The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-10-12
LIKE A FLASH
OF LIGHTNING
Flames Spread Over Immense
Stock Of Dry Goods
OF S. E. MOVES & co.
Caught From Gasoline Torch
damage About $4,000.
OF S. E. MOVES & co.

A few minutes past o'clock yesterday
afternoon fire broke out in the front OF
the dry goods store Of s. Z. Noyes Is Co.
at the corner Of Douglas avenue and
Market street, and within fifteen minutes
the immense stock OF dry goods. cloaks
and house furr.- Rlngs was a biackened
quickest work ever known in Wichita.
1t caught from gasoline light torch in
some lace curtains draped ia the front
OF the store. IN an instant the flames
spread all over the front Of the building,
into the big show windows. driving the
clerks and customers TO the rear.
The terrible heat from the burning
cloth and curtains soon heated the gaso-
line lamps until they exploded and with
in three minutes after the fire started the
flames had eaten their way into every
part Of the room. When the gasoline
in the lamps exploded the yapor was
thrown to all parts Of the room and this
spread the flames.
According TO several people who were
standing near the building when the fire
broke out. it was just seven minutes
from the time the fire appeared on the
outside Of the building until the FIRE was
under control, but in that short time
stock OF dry goods valued OF from $500
10 $4,000 was damaged by fire ara water
fully 50 per cent When the first glimpse
Of the fire was seen every clerk and Gus
toner. and the store was full Of men and
women. rushed for the rear doors. The
flames spread so quickly that not one
person was able to reach the street
through the front doors. in the excite
ment no one thought to turn in fire
alarm and a man ran all the way TO the
station to tell the companies about it.
Fust as he reached the door an alarm
tme in from a box and two more over
tie telephone. When Companies Nos.
and zreached the scene two streams Of
water and the stream from the chemical
engine were turned on the flames and the
fire was soon under control
The exact origin of the fire is not
known. 1t was by a ;0rch Used 20 light
gasoline lamps. Dale Manenee, OF
Eleventh and Jackson avenue. is in the
employ Of the Hydro-carbon Light com
pany. which furnished the lights in the
store. Mar. Mallenee stated last night
that ne was carrying has torch in the
usual TNarner and had lighted two Of The
lamps in the back of the room. He
walked TO the front OF the store 10 light
the tl'irG. eBtween the two entrances
there is a big show window AMI a small
space between the window AMI "a coun- /
ter. The lamp hangs directly over this /
counter. Mr. Malenee thinks that as he /
stepped around this counter 10 Ightzhe /
lamp the wind blew one of the curtains /
against his torch. He says that ne does /
not know how the TIRE started. He cid [
not notice the curtains catch fire and had /
taken several steps when some one cried 1
Fire" He turned and the front Of the /
room vas ablaze. He set his torch down
on the counter and tried 10 pun down
some of the curtains. but the flames
spread so fast that the heat drove him
away.
The fire spread so rapidly that a num-
Der Of clerks were not able to get their
wraps and hats in escaping from the
burning building. Mr.. S r. Noyes left
his hat and during the fire walked
around bareheaded watching the work OF
the fremen. Several customers were
compelled TO leave purchases they had
made on the counters. one OF the clerks.
after the fire. stated that she was selling
a woman corset when the cry Of fire
was made. She and her customer started
immediately for the rear door. but the
customer had grabbed corset and car
ried IL out with her. She may have made
a mistake by thinking that what she took
was one of her own packages but II she
did not she did not take time 10 look at
the size or style Of the corset. Another
young woman had just purchased silk
skirt when the fire broke out 1t was
lying on the counter before her while the
clerk was showing her some other goods.
When everyone began 10 run for the rear
door this Woman grabbed her sAirt and
carried it out with her.
The streets were fun OF people when
the fire broke out and soor hundreds
were standing on the sidewalks aud in
the street watching the progress Of the
flames and the work of the firemen- For
p block each way from the fire the
streets were a big mass Of people. push
ing and showing 10 get a closer view OF J
the wreck The police kept the crowd
away so that no one interfered with the
arenen. The crowd was good natured