The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-20
FIRE AT BLOOMINGTON, ILLS.
Half the Business section Nestroyed
Loss Probably Sc .O00.000.

bloomington, Ill, June 19.-Half Of the
business section of Bloomington, includ-
ing five squares of the finest business
blocks in the city, and the court house,
erected as a cost of 100000. were destroy
ed by fire this morning. The loss is varf-
ouslv estimated at from one and hail
million to two millions dollars One death
resulted from the fire. Robert Schmidt, a
1e-vear-old boy, has died from the shock
occasioned by the noise of the explosion
of dynamite with which the iremen were
blowing up buildings in an endeavor TO
stay the progress Of the flames. The fire
DEPARTMENT was badly Handicapped by an
almost total failure of the water supply.
and it was not until late this morning
and after many buildings had been blown
up with dynamite that the flames were
finally got under control.
The list Of buildings destroyed and bus
mess firms burned out, with heaviest
losses included. follows: The court house.
erected twenty-five years ago at q cost
of $4OO0 900: Mineral building, Windsor
hotel. loss 5000: Grieshams office build
ing. loss. 100000: State National ban~;
Helms building; Eagle office blilding;
George Brand & Co.. furniture; Vimont
& Koen. dry goods: Cooper & Jackrnan,
glassware: Pixley & Co, clothing; r.
Thompson & Sons, furniture; Model
laundry: b S Green company; Y. T.
Miller & Son, hardware Parritt's jewelry
store; Cole Bros. building, occupied as
dry goods store: Fahey's saloon; Corn
Belt bank; Reed Bros. hardware; Kloop,
hat and caps; NJ. Fans, No Name Store;
Hiehaues. restaurant: Helbig's music
store: McLain County Coal company
Guthrie's cigar store; Phoenix hotel;
Garver's drug store; Coblent's drug store;
r. c. Rogers, wall paper; G. w. Klemm,
dry goods, loss 100000: Stephen Smith
Sons, dry goods, loss $4,000; J. H. Riggs,
dry goods, loss $50, 600; Bolles tailor shop;
Schneider Shoe Store company; Senseny' 5
coal office: Wilcox's dry goods establish
ment, loss $4,000; Mehaffey's livery;
Green, iewelry and drugs; Gowdie's Bos-
ton store; Ebert & Goode, notions; Klein
aus confectionery; Ensenberger's furnit-
IRE store.
The fire started in the Model laundry,
on Monroe street, in the block northeast
Of the court house. 4 strong wind was
blowing az the time and before the fire de-
partment arrived the fire had spread "a
the four-story brick building occupied by
B s. Green & Co. and thence steadily
eastward In an hour the entire block
except the postoffice building, which was
saved by hard work. was in ruins In this
block was the old Dur1ey theater. which
was being remode!ed. The fire worked
westward across TO Greisheim's seven
story 5uilding at the corner Of Main and
Jefferson streets. and soon that entire
block was in flames. From there ERE
spread TO the court house and thence 70
adffiacent blocks. IN the meantime aid
had been Summoned from Peoria and
Springfield, and with the assistance Of fire
apparatus from those cities the FIRE was
gradually brought under control t. The
west. To the east II was necessary "a
'sse dynamite to destroy several buildings
in the path Of the flames before the Ere
was stopped in that direction. The burned
district includes the north and east sides
OF the court house square. the two other
blocks corneriag on the square and hal!
a block OF buildings west OF the square.