Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-11
BLAZE AT BENNETT STORE
Over Twenty Thousand Dollars of Damage
in Few Minutes.
FIRE is CONFINED TO DISPLAY WINDOWS
Spray of Water and Smoke Bring
About Damage to Goods on
Main FloOr-LOss Cow
cred by Insurance.

Fire broke out at o'clock yesterday
morning in the large display windows of
the Bennett department store at the corner
of Sixteenth and Harney. The windows
were filled with fragile and combustible
material and the entire ground floor corner
was In flames in a moment.
There is only a frail wooden partition
separating the large display window COM
partments from the main floor of the store,
but this was sufficient to keep the fire
confined to the limits of the corner windows
until the fire department reached the scene.
The firemen soon had the blaze under con-
troll
The fre caught from an incandescent
electric light wire at the Sixteenth and
Harney street corner. The heat was so
intense that the big plate glass windows
at this corner burst outward with a crash
and In an almost incredibly short time the
fire was creeping toward the story above.
The fire quickly spread to the Harney
street front. and three pianos in the dis
play windows were soon destroyed, and
three windows Immediately west, in which
was display of children's clothing, were
wrecked in a twlnkling.
Eleven Plate Glass windows Go.
The fire extended to the main entrance
everything in these windows was also
destroyed. Six of the large plate glass
windows on Sixteenth street and five on
the Harney street front were destroyed
The main floor was filled with smoke, but
business continued.
Many of the clerical force of the estab-
lishment were pressed into service In re-
moving the stock OF silks and other dry
goods adjacent the burning windows. For
| tunately the force of the fire was out
ward, and no damage resulted to the in
| terror of the building, nor did the fire COM
| municate to the upper stories There was
| considerable damage to stock by smoke
and water. The handsome wax figure of
the June bride was among the articles
destroyed. The total loss, including the
smoke and water damage. will be between
1000 and $4,000, fully covered by insur-
ance.
The store has been closed until Saturday
TO permit the adjustment OF the loss by the
! insurance men.
Electrician Makes InveEtiEatiOn.
| City Electrician Patton started to make
an investigation of the origin OF the
Bennett fire yesterday. He secured part
Of the wiring in the windows and some OF
! the fixtures and took them 20 his office in
[ AAAo NAAg AAaAl Aoi a NillNdl NAdAuilldlloAs AZ
noon the electrician said ne had not ascer.
/ tained enough facts to base conclusions
| upon, but expected TO be in a position
20 make a report later. Portions of
the naked wire with Insulation un-
J destroyed brought to the city hall had
portions OF paper clinging to them. II is
the second show window fire that has
occurred In Omaha during the last two
years and the city electrical department
IS anxious to ind out whether Il was
caused by poor protection Of the wires.
City Electrician Patton said yesterday
afternoon; An examination fails to de-
termine, as is usually the case. whether
the electrical wiring caused the blaze.
However, flexible cord was used in the
windows, which is directly forbidden by
city ordinances. II was placed In these
| windows after the store had been last in
spected by a representative from this de-
partment"