The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-05-10
FATAL FIRE At KANSAS CITY
ONE PERSON KILLED AND 6Ix
OTHERS MISSING.
BLAZE ImPERILs MANY LlVEs
Lack Of Exits In University Building
Cause Of Death and injuries TO
hsny-Ffteen Hurt While Escsp.
lnq-Property Loss S25o,ooo.

Kansas city. May g.-Fire here de-
stroysd the hvestory University
building corner Of Locust and Ninth
streets causing property loss est.
mated at S2jOOOO one life was lost.
six persons are miss ng and may be
buried IN the ruins and fifteen persons
were more or Less seriously injured.
The debris is still burning. The build
ing was occupied by Montgomery
Ward 4 CO., az Offices and by numer-
Gus artists and musicians who lost
everything
The known dead George Demare.
al art instructor.
Among the missing Miss Maud
WITHHOLD. piano tea' last seen at
the window OF her studio on the 9th
floor
Injured Miss Alexandria Blum
berg, a Russian countess, skull frac.
tured, may die, Maud Speyer, fell
from ladder. serious Mrs Eva s.
Boyle. Sheridan Mo, fell from ladder
serious. J. NJ. KnanchReld. fireman.
leg broken. William Van Dusen fire.
man, serious. peter Karagaard, violin
teacher. fel, from IRE escape, serious.
But One Means Of Exit.
The building contained two small
auditoriums, one Of which, that on the
third hoor. was used by the Kansas
City Athsneum, which was holding =
session when the fire started, half
hundred prominent women being Ia
attendance. The third, fourth and
NTH floors were occupied by artists
and musicians, and some Of the upper
rooms were used as living apartments.
Many OF the studios were furnished
deliberately and contained valuable
musical instruments and works OF art.
There was but one elevator in the
building, adjoining stairway. the
only means OF exit.
The fire started in the basement, in
quantity OF tWine in the Montgom.
cry Ward store room, close TO the ee.
vator. Ten minutes after the fire
broke out the flames began shooting
Up the elevator shaft, and all escape
save by the fire escapes was shut on.
The halls quickly filled with dense.
BufocH'ing smoke, and ten minutes
later when tAr . ri Ire ape. o ...a ~
rived on the scene, people crowded al
most every window, appealing for
help. while scores Of others, mostly
women ana girls. filled the fire escapes
and we're climbing wildly TO the
ground. In many OF the studios pu-
pills were taking lessons The fire
men were slow in getting to work and
the first ladders placed by them
against the building failed 10 reach
above the third floor
Fire Escape Quickly Filled.
Inside the widest panic prevailed.
When the alarm OF fire was first
sounded the women in the Atheneum
rooms considered that a joke was be-
ing perpetrated. and no effort was
made to leave. A moment later, as
the room filed with smoke. there was
q wild scramble for the exit. After
the first rush for the hallway, which
had now become so filled with smoke
that escape there was impossible. they
were driven back 10 The windows lac
ing Locust and Ninth streets. There
was but one fire escape on this end OF
the building, that on the Locust street
side This was quickly filled with
wildly excited women.
George Demare, art instructor in
the Central nigh school and a por'
trait painter. who came TO this coun-
try four years ago from Paris, jumped
from his studio window on the fifth
floor and WAS picked up dead. De-
mare recently married a prominent so
ciety woman She was waiting in a
nearby drug store, where her nus.
bands dead body was brought in, and
tainted.
Miss Alexandria Blumberg, a Rus
sian countess, who came 10 America
two years ago, and who had studio
on the fourth floor, was overcome by
smoke and carried from her room by
q fireman. who started down a ladder
with her. When the two were within
thirty feet of the ground, the fremen
below, in their excitement, turned a
stream of water on them. knocking
them from the ladder Miss Blum
berg was picked up unconscious, sui
for.as from fractured skull. The
fl Gan was painfully injured.
I-,r- weIa many thrilling escapes.
Miss 3 ZEN barnes, who had a studio
on IT, l;,h door. stood at window
callRs ~ help while flames played
within ew feet OF her. ladder
put up ward the window failed 10
reach. I'D fireman stretched out an
iron rod urged her TO climb down
II. The woman slid down the rod, to
the ladder and was insily landed
safely on the ground.
Labor Debate in French Chamber.
Paris Nv 9-The general debate
in the chamber "a deputies or iSe
government rr,i,y IN labor matters
was marked b. a brilliant address by
Pau! DssChaue' who declared the de
M, .acy had allowed Itself to te lsi