
death. He occupied a room on the sec
ond floor and when he discovered tina
the building was on fire he grabbed .
few pieces OF clothing and rushed FOL
the hall. The building was filed witt
smoke and it was 50 dark that he could
not see his hand before him. With tht
smoke almost suffocating Dim, he fell
his way along the hall toward the stair
way leading down stairs, but instead he
became turned around and went across
the hall and got into another room which
was directly over the fire. The heat be
low him was SO intense that his feet
were burned In some way he again
found his way to the hall and when as
sistance reached him he was almost
strangled @ death. He was rescued in
the hail and carried down stairs in a
helpless condition. Had it not been for
the timely assistance his charred re
mains would have been found in the
smouldering ruins this morning.
The building was a double one 100 feet
square and faces the north. II contain
ed four store rooms down stairs and the
upstairs vas used as a tenement and
roOning house. It was occupied by
about ten families.
The west store room was occupied by
Frank c Wettner & Co. butchers. and
one Of the popular firms in that end, but
the other three rooms were unoccupied.
The fire originated in the center of the
butcher shop and was discovered about
II O'Clock by officer Washburn, special
policeman at Dold's packing house and
Others who We're up in that neigh5orhood
at the time. The shop was filed with
meats and the greasy interior aided the
flames wonderfully and when the discov-
cry was made the fire had gained great
Roadway. Knowing that the building
was thickly populated Mr.. Washburns
efforts were Immediately turned towards
saving the lives OF the occupants before
an alarm was turned in The fire was
too far advanced 70 venture into the
building but he succeeded in causing
general alarm anr awakening the people
by yelling and beating In the two stair
WAYS with his club. The two portions
of the buildings were divided by two hall
was.
The occupants in the west half OF the
building needed immediate attention as
they were directly over the burning
butcher shop and in danger of being
roasted alive.
After the officers rousing demOnsrra-
ton neighbors arrived on the scene aud
by heroic efforts all OF the people in the
building were successfully gotten out
The last two be brought down stairs was
Mr.. Leisure. who had become lost in the
darkness. A few minutes longer and he
would have persisted in the flames as the
fire quickly advanced to the second story.
The fire department was not long in
arriving at the scene after the alarm
was turned in. but The flames spread so
rapidly that their arrival was met by
roaring furnace Of flames. Several
streams % water were soon playing on
the searching FIRE, but the pressure ap-
peared TO be exceedingly weak and the
water was Ineffective. and before the
other departments reinforced them the
entire building was enveloped in a mass
Of flames. Seeing that an attempt 70
save the building was useless. the fire
men directed their aim to other buildings
70 prevent disastrous vcoanagrati0n.
The walls soon De- gan 10 crack and fall
IN and after an hours work the brick
block was . mass Of char-ed ruins.
Nearly all Of the walls Of the west
building collapsed and only the east wall
and a portion u the east roof are left
standing The west side Of the building
suffered the most.
Aztec a careful examination by Fire
Chief Walden the only possible theory (
as to the origin Of ths FIRE is thar it was
the work Of Incendiaries, as there was /
no fire in the building Three minutes I
after the blaze I'm the butcher shop was /
discovered the whole glass front OF the (
room was blown out. Indicating that a /
sum Gent quantity NJ gasoline was used. /
The buildings we're owned by tWo dif-
fereut parties. The east portion was the (
property 81 the Hartford Insurance COM
pany. and the other half was owned by .
Colonel H. " Lewis. Ii was too lata in 4
the night 20 ascertain the amount of In (
surance carried on the properly, Il any. /
Nothing was saved from The building
and enc young man. Harry Parsons. who /
works at DoiG's packing house, lost Sl9Q /
which he had under his pillow. SET pres
srvatian being The first law Of nature, in
sis rush 70 escape he forgot the money
which he had secre5ed In his bed
John Brown. q teamster. resided in the
building with his wife and eleven chill
irc1 and all Of ther- personal effects were
consumed
?. J. Wallace. a nempl5ye AZ Whitta
lers Ice plant. also had rooms IN TIE
building Others in the building were q
B. Carruthers. who works sor fhe Witch I
IA Nursery company; John p. Gregory
a7d : z. Cory. a mail carrier Mr.
eorey's room was over the butcher shop
but h made good his escape.
Had noc The fire been discovered by
)fi1cev Washou-n several persons would
lave lost rhe.- lives. and his efforts in
escuing -he occupants IS deserving Of
much cre5it.
Nhile the department was at the fire
'n' Eighteenth street another alarm was
-NIrned in from the Missouri Pacific de-
pot wood shed ~ the yards near the
freight depot caught on Ere. IL Is sup
posed from sparks iron, one Of The Io.>5-
motives Nothing hut .hs hose reel f,or,
the West Side was available ana ,hsv
had SUMO trouble In gettirr = line ~
hose laid 50 that they c,ul5 reach he
fire An engine and box - uere
standing alongside the shea. Tls en-