Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-24
For Six Hours the Blaze Sweeps on
in Its Fury.
NE HUNDRED ARE HOMELESS
Number of People Are Injured, but
None Fatally.
BUSINESS HOUSES ARE GONE
Loss Estimated at More Than Quarter
of Million Dollars, including
Business Houses and
Residences.

SALEM, Neb., April 23.-(Special Tele-
gram salem is in ruins tonight Fire
starting In the overheated oven of
housewives kitchen swept over the VIII
lage this afternoon and in six hours the
entire business district and large por-
ton of the residence section was de-
stroyed. The loss Is estimated at between
$25oOOO and 100000 with but small in
surance One hundred people, homeless,
are being quartered with the farmers
about the village and at Falls City.
Twenty or more persons are injured, none
seriously. -Four We're burned in a dyna-
mite explosion at a hardware store.
some of the Losses.
The principal business institutions de-
stroyed were:
N, N, L. Dowell, general merchandise, S25,-
shildneok Bros, hardware. $4,000.
Bank of Salem (papers safe) $4,000
Sarsh & Co, general merchandise, $4,000.
Malone & Pearson, restaurant, $4,000.
$4,000.
Southeastern Nebraska Telephone COM
Nebraska Telephone company, $500.
Snyder Parrish, druggists, $1,000
partial list of residence properties de-
stroyed are those belonging to E. p.
Emmert, A. Snyder C. NJ. Coffee f. H.
Brizi. S. E. Stouffer, Joseph windle.
George Yanderberg. James Klarry. wade
Whitten. farm house; Methodist Bpisco-
pal church, $4,000
Those injured in the hardware store ex-
plosion were:
John McCool
s. E. Stouffer.
Il. II. Brigi
M l.. Dowel. -v
Efforts OF Workers UnavaiIinE.
The flames swept across the town. famed
by strong northwest wind. The efforts
of bucket brigade. composed OF every
able-bodied person In the village and fifty
automobile loads of men from Falls City
and vicinity. were futile. The conflagrs-
tian moved down all in it's path through
the edge of tho town, leaving nothing be-
hind but the embers In It's wake,
| Dynamite In a hardware store explod-
ing, threw a vast volume Of sparks and
burning lumber into the air, causing in
jury to six persons. The volley Of sparks
from this mighty blast was carried far
with the wind. From this source the home
Of Wade Whitten. a wealthy farmer live
ing more than a mile distant was fired.
His home, barns and stock were entirely
destroyed, mourning loss OF probably
$4,000
No loss of life has been discovered.
Virgil Grinstend, clerk while fighting
the fire at M. l.. Dowell's hardware store,
where he was employed, fell through the
roof to the burning interior. but escaped
with his life though badly burned.
Dynamite ExDIodes.
Falling to the floor of the burning store,
Grinstead crept to the door to fall faint
| ing into the arms OF r. II. Bril-. one OF
the bucket brigade fighting the fire out.
side. He was painfully injured, but not
dangerously,
| While scores Of fire fighters were en-
gagged in throwing water over the shild-
neck hardware store the dynamite in the
basement exploded, showering them with
burning timbers.
The blast spread the flames still farther
across the town. The resultant fire al
the nome OF Wade Whtten was not dis
covered until two hours later by the town
folk.
The fire started at the home OF c. M.
Coffee at 1890 o'clock Mrs. Coffee was
baking bread. The kitchen range became
overheated and communicated the flames
to the walls of the dwelling. Before aid
could be called the entire house was in
flames. which spread before the wind. fir
Ing half "a dozen other homes in the space
Of few minutes.
|
town was endanger ed. call for help was
telephoned to Falls City, seven miles dis
tant. The fire and smoke was already
visible at that distance In the course
of the afternoon fifty automobiles came
from Falls City and the surrounding coun-
tryside. The additional help was OF little
avail, however as the fire fighting APP
paratus available was confined to buckets
and tubs. Water could only be obtained
from wells and eiatirns.
Practically the only successful combat
with the flames was at the Methodist
Episcopal church whore but a two-thirds
loss was sustained. The damage Is esti-
mated at s2,Oo) to the church.
Reseue by Automobile.
All communications to the outside save
through the Burllngtons telegraph wires
al the station, three-quarters OF a mile dis
tant from the town proper. was cut off
! when the offices Of the three telephone
, companies we're attacked by the conflagra-
, ton
Automobiles running between Salem
| and Falls City tonight are carrying away
the people whose homes have been de-
/ stroyed, TO places OF refuge. Many have
, been temporarily cared for at the homes
. OF the country people Of the vicinity Even
4 approximate estimates OF the loss 10 the
vniage are difficult tonight The insurance
policies carried are small and scattering
and will cover buta small fraction oi the
! lcsses. In the destruction Of several OF
] the eighteen homes burned. families have
. lest their all 1he dwellings lost averaged
I not less than s1oo) each In value
Aid to the injured was rendered by Dr.
! E. L. Green, Dr. II. II. Minor and DR..
} Griffith OF Falls City. who came early with
J the column OF automobiles which brought
I relnforeements
h An examination late tonight found the
Q contents OF the safe and vaults OF the
Bank OF Salem unharmed. The safes con.
tained most Of the records ana documents
OF value