The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1904-11-04
GEORGE STARR is INCLUDED
MYRTLE AND COMET ALSO DIE IN
THE BURNING BARN.
THOUGHT TO BE lNcENDIARY
All Efforts to Save the Burning Beasts
Proved Unsuccessful - One Little
Filly Tried to Yeap Into the Flame.
Means Were Terrible.
IFrom Tuesday's Dally.1


were cremated in a fire which de-
stroyed the private stable on North
Third street, last night The cause
of the fire is not known but there are
strong indications of incendiarsm,
The loss is variously placed, there be-
ing no definite figures set by the own
er, p. J. Barnes, upon George Starr
In dollars and cents the loss is prob
ably $4,000, and the loss is felt by the
entire horse world of northern Ne
braSka.
The other horses burned were Myr-
tie, owned by c. II. Vail, one of the
OXnard hotel proprietors; and Comet,
owned by 10 Phillips. Both were
handsome animals.
Every animal in the stable, which
was locked securely and which be.
came seething mound of dark red
flames almost the minute it was dis
covered was imprisoned so tightly
that no escape was possible. Men
tried to get at the doors in time to
save the blooded steppers, but all eff
forts were unavailing. The horses
themselves tried hard to hammer down
their stalls and get out. but the bars
were too heavy for that. Their bodies
enveloped in the fatal fire, the dying
brutes moaned and roared in a sick
ening way.
One little fily, which had been left
in the barn yard last night instead of
being locked inside the stable. was
saved only after she had been turned
out of the yard and locked out She
tried in vain to jump back into the
burning building and to death. This
horse was the property, also. of Mr..
Barnes.
The fire was discovered shortly af-
ter 10 o'clock Twenty minutes be.
fore that time 10 Phillips, who had
been driving Comet, took his horse
back to the stable and locked it in.
He rolled his buggy into the barn,
locked the door and went away. At
that time there was nothing to indi-
cate any danger of fire.
Starts in Two Places.
When first seen the blaze, it is
thought, had started in two separate
places in the barn, making it appear
that it had been set. An alarm was
turned in, but before the department
arrived the building, which was old
and dry, having burned once before,
had become so wrapped in flame that
there was no chance of saving the
racers. The blaze had eaten it's way
into the hay above and every attempt
TO gain entrance into the building
merely served as a draft for the flame
The front door was torn off with
hooks, and fremen started in. In
stantly mammoth wave of fire
leaped out at them to lick the hands
of the overbold.
From the rear of the building, where
the horses were kept, the box stalls
and the dying horses could be seen.
George Starr, the energy of his great
body stirred to the point of frenzy,
leaped high up into the fire, paved the
air and kept his head outstretched.
And the tragedy of the scene was in
creased when suddenly his name and
forelock caught the fire and sent the
jets of flame out from his face and
neck. Finally, inhaling the smoke and
gas and fire, the great black PAGER
dropped in his stall and died.
Myrtle and Comet, each in a box
stall, after fighting for their lives,
dropped into their furnace deaths.
Fire Departments Effective Work.
The fire department did magnificent
work on the burning structure when
it arrived. The building seemed to
have gone so far that not a board
could be saved, and it was not at all
certain that adjoining buildings might
not CO. With such persistence and
science did the firemen work that
within half hour they had the blaze
quenched and a good portion of the
shell still standing, with parts of it,
containing horses, unharmed. The
strong pressure tore boards off the
sides of the barn and sliced chunks
of burning hay out of existence.
The barn was owned by Mr.. Bur
rows. A few years ago it burned par
italy, was repaired and converted
into stable for fine horses.
George Starts Record.
George Starr was eleven years old.
His sire was Direct. His first dam
was by Red Wilkes; second by Wal
kill Chief son of Hamiltonian X;
third by Madam Swiveler, dam of
Dick Swiveller; fourth dam by Alb
della l. His record was 2:17, and that
record was made the first time he
ever faced a starter.
He has been raced in the west
somewhat but not in late years. His
oldest colts in this section are two
years old. but in Grand Rapids, Mich,
where a number of 4-year-old colts are
being trained, with two-minute gaits
already, he is better known, Horse