Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-02-19

the Elite Theatre, the Selle bicycle
store, the restaurant, the telephone
Office and the Luft photograph gallery
were almost entirely destroyed, and
the Holmes drug store and post Of
fee were badly damaged.
1t is the same old story of the ori.
gin of the fire, which started in the
restaurant from defective gasoline
stove, in the old frame building
owned by Mrs. E. c. Emley. The
flames quickly spread to the building
adjoining on the west occupied by
Gus Selle as a bicycle store and repair
shop. Both Of these buildings we're
old shacks, built entirely Of wood, and
without any fire protectio'. aud burn.
ed very rapidly The building on the
east, occupied by the Elite theatre,
then caught fire, but the fire boys
re rapidly getting it under control
when the water plug on the corner
OF the Odd Fellows building blew out,
which delayed the work Of the men
s. that by the time connection had
been made on another plug the entire
theatre building was on fire, which
quickly spread 10 the photograph gal
lery, part Of which extended over the
rear of the theatre building, and also
into the central Office of the telep hone
company, just back Of the gallery.
The building occupied by the the.
atre was a sheet iron affair, which
greatly retarded the work Of the fire
boys, as it was almost impossible to
Bet at the fire, and as the fire spread
to the telephone Office and to the
photo gallery, it certainly made a
fierce blaze for the Toys to contend
with.
Almost all the contents of the bi.
Cycle store were destroyed, and alb.
s'lutely nothing was saved in the
10 the restaurant building. The
Lite people saved their machine and
few OF the fixtures, but their loss is
very heavy asthey had purchased the
business and took charge only few
days ago. The telephone company
also suffered veryheavy loss, as did
also Mrs Luft, the proprietor of the
pnoto gallery. In tie drug store the
principal damage was done by water,
as was the case in the post office
building. All of the mail was gotten
out although some of it was damaged.
The estimated loss from the fire
Will be: {. F. Wilmer, OIL building,
$1,000, with no insurance; Mrs. Hen.
~ Luft, on contents about $4,000.
with $1,000 insurance; Mrs. F. c.
Emley loss on buildings about $500.
with S2OO insurance; Gus Selle, loss
on contents $500, no insurance.
OBrien &Brumley, loss on contents
$1,000, no insurance; Holmes Drug
store, loss BY water, covered BY in.
surance.
The post Office was flooded bv
water. but all of the mail was removed.
but very little of it being damaged.
1t was Immediately removed to the
CITY hall, and that building was used
TOR post office Saturday until the
building could be cleaned out. How.
ever they were back in the old quar-
tiers Sunday morning During the
hre Fred Richardson, one of the fire
boys had hand badly cut by flying
glass, when the sky-light of the photo
gallery fell. Silas Robe also had a
very narrow escape. He was work.
10 the back part OF the Elite, when
the roof began % fall. The smoke
was so dense that he did not notice it
until some of the boys on the outside
shouted to him to get out of the way,
and be jumped to one side and out of
the door just as the heavy roof fell in.
The fire boys certainly deserve
praise for the way they worked at the
fire. 1t was a bitter cold morn.
ing, and all the boys were thoroughly
soaked and their clothing was a mass
OF ice. However, every one of them
stayed by their work until the fire