The Globe-republican., 1909-12-30
Magnificent New Christian
Church Which Was Al
most Completed
BURNED CHRISTMAS MORNING
VIII be Rebuilt at Once or lust as Soon
as the Weather VIII Permit.


completely destroyed by fire. The
cause Of the fire is still a mystery.
Apparently, unless it was deliberately
set fire by some one. which no one
believes, it started in some way from
one Of the furnaces. The plastering
had been done and the furnaces had
been fred up to dry the plastering.
At about 1890 the night Of the fire,
Mr.. Upp examined the building and
put a bucket Of coal in the north fur
mace. The furnaces, it is stated,
were properly closed and tho damp
ers shut of, and an examination after
the fire showed them to be that way.
It might be possible that the furnaces
we're not put in properly, but it is
said that they had been examined
and considered safe before fire was
placed in them.
The weather WAS very cold the
morning Of the fire and things are
not arranged in Dodge City for CIV
ing quick alarm, but a number Of
the members OF the volunteer COM
pany were on the ground not a great
while after The alarm had been given
and many others from different parts
of town rushed to the scene to give
what help they could. There was a
fair water pressure, and the fire was
confined to the church building, al
though the north end Of the Block
House adjoining was caught at dill
ferent times, and that building was
saved only by good work. The fire
was seen first by some young men
who room across the street to the
north of the church, and there was
quite a large blaze in the building
when they discovered it. Almost i'm
medistely afterwards a window was
pufed out and the blaze leaped out
side.
Once more, as in the case OF the
two previous fires, the town was for
tunate in the conditions at the time
OF the fire. Thousands OF bits OF
burning pine were carried from the
building and we're scattered over sew
eral blocks Of the city. There had
been so much wet weather, and just
before the fire there was mist which
had left ice over the roofs, 30 that
the rain OF fire upon the houses from
the church several blocks east did
not set fire to the roofs. As far as
the writer can learn, no one who
witnessed this fire had ever before
seen fire carried such distance, OF
such a steady, thick and widespread
rain Of fire come from q burning
building. Burning bits Of wood,
blocks away from the church would
settle down upon roof, and continue
to burn for FIVE minutes. II the roofs
had been dry, many houses would
have caught fire and several resi-
dences would no doubt have been de
stroyed.
Members Of the church who have
been talked with, estimate the loss,
above insurance and whatever may
be left for rebuilding, at about $4,000
Owing to the method Of building fol
lowed IL is hard to get exact figures.
The contract taken by Parham &
Upp, the builders. was at $4,000. The
church, however, furnished at its own
expense, all OF the sand, cement ETC.,
used for the walls, and paid for the
making OF the cement blocks, and
also had the excavating done on a
different contract, so that the $4,000
is several thousand short Of the cost
Of the church.
Tho flooring and much Of the fin.
ishing lumber, while 1t had mot been
placed, had been put inside the
building and was burned. A ship
ment Of $50 opera chairs had arrived
here TO be used In seating the balco-
ny and we're still in the car. The