The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-10-31
FLAMES KILL Many.
Ladders Could 0rIy Reach Third Story.
and Men Living In the Fourth
Story Threw Their Wives and
Children Ont and Taen
JumDsd.

u(Zen 20 Gnlfty Dool6s, aCCoru1nG 70
estimates given 2ut by arenen.
The actual loss Of Life will not 10
known until thorough search Of the
ruins can be made, probably not then,
Is some of tbe fremen assert thst o:
number of bodies must have bean
burned to asaes. The building, used
- q tenement house and containing
100 rooms, held, as near q can be
learned, betwesn 200 and 800 peysons
at the time the fire broke ont, at 12saQ
o'clock.
Most of these composed families,
many others were transient, whose
names are unknown. OF the injured
CATERED among bali de- n hospit-
ais and 1t private homes, twenty i've
were more or less seriously hurt. Two
or three Of these ut least will die.
The Chamber OF Commerce build
ing was situated at Park and Central
atreets, in the River view district Of
Kansas City, Kan. The structure
sas four storiel In height With deep
asemcnt End faced the two streets.
It Was built Of brick and stone alone.
1t contained one hundred rooms, IL
nost all Of which were, q far % cani
be learned, occupied BY families or IN.
dividuil laboring men or railway arn.s
ployees 1T tho Il &C the fro started.
The ground door was occupied BY
W. A. Lovelace's barber shop, Edward
T. Summers drug store, Central Az,
saue e. Fix urs Company, Mrs. Be %
Wagner, res: aurent; The Smith Oref-
81 L-uDdry and the Labor Rscord.
1ne fro brvKo out on the ground
floor from some unknown cause.
When the ffemen arrived the entire
building was In fisneS. So quickly
did the devouring flames O. read thai
when, q few minutes after the fPe MS
discovered, all means Of escape By the
stairways, for the scores Of occupants
sas shut of. =, -,
On two sides of tho building the
elevated railway tracks hammed IL In
and made still harder the work OF the
fireman. Then Another obstacle Arose.
rhe fremen did NOT tsse kuficientS
ladders, and many nf those thsy had
were too short to reach The, upper
stories. A stif ng smoke filed the
building. Tbs fremen quickly n
their ladder up, but they did met
reach above the third floor. Many
persons were on tho floor above.
The firemen first devoted them-
selves to tho people on tho second
and third floors and di1 not thsp
heed tho screams Of the people above.
Many Of the persons In the interior
Of the building wore already over
come by the donse smoke and had
to be carried out by the arsn 81.
But many were aols to escape Gown
the ladders without assistatca
After getting every one they could
find out Of the second and third floors
tho tiremen:turned their attention to
the psople above. As theIladders did
not reach above the third floor the
men on tho fourth flor literally
pitched their wives and children
down to the aremen on the ladders
and then jumped down themselves.
Soma of the moro e1oitable ones
jumped to tho ground and were 9th
or killed OF badly injured.
The fire interrupted street traffic
on the elevated road and . motor
man whose car stood just opposite
the burning building said he saw five
or six persons struggling frantically
to escape: and he is certain al Of
them suocumbed to the smoak and
toppled over into the ruins.