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Show Mil FIEE AT ' Missouri Building Is . 1 1 1 Destroyed,' , . f I Many Valuable Paintings. in Structure Were Burned. - These Were Portraits of Former Gov-ornors Gov-ornors and Supreme Judges and Cannot Be Replaced, ST. LOUIS, Nov. 19. The Missouri jH State building was destroyed by fire IH tonight, resulting from the explosion of i a hot water heater In the basement. jH Instantly the flames shot up through . IH the rotunda and the north wing and j IH cupola were a solid mass of (lames IH within ten minutes after the explosion. j IH Financial Lobs Not Known. The loss cannot be estimated accur- j ately, owing to the temporary nature j i jH of the construction material which has j no salvage value. The principal loss I is In the contents of the building. Valuable Paintings Buined. IH The building cost about S145.000, and I; jH In the building were 375,000 worth of IH furnishings, the most valuable of which were portraits of former Missouri Gov-crnors Gov-crnors and Supreme Judges. These can not be replaced. H Wns Spectacular Fire. jH The fire was the most spectacular that has occurred In St Louis in years. Thousands of persons hurried from all portions of the grounds, attracted by jH the sheet of flames that spurted from H the top of the cupolas, making a 'cv H greater brilliancy than the illumination. of all the buildings. A wind was blow- H Ing from the south, and the flames shot H down the northern side of the cupola H and met a sheet of flames which en- H veloped the northern wing. H Other Buildings in Danger. Instantly the building was aflame from top to bottom In the northern half. H Spaiks were carried over Uie United H States Government building as far T H northwest as the Liberal Arts palace. H Bucket brigades were hurried to the H roofs of these buildings, preventing' Ig- IB Salvage Corps Formed. H Meantime from all quarters of the H grounds fire departments had responded IH and were augmented by apparatus from IH the city department. Salvage corps were H formed by both Jefferson guards and H World's fair visitors and as much prop- i H erty as could be secured within a few IH moments was carried into the Louisiana H State pavilion, adjacent. H No Insurance. jH M. T. Davis, president of the World's jH Fair commission, 'was In the building H when the explosion occurred. He suld: "The building ns It stood, with all the 1 H furnishings, cost in the neighborhood of IH $225,000. There was not a dollar of In- IH surance. If we had endeavored to sell IH 'the building we could probably have not IH realized more than 35000." IH Narrowly Escaped Death. IH Mrs. Bellehall Small, of Sedalla. Mo.. one of the State hostesses, rushed Into j H her apartments in the building to se- I cure some valuables. A fireman fol- jJ lowed her Into the smoke and found) her IH lying on the floor overcome. Placing a IH wet handkerchief over her face, he car- ried her into tho open air,- where she H Firemen Buried Under Wall. jf After the flames were under control and had been sufficiently extinguished H to admit tho firemen entering the build- ing the south wall fell without warn- H lng and burled Lloyd Randolph, driver H of city engine No. 25, and Frank O'Con- B nor of city truck No. 9. Several others only escaped by a small margin. IH None Fatally Hurt. I H Sovcral streams of water were in- H stantly directed upon the debris cover- H lng the men and they were rescued be- 'A H fore the fire spread to" where thoy were 1 1 jH entombed. The men were badly bruised and it Is thought Randolph Is fatally Jf Injured. i ' lfl Fire Finally Extinguished. ! JH Four hours after the fire was dls- j IH covered. Chief Swingley of the St. Louis r H department, announced that the fire IH was extinguished. Smnll pillars of jt H smoke continued to arise from the ruins I; ' H and scattered beds of embers mnrktfd I.1, H the site of Missouri's World's fair pa- h; 1 H Killed While Responding to Call. jj jH While responding to the alarm of fire i lH In the Missouri building Captain Ed- !; M ward O'Neill of World's Fair truck No. T IH 1, was seriously hurt; George Carcn- !;' ' H bach wnu killed and Jerry Fagin of the H ' H same' company, was probably fatally In- jl-, H Jurcd. It was heceasary for the truck '!, to pass through the mining gulch and pj" , H owing to, the darkness the horses left i - H tho road. They separated when up- .;' H proachlng a large tree, the pole striking ji . M the obstruction with terrific force, up- ; H setting tho truck and hurling the crew u H In every direction. H |