The Iola register., 1902-04-25
RELIEF FUND RAISED
Kansas City is Helping her Fire Vie
tins


Kansas City, April 21-Upwards of
81 900 has already been given to help
those who were burned out in the fire
yesterday afternoon which swept away
sixty-one houses near Twenty-fourth
street and Fairmount avenue.
While the fire was yet burning
Mayor Reed, who was watching it
and who saw the homes of so many
families swept away, named commit
tee to accept contributions of help and
this committee was requested to meet
at IL o'clock this forenoon in the
rooms Of the Commercial Club. A
mass meeting was also called for
four O'Clock this afternoon in the
Commercial Club rooms for the same
purpose.
The relief committee named by
Mayor Reed is composed of Bishop
Glennon, M. g. Helm, S. J. Hayde, j.
j. Swofford, William B. Thayer and
the Rev. S. M. Neel. The committee
met this morning and organized by
electing Bishop Glennon, chairman,
f. NJ. Clendening secretary and w. b.
Thayer treasurer. The Committee de-
cided to try to raise $4,000, which will
be distributed by the committee. The
newspapers of the city were author
lied to receive and receipt for contri-
buttons, which will be turned over to
the treasurer of the committee. A let.
ter was received from the Volunteers
of America Offering to send its MEM
bers out to solicitfunds. A letter was
received from Colonel Cusil Lechtman
of the Third regiment, Offering the
use of the equipments of the regiment,
including tents, straw ticks, blankets,
etc., for the fire sufferers, and offer
ing detail of soldiers to protect the
exposed property of those burned out,
if that we're needed.
AMONG THE RUINS.
Kansas City, April 22.-As soon as
1t was daylight yesterday morning the
homeless ones We're digging and
searching the ruins The dre-swept
district was slope OF gray and
black and red ashes with broken chin
neys, the charred stumps of trees and
crumpled cellar walls protruding out
of it. Upon these foundation walls
perched groups of women and children
huddled together, watching the men of
the family turning over the bent
wrecks of stoves and iron beds and
bed springs in the cellar beneath.
Other family groups wandered around
with troubled faces, the women with
shawls and aprons over their heads,
the men with hands in pockets dis
couraged-looking. y great crowd of
sightseers from over all the city
walked around. The wind, yet blow
ing almost gale from the southwest,
whistled through the skeleton frames
of half burned houses on the out
skirts of the desolated district and
whirled ashes in clouds into the faces
OF all.
Every once in a while a man delv-
ing among the debris would hand out
to his family half burned piece of a
chair back or a cracked dish, or some
other relic of the household furniture,
and the women and children would
pass it around and talk about it, and
very often. weep over it, as all that
was left of the home that it had taken
years of work and saving to accum-
ulate.
In the ashes OF one home the burned
and cracked china head of doll lay
atop of a heap OF stun and the little
girl who owned the doll scrambled
over the foundation and went in and
got it and wrapped it carefully up in
a corner of her apron and shed tears
as bitter over its ruin as her mother
beside her was weeping over the loss
of all her worldly goods.
Upon the cold ashes of another
desolate home family watch dog
crouched and snarled when anyone
went near. He was guarding alone
the little square of wreckage. The
family to whom he belonged had no
interest there and were gone. All
they had in the world was!burned.
HALE IS EMOVED