, 1865-09-01
GREAT FIRE At ST. LOUIS.
Destruction Of Two Hemp Warehouses
tby Incendiary FfFe-Loss S31O,OOO.
From the St. Louis Republican, aQth-1

From the St. Louis Republican, 3Qth.1
A fire broke out about four o'clock last cyc~
ming in the Globe and Atlantic hemp ware
houses adjoining each other, on the west side
of 1fnfn street, between O'FalIon and Ashley
strcets-s One Of the warehouses was a onc-and.
a-half story brick building and the other
two storT brick, Both buildings were filled
thun len thousand bales being stored in the
two buildings. Owing to the quickly COM
bustible nature Of the stock, only few mo-
ments had elapsed before the fire had spread
over the entire extent of both warehouses, en-
velopiug them in one grind sheet OF flanle,
against which the efforts Of tho drcmcn seem
cd for some time to be directed In win. Both
Of hemp, the valne Of which l. estimated at
something over $3.50 900 was almost totally
destroyed. A portion Of the hemp was ofcx-
tEa fine quality and commanded o high mar
ket price the price for an average quality be-
Ing about so per bale, or $50 per ton. By
sumed by the 1rc, not more than three or four
hundred bales Of soaked and damaged hemp
being left for the Insurance companies to
claim as salvage. ;
Some qualities Of hemp are extensively nsed
in the manufacture Of paper, and 1t Is said
that exposure to water does not greatly dam
agc the staple rs material for that nanufac
tire. It seems pity then, that:a larger pro-
portion of the STOCK WAS not aayed from the
iiames. There could not have been better
opportunity for tho St. Louis Fire Depart
nent to show its rcputed eff1cicncy. But fire
wardens and Intelligent insurance agents, who
had insurance. on the property. and who claim
to have right to speak on the subject, seri-
ously complain that many thousands Of dol
hrsf worth were sacrificed by want Of judss-
ment and good management aud the best Use
OF the valuable means for subdning the flames.
n&ntr IL A$
during the progress Of the fire, While the dcs-
truction Of property was going on at the ratc
of some hundreds Of dollars per minute, al1
the engines except two, were. withdrawn,
numbers Of the ffremen going OF In the face Of
the confagration for their suppefs. It Is nat
ura1 that gentlemen whose interests arc thus
sacrificed, as they maintain TINT theirs hos
demand that their property should not thus
be permitted to 60 to ruin necdlessly while 1t
could readily enough be saved. ;
The principal losers by the fire were AIosars.
B. ". Lewis & Bros, 100 North Second street,
who had stored In the two warehouses; over
100 bales Of hemp. Their loss is estimated at
over 3a0o. 900, which .was partly. covered by
insurance. hfessrs. Carr Il LUXE lost about
IS bales, and Biessrs, Southworth & Co. and
Messrs. Brcpham & Hopkins we're losers to q
much lnzger amount.
The two warehouses were known as the
&IlOOe 1uu liz AIluullC WAREHOUSES;. 1ut
Globe was owned BY Messrs- Doan, Kim, d
Co., dry goods merchants. on Main street.
They were insured for 1850. The Atlantlc
was owned by Pcyton Randolph, No. 3 Min
street. He was insured In the Atlantic ms
Co. Of this city, for 20 600.
The stock was insured to tho amount Of
about s25O, 600.
We girc list of some of the companies:
In George D. Capcn's New York agencies,
there we're polices to the amount Of s46, zoo,
as follows:
Adt1atIc....-... $4,000 Lamsr $4,000
pa5nfE na5mcpv. 19s@ s9@ alanhattan...... LOO
A1essrs. Howe, Bascombc & Browner had In
their New York and New Haycn agencies in
surance to the amount of 81 900, as follows:
Metropolitan, Of New York ..-............ i3ooo
Refo1ute. Of New York. 1000
There were In the Liverpool md London In
surance Company, Of which George Robinson
is agent IN this city, policies to the amount Of
$4,000; in the Etna, Of Hartford, $40, 900 !;
in the Merchants, Of Hartford, Il, and In
the Hartford, 5000.
The IRE Is supposed to hare been the work
OF IN incendiafy. Tbe precautions against
been hardly possible for 1t to have originated
BY accident.