Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-13
FIRE DESTROYS PAINTINGS
Blaze in an Art Store Does Much Damage
10 Contents
TOTAL LOSS ABOUT NINE THOUSAND
second Floor of tbs Rose store e.
Cleaned Ont and Much Incidental
Destruction wrought by
anne

Fire was discovered shortly after I O'Clock
yesterday evening In the second story Of
the Mccartney building, 1519-1521 Dodge
street, and alarms turned in. The blaze
originated In the second story over Roses
art store, In the framing department, where
was stored piles OF frame mouldings
wrapped in excelsior and other ~infammable
material. The loss to the building is esti-
mated at 1000. which is small considering
the material in which II started.
Mr.. J. u. Rose, manager of the Rose art
store. was unable to make a close guess on
the damage to the stock until he had had
time for careful inspection. He, however.
said that the loss would be at least $4,000,
and probably more. Gordon Coutts, in
structor in the art school on the second
floor Of the art store, loses something more
than 81 300 on his pictures which were on
exhibition. The Commercial restaurant
proprietors, Lauritsen q Milling, place their
loss at 5000. NJ. S. Hazleton, who rooms on
the third floor, suffered about SIS. other
roomers suffered lesser losses from smoke.
McCaffery's loss is covered by insurance, as
is also a good part OF the Rose loss. The
Merchants is also insured, but the others
are not.
The cause Of the fire is unknown. Mr..
Rose was at work in the store and noticed
a CLEAN Of light up the stairway. He ran
up and found the stairs blazing above the
second floor. He ran to telephone an alarm.
e. T. Williams, who was passing the build
ing. noticed flames through the second
story windows and turned in a call at
about the sam time. Mr.. and Mrs. Nelson
we're at supper and noticed smoke pouring
up around the radiator pipes. They alarmed
the other roomers. The FIRE turned out
the second floor over the Rose store and
broke through to the third in the rooms OF
NJ. s. Hazleton. The front half Of the art
store is little damaged, but the pictures at
the rear were soaked with water and
smoke. The restaurant suffered somewhat
from water, but the loss was mostly in the
kitchen.
Mr.. Coutts has been in this country only
four weeks. His paintings, which we're fig
ures. are ruined and he had no insurance
Hugh McCaffery is the sole wner Of the
building. Fourteen people room on the
third floor. These are l. B. De Christian
wife and brother; Mr.. and Mrs. Wycon, the
engineer Of the building, his old father and
two small children; Mr.. L. B. Hazleton, 6
landscape gardener, and wife; Miss Pierce
a dressmaker; and p. C.. Nelson, a bar.
tender, and wife.
StrInRfelIOw's Home Burned.
The story and a half residence Of r. E
Stringfellow at 3711 North Twenty second
street was nearly destroyed by fire yes
terGay evening shortly after Z o'clock. The
house and contents were valued at $4,000
with s 1000 insurance. The loss was about
two-thirds Of the value. The fire was due
to some defect in the furnace, which sent
the flames through all the hot-air pipes
setting the building on fire in severa
places. Second Assistant Chief DineeI
fell through the flooring Into the basement
which contained two feet Of water, but wal
not hurt. Mr.. Stringfellow is a ~bookkeepel
in the United States supply house.