Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-29

The tailor establishment known as
Murray & Ridgeley's, on Madison street,
next door to Ciark's jeYelry store, was
ruined yesterday by smoke and water
The alarm of fire was given at half-past
two o'clock, and that alarm was taken
as a signal for a general rush OF people
from all quarters to the scene Of supposed
eOnfiagratiOn. The upper part Of the
three-story house had been used for q
photograph gallery long ago, and was
constructed with the view Of allowing
the light 10 get in through a wide OPEN
ing in the top OF the front wall to the
large skylight. On either side Of
this opening there were windows,
and from them issued dense smoke in
thick, curling volumes. The crowd on
the street looked on, interested in an
immediate breaking forth Of flames, but
the flames did not come. The smoke
became thicker and denser. Messrs
Murray and Ridgely, with their help,
busted themselves in emptying out their
apartments down stairs. Clothing of
all sorts, garments in every style and
in every stage of progression, from the
just unrOlled web to the highly-pressed
pantalOOns, were bundled hurriedly to-
gether and fastened out doors. In a
few minutes all the pieces Of cloth and
garments were out doors. The opera
tives above in the room where the fire
was struggling into existence took them
selves out Of there in dOuble-quiek time,
snatching everything that was theirs
with them. There being no stock left
that could be reached, and nothing be-
longing to the renters save the fixtures,
their apprehensiOns were allayed, and
they resigned themselves to their fate.
TIE ORIGIN OF The FIRE
is what ono fellah could find out, - but
the most rational theory Of the confia-
grafton is that the heat of a 1ue be-
tween the upper ceiling and the roof
produced the fire. The mischief was
confined to that locality for long time.
Out of the windows on eitherside Of the
photographers sky-light opening before
mentioned the smoke rolled in constant
" thickening and blackening volumes.
The mischief was evidently confined to
the upper story, and was so located that
a hose could not be got to play on it,
rom any quarter.
HOW THE SMOKE PROGRESSED.
Firemen by the score were on the
roof. They even had a hose up there,
but for q long time failed to get water,
and when finally the water flowed, there
was no means Of sending it down on the
burning timbers within. The frost in
the engines and in the hose, and in the
eisterns, operated against the prompt
working ofall the machinery. Nothing
could be done by the boys on the root,
and not until half an hour after the arri-
val of the first engine and the falling in
of a portion of the roof did the
streams of living water find their way
to the flames from the street below. AS
soon as this was done the little fire
went under very soon, and the sea
of faces that covered Madison street
commenced to vanish. The telegraph
Office next door was in great danger.
But three or four feet interviewed be- |
tween the flames and the dozens of
wires that enter the building from the |
roof The day was mild and damp. No |
wind was blowing, hence the COMPARE |
tive security felt. The excitement was
over in a short time after the water got |
TO squirting" fairly on the eOmbusti-
bles.
A WONDERFUL ACCIDENT.
In the progress of the smoke a great
Of persons got in through Clark's |
iewelry store, and so up to the top of |
the building, which they reached ]
an iron door. Among them was
Mr.. Henry FOntaine, Secretary to Cen |
eral Forrest. Having reached the roof, |
some of the parties navigated their way
enough, but Mr.. Fontaine be- /
ing 50 unfortunate as to receive the full /
benefit OF a great wave of black, sutfOca- I
ting smoke that blew in his face and /
blinded him, he could not see his way 1
for a time at all, and so stepped right /
over the roof and fell down the alley i
which divides Clark's from the tailor 1
store. He fell plumb down to 4
the grating in the alley, which /
be struck with such momentum that
It gave way like a eobweb beneath his
weight, and his progress was not stopped |
ill he reached the cellar. Alderman
Davis, Mr.. Barbour and sOme,Other gen.
.lemen lifted the injured man out from
his position, and carried him into the
office Of the Selma railroad, where med
cal assistance was rendered. It was
hOught that Mr.. Fontaine could not
survive such a tremendous fall, but when
)ur reporter saw him, at the time the
loetOr was examining him, be was per-
eetly conscious and not complaining.
The surgeons said they failed to discover
! broken bone. 1t may be regarded as a
Ort Of miraculous escape.
LOSSES AND INSURANCE.
The following account of probable
Osses and insurance was furnished us:
Loss on building No. 81 Madison street,
,stimated at twenty-five hundred to
hree thousand dollars. Insured for five
thousand dollars in the Queen and five
thousand dollars in Peoples of Mem
ibis. Loss on stock, fifteen hundred to
NYO thousand dollars, insured for two