Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-23
DISASTROUS FIRE.
The StOrehOuses Of Feucht & LOekhart
and Patrick +. BlIbOW Gutted.
The Entire Stocks Of Goods Of Both
Firms Destroyed by DeIuge Of
Fire and Water.
BilbOW's Family Almost SuffOeated Be.
fore they could Escape From the
Building.

Atabout twenty minutes to one o'clock
yesterday morning the alarm of fire
was sounded from the Shelby street en-
gine-hOuse, which was caused by great
volumes Of smoke proceeding from the
third-story windows and roof of No. S1S
Front street, occupied by the firm of
Feucht Il Lcckhart, liquor-dealers. The
Shelby street engine was soon in posi-
ton, and the boys went gallantly to
work to eXtinguish the flame. The
wind was blowing lightly from the
north, and the southern portion of the
city along Main and Shelby streets was
soon envelOped in acloud of densesmOke.
The other enginehOuses soon took up the
alarm and their engines were quickly on
the spot, and right heartily did they set
to the work before them. The peculiar
location of the fire rendered it inaccessi-
ble. The h9semen, however, ascended
the stairs over Feueht & LOckhart's,
and streams of water deluged the build
ing-as happened to the dry goods and
clothing store of BilbOw, and the grocery
on the corner of Front and Monroe
streets. These three houses were
speedily envelOped in flames. Each is
three stories high, and an alley four feet
wide separated them from the Cooper
Building, fronting seventy-ive feet on
Monroe street. This structure is adorned
with a Mansard roof, and it was thought
that nothing could save it from utter de-
struetiOn. The night was bitterly, fierce
ly cold. The water fell almost in frozen
flakes on the flames, and the streets ev-
erywheTe were soon covered with sheets
of ice, on which horses, and firemen,
and spectators slipped and fell on every
side. The depository of bacon, and
whisky, and plantation supplies of STAN
ton & Moore, and the lakes of whisky,
brandy and wine, barreled it is true,
which Vaccaro & Co. navigate are only
a few doors from the building in which
the flames first burst forth, and there
was great alarm and a great cOneOurse
of people, despite the lateness of the hour
and the teirors of the fiercely cold
night, witnessed the conflagration.
The firemen were on the spot
before the guests of the Peabody Hotel,
Just across the street, were aroused. In
ten minutes the guests of this crowded
caravanseTai were up in arms and terror,
flying back and forth, and peering anx-
iOusiy through the windows. They had
all read of roasted servantgalism, as
practised not long ago i'll New York,
and there was q deal of nervousness
among the guests. The flames were
also nervous, now bursting through the
roofs of the buildings, and again
suppressed by the steam fire-engines,
and disappearing from the crowd
of anxious lockers on. Shivering, fright
ened, anxious were the great thrOng in
the streets, and when freezing water,
falling almost in flakes of ice, struck one
in the face, there came up a howl as of
inexpressible agony. Whisky kegs and
barrels were rolled out of Feucht &
LOckhart's, and one of them, moved
aside, was opened, and many
fire was kindled which
sll the skill of engineers and water
works can never extinguish. Temper
ance societies turn their hose upon it in
vain, and the flames still burn with in
candeseent heat. 1t heats to rednesS,
and then 10 white, even as it did
last night, when, after the rosy
flames had disappeared, dense white
volumes of smoke rose above the
drenched buildings. Many rooms
above the storeroOms that were emptied
were occupied by young men as sleeping
apartments. One man and woman lost
everything, and the latter wept bitterly
when she found that all her tOggery was
lost, and the little left her was drenched
to wOrthlessness.
UNHAPPY ACCIDENT.
Mr.. Bilbow and wife slept in a room
on the the third floor They knew moth
ing of the fire till their room was
filled with smoke. Mr.. BilbOw, fright
ened beyond measure, rushed forth. A
stream of water, as if il came over
Niagara Falls, struck the dumbfOunded
man full in the face. He hOwled in ter
ror and dismay, and then came his
wife's turn, for almost on the instant,
the door being open, the room was de-
luged with freezing water.
COLD, VERY COLD.
A fireman of No. , Fire Company
told our reporter that he had ordered the
Hook and Ladder Company 70 leave.
When asked for an explanation, he
said he would send up a column of water
which would freeze instantly, and make
his men climb ii, if it became necessary
to send a man above the roof to see how
the old thing worked.
Even while this last line of this story
is written, the firemen are at work,
having the flames under control. The
clock strikes two, and there is little
more to tell of the fire of this morning.
MIR. Bilbow's loss is thirty-fOur hundred
dollars, while that of Feucht & Lochart
is unknown.
LATER.
We give the following additional par
ticulars of the conflagratiOn, as we CLEAN
them from parties who left the store of
e to-
posed to have originated, who left the
premises about half-past ten o'eloek last
night. 1t is stated that there was a de-
fective stove in the building, i'm which
fire had been kept up during the day,
but the parties state that they put water
upon the Goals, and supposed they had
eXtinguished the fire entirely. From
this the theory arises that the fire in the
stove may have rekindled, and probably
caused the disaster. No other theory is
given.
Messrs. FeUcht & Lockhart, it is esti-
mated, will lose perhaps ten thousand
dollars above their insurance, but it will
be impossible to give an accurate esti-
mate, as the books of the firm were de
stroyed.
Various rumOrs were aflOat during the
to the effect that one of
the clerks of the liquor store was miss
ing, and circumstances led to the opin-
ion that he had been burned in the
building, and that one or two of the fire
men had been seriously injured; but upon !
diligent inquiry we are enabled to state !
that no one was injured, and that the |
missing clerk has GHrned up all right. |
INSURANCE.
1t appears there was no insurance on
the property in any Memphis office. |
About month ago Mr.. Feucht cancelled |
his only policy in Memphis Office, but |
he had insurance to the amount of elev- |
en- thousand dollars in foreign compa- |
nies. Bilbow, we learn, was insured for
a small amount in Memphis.
ADJUSTMENTS.