Show A VERY 1 DSASTOUS BLAlE IN O U1AllA I The Boston Store and Other Buildings Burned ESCAPES MADE WERE SIMPLY MIRACULOUS rk Men Women and Children Rush idly For the Exits An Adjoining Church Burns Like Sa Many Tar Barrels Sales Girls Lose Their Belongings and Many Have Their Hair Burned From Their Heads The Cashier Leaves His Drawer and the Safe Open r Omaha Feb S Shortly befor 7 oclock tonight fire broke out in the show window of the Boston store and five minutes later the entire building w ablaze The store was crowded with clerks and customers it being the custom to keep open on Saturday night The third floor was occupied by a night school Consternation reigned among the people in the store and a mad rush for the exits began men women and children crowded torte tor-te street sales girls and cash girls leaving their wraps and other belongings belong-ings Everybody escaped alive but a number of girls employed in the millinery and cloak department were badly scorched and blistered several losing all the hair from their heads On the west stood St Magdelena church I was quickly on fire and burned like tar barrels On the south across Douglas street was the Young Mens Christian association building and a row of threestory flats On the ground floor of the Young Mens Christian association building Is Thomson Beldens dry goods store They suffered considerable loss The upper floor of the flats was cleaned out The intense heat from the Boston store building kept the firemen out of that portion of Douglas street for half an hour and this gave the flames a chance to get across the street So rapidly did the Boston store burn that the cashier abandoned the cash in the drawer and the bookkeepers had to leave the books on which they were working The safe door was open but no one dare t tempt death by trying to close i tIng The escape of the inmates from the blazing tinder box w all but miraculous mir-aculous Losses Boston store 235 000 insurance 110000 Other losses are estimated at 60000 |