Omaha daily bee., 1917-03-12
COUNCIL BLUFFS
BUSINESS Center
SWEPT BY FIRE
Two Hundred Thousand Dol
lars Estimated Loss Early
Sunday Morning Before
Blaze Controlled.
ORIGIN REMAINS MYSTERY
Burned District Covers Sapp,
Maurer and Wickham
Blocks.
OMAHA RESPONDS TO CALL

Fire losses estimated at 100000 oc-
Cured when the Sapp block, corner
Of Broadway and Scott street, the
Maurer building and the Wickham
block were swept by flames that were
discovered at $3.50 o'clock Sunday
morning, were not extinguished un-
til nearly noon. Assistance in fight
ing the fire was given by the Omaha
fire department, when two engines
furnished streams many times more
efficient than the hydrant pressure
made possible.
The Commercial National bank, the
Northwestern-U Union Pacific ticket Of
fees, the Kresge Ten-Cent store and
the Gunnoude & Zurmuehlen whole
sale and retail cigar store, occupied
the ground floor rooms of the build
ings, and with the exception of the
bank, hte loss was complete.
Nothing but the walls remained of
the Wickham block and the Mauer
building. Only the first and fourth
floors of the Sapp block were burned:
The fire did not get into the second
and third floors, but swept up the
elevator shaft from the basement to
the roof and only water and SNAKE
damage was inflicted upon the middle
floors.
The fire was famed by stiff north
west wind and burned until it was
stopped by the solid fire walls of the
Beno building. The intense heat
drove the SNAKE through the wall and
filled the Beno department store, dam
aging the goods on all of the five
floors.
Starts Under Stairway.
The fire started in the basement
OF the Sapp block underneath the
stairway and elevator in the north
west corner. 1t was discovered at
3:20 o'clock by Harry Larsen, news
paper carrier, who turned in the first
alarm. When the fremen arrived the
fire was blazing UP the elevator shaft
and had eaten its way underneath the
roofs of the adjoining Mauer building
and on into the Wickham block. After
the firemen had apparently checked
the flames at the source of origin
there came an outburst from beneath
the cornice on the Mauer and the
Wickham buildings. No fire was Wis
ible on the ground floors of these
buildings, but moment later accumu-
lated gases and heated air in the Ten
Cent store caused terrific explosion
that blew out the street front with
such violence that plate class windows
on the opposite side of the street
were smashed. A A,heavy penny-in-the-
Not weighing machine standing in the
toutunda of the store was hurled
lcross the street against the curb.
1t was then that Chief Hitchcock
called upon the Omaha department
and Assistant Chief Simpson respond
ed with two bumpers and ladder
truck. Eight or ten hydrant streams
tapping the twenty-four-inch water
main had reduced the pressure until
the streams lacked power to be ef-
fcient. The flames were climbing
skyward and ending showers of
brands over adjacent blocks when
the streams fro mthe pumps were
turnedon. The fight was then not
won until after hours of stubborn re-
sistence.
Escape In Night Clothes.
Many persons occupied living part
ments in the Maurer and the Wick
ham buildings, and several had to
descend fire escapes.
On the third floor of the Wickham
block Mrs. GiesoI mother of Mrs. J.
Z. Evans, aged and infrm, was found
unconscious and had to be carried out
Several others escaped My in their
night clothes. Miss Chester and Miss
Stratton got out wearing rain coats
over their pajamas.-~ Following is a
complete list of the tenants:
Sapp Block-First floor, CONNER
cial Nationa. bank. Second floor,
Prudential Insurance company; J. N.
Casady, realty; B. L. Lemen, realty;
J. D. Johnson, realty; DR.. r. o. Will
Jams, dentist. Third floor, DR.. Bower,
city physician; DR.. Harry Boyne,
dentist; DR.. Stahl, chiropractor; Dr.
Woodbury., dentist. Fourth floor, w.
F. Sapp, Mr.. Brown, realty; Dr.
hamilton, dentist; Dr.. Harriet Hamil-
on. physician; Visiting Nurse -asso-
cation, DR.. O'Hanlon, chiropractor.
Wickham Block - First floor,
resge Ten-Cent, Gunnoude & Eur