Omaha daily bee., 1907-05-09
BIC FIRE in KANSAS CITY
Fivs-stOry University Office Building is
Totally Destroyed
MAN DEAD AND WOMAN MISSING
Several Women BADLY Injured by
Jumping from wIndOws-UppeF
Floors FtlIed with Music
and Art studios.

property loss estimated at $4,000. One life
was lost, six persons are missing and may
be buried in the ruins and fifteen persons
we're more or less seriously injured. The
debris Is still burning tonight and cannot
| be searched until tomorrow.
The building was occupied by Montgom-
cry Ward & co. as Offices and by numer-
Gus artists and muscians.i who lost every
thing.
The known dead:
! GEORGE DEMARE, aged 80, an art In
| structor.
Among the missing is Mss Maude witt
boil. plano teacher, last seen at the window
Of her studio on the fifth floor.
| Injured
! Miss Alexandria BlumberR a Russian
| countess skull fractured; may die.
| Maud Speyor, fell from ladder; serious.
Mrs. Eva s. Boyle. Sheridan. Mo, fell
J. M. Knanchfeld, fireman; leg broken
| William Van Dusen, fireman; serious
! Peter Karagaard, violin teacher, fe from
| fire escape. serious.
The University building was built by the
Pepper estate of Philadelphia for the
| Young Mems Christian association, and the
cornerstone was laid by President Cleve-
land during his first administration. The
building was Of brick, five stories high and
| extended 100 feet north on Locust street and
half block west on Ninth street Because
of the unsafe condition Of the building it
was abandoned by the Young Mems Chris
tian association ten years ago.
Atheneum Society in Session.
Since then the first and second floors have
been occupied by Montgomery Ward & Co.,
who used II as Offices and employed 200
clerks, mostly girls 1t contains two small
auditoriums. one Of which, that on the third
floor is used by the Kansas City Atheneum,
which was holding a session when the fire
started, half a hundred prominent women
being in attendance. The third, fourth and
fifth floors were occupied by artists and
musicians, and some Of the upper rooms
were used as living apartments. Many OF
the studios were furnished elaborately and
contained valuable musical instruments and
works of art. There is but one elevator
in the building, adjoining the stairway
the only means Of exit
The fire started a few minutes before s
o'clock in the basement In a quantity Of
twlne in the Montgomery Ward storeroom,
close to the elevator Ten minutes after
the fire broke out the flames began shoot
ing up the elevator shaft and all escape
save by the fire escapes was shut of.
The halls quickly filled with a dense. suf-
locating smoke and ten minutes later. when
the UTBL hppdIdlhb 6AItNtd Ou NhC bS0hcr
people crowded almost every window, ap-
peuling for help, while scores of others,
mostly women and girls, filled the fire es-
capes and were climbing wildly to the
ground In many of the studios pupils
were taking lessons. The fremen were
slow in getting to work and the first lad
ders placed by them against the building
failed to reach above the third fioor
wild Panic Prevails.
Inside the widest panic prevailed. When
the alarm Of fire was first sounded the
women of the Atheneum rooms considered
that a joke was being perpetrated, and no
effort was made to leave. A moment later,
as the room filled with smoke, there was a
wild scramble for the exit After the first
rush for the hallway, which had now be-
come so flled with smoke that escape there
was impossible, they were driven back to
the windows facing 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, aged 80 years, art in
structor in the Central High school and
a portrait painter who came to this country
four years ago from Paris, jumped from
his studio window on the fifth floor and
was picked up dead. Demare recently mar
ried a prominent society woman. She was
waiting in nearby drug store when her
husbands dead body was brought in, and
tainted.
woman Knocked from Ladder.
Miss Alexandria Blumberg, Russian
countess, who came TO America two years
ago and who had a studio on the fourth
floor. was overcome by smoke and carried
from her room by a fireman, who started
I down a ladder with her. When the two
were within thirty feet of the ground the
, hremen below in their excitement turned
J stream OF water on them, knocking them
from the ladder Miss Blumberg was
picked up unconscious, suffering from a
fractured skull She is seriously and per-
| haps fatally hurt. The fireman was pain
fully injured
Miss Blumberg was born in Russia, and il
a miniature painter OF note. who came to
! Kansas City two years ago from Paris.
Her studio contained many rare works of
art, some paintings that had been exhibited
In the salons OF Europe. She saved moth
ing.
Carl Busch, a noted composer and violin
list, and his wife. who Is a pianist well
known in Europe, escaped after exciting
experiences. Both lost all their musical in
! struments, Wnich lncluued TWO priceless
, stradivarius vioiins and several manu-
scripts Of operas written by Busch.
Mr. Busch helped to rescue several young
girls from the building. At the time the
FIRE broke out he was in the studio OF
Crosby Hops. a vocal teacher. who was
giving a lesson TO Miss Edith Low OF To-
peka, daughter OF a. A. Low. general eoun-
sci OF the Rock Island railway. After warn
ing the other occupants OF their floor
Busch and Hops aided Miss Low and some
other pupils TO escape and then, being
forced 20 leave erept on their hands and
knees down the hallway, which was filled
With smoke, 90 a fire escape
Many Thrilling Escapes.
There were many thrilling escapes. Miss
Helen Barnes. who had a studio on the
NTH floor stood at a window calling for
/ help while flames played within few feet
of her. A ladder put up toward the window
failed TO reach. and a fireman stretched
out an iron rod and urged her 10 climb
down A. The woman slid down the rod
10 the ladder and was finally landed safely
on the ground
The total loss Is estimated az $4,000. with
Insurance OF perhaps S50OOo The building
which was sold some time ago by the Pep
per estate 20 William A. Rule OF Kansas
City. was valued at Si75.000 and Is a COM
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