The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-12-21
Overheated Furnace Ignites
Basement and Consumes
Lorimier s. Residence.
NORTH WIND SAVES
WIPPERMANN HOME
Zephyrs Watt Flames From Tai.
Ior's Bungalow as Twin
10 Wiped Out.

the groceryman, on the corner Of Lori
pletely destroyed by fire early last
evening while Mr.. Braun was in Jack
son visiting his mother. Only the
piano and few pieces of furniture
were saved.
The fire started in the basement
about 5 O'Clock. Mrs. Braun and her
daughter, Bessie, were alone in the
house. Mrs. Braun was upstairs sew
ing when she detected a strong odor
Of smoke. She hurried downstairs to
investigate and upon opening the base
lnent door a cloud of smoke burst
through, almost overwhelming her.
She ran to the home of Charles Wip-
permann, whose bungalow adjoins the
Braun lot, and telephoned for the fire
department.
Because of the heavy snow the
horses had difficulty pulling the ap-
paratus to the scene. When the fire.
men arrived they found the basement
4 roaring furnace. The coal bin had
been ignited and the floor in the front
room had nearly been burned through.
There was mo- chance to save any of
the household goods because of the
great Roadway the fire had made.
The pressure Of the water was said
to have been so low that the stream
hardly carried to the flames. When
the fremen succeeded in putting out
the fire in one part of the house, it
would break out anew in another sec
ton.
The iremen, however, with the aid
of the volunteers and some citizens
choked the flames in the lower part Of
the house and made it possible to en-
ter the house and rescue some Of the
most valuable pieces of furniture. The
piano and several pieces were taken in
to the home of Mr.. Wippermann. But
when the flames broke through the
roof, hope of saving the building was
abandoned.
Mr.. Braun, a well-known business
man of the Cape, built the house in the
fall of 1915. He gave it to his wife
as q Christmas present. He said he
estimated his loss at $500, covering
the house and the furniture. Of this
amount $4,000 was covered by insur-
arce.
Mrs. Braun told reporter for The
Tribune that she and her daughter
barely saved their lives. They had no
time to gather any clothing, but fled
to safety in their house dresses. She
and her daughter went to her brothers
home on South Frederick street. Mr..
Braun sought lodging at the Baltimore
Hotel, which he owns. He also owns
a grocery store that is conducted in
the same building as well as a store
on Good Hope street.
Mr.. Braun told a reporter for The
Tribune that he knew of no way to
explain the origin of the fire. He said
it might have been caused by either
defective wiring or by the furnace.
He did not know his home was burn
ing until he was told by the telephone
operator when he tried to call his
home. When he reached Cape Girar-
deau, shortly after 8 o'clock, he found
huge pile of debris.
During the progress of the fire it
was feared the home of Charles Wip-
permann, a bungalow of the same
style, would be destroyed. But owing
to the fact that the wind was blowing
from the north, the house was saved.
1t was only slightly damaged on the
south side by the heat of the flames
The fire attracted large crowd of
people who were on their way home
from work. The severe cold and the
snow kept many citizens from lending
a helping hand in combating the
flames.
A great deal of comment was caus-
ed because the new fire apparatus was
not used in fighting the fire. This was
explained by city officials who said the
city had not completed the deal for
the purchase of the new apparatus.
inasmuch as the equipment had not
been officially accepted. On the day
that the official test of the new ma
chine was to have been made, only
four of the eight couneilmen were
present. This number was not enough
TO make quorum and The machine.
therefore, wss not turned ossr 70 the
city.