, 1873-06-03
Potter, King & Go. and Liebenatein
d Co., Furniture Dealers.
e. Burned Out. ;,
Loss About $11o, o,soo--1nsuranco
:. About $75,ooo..; - ~.

holatering materials: and tho upper floors By
Potter, King d o., .manufa faoturers OF furniture,
who also occupied tho atoro No. 288 and 1888, and
the throo floors above. People ran from all tireo-
ttons.. stores were abandoned, ouBtomota and
clerks suspended operations; md in tow min
utes great crowd Ind gathered Ii the vicinity.
It took tie onginos an apparently long time to
arrivo, considering that tho flames wero aproad-
Ing with fatal spood, oating their way down md
disomboWelinB tho building. = ~ = .,,';. =,
Whom tho engiaes wore on tho ground no TING
WAS lost getting On the streains, but tho aro1uon
might as we'll havo been splitting On tho burning,
mass. Th lamoa roared and spread without
hintltanoe, and tho intonso heat WIS fo1t q block
AWAY. Tho fourth 1oor was gono before tho
water ruaohed It, and tho third floor was coon
seized by the f1anos which roae high In tho OH,
aud shot out Of tho windows, whilo clouds Of
smoke onyolopod tho building" Tho. engines
were putting aud blowing on every block, some
fircmen were working frantically ut hose elo-:
vator and gallantly climbing It In tho faco Of tho
flames, and Of heat TINT secmed unondurablo
across tho street. They remained On tho elevator
but could do no, objective sorvioo. Thoy roasted
gradually, but on they, hung. In tho meantime
aldo Of tic building. -Four fatilo streams played
on tho front and ono solitary spout of water at-
tempted to save tho sido vail. Tho pipomon
wore reokleasly exposing themselves beside tho
crushed whom the wsll foil. It throstsned tu o to
como eyory minute. Il waB Bix inohos out OF
tbs perpendicular, and began to totter, and In
few, few minutes @ G down a;5. l. came With tremendous
to & and /, who was killed, Nobody. They vory
19snf wtsoly SGT gott oHt IT, Of % Tho %way for mo.
Psy sho hose rSore e. tho va. oudPf al:ata
lack Of Lake Michigan. Tho ilro burned 'a On. and
tho tiremon worked as we'll ns mon could work
under the circumstances. Tho front Of tbo
ehipped OF, tho pieces flying out In tho roadway.
In half m hour the ontiro structure was In .
Hames, tho nn9ko rose tn great gusts, obsouring
n ne sun, and thousands I OF people wore looklng.
log, but the hremen continued their win effort
TO subduo thor onemy. Tho most aot!ye maj,
sFound tho promises vas oonmlsaionor Wright,
combined, not omitting tho Chief. Ho WAS
pool and olear-headed, and did not dislain
to lift ladder and haul hose whom
necessary: He would mako an excellent
and the police under Capt. Hickey and sorgt.
It was tearea tho .adjolnlng buildings would
encounb, hut tho walls Wero thick, and withstood
danger, and SO was tho Methodist Book Concern
at the rear of tho rliued building. Tho Row
DR.. Fowler and AID. Dixon wore present, anx-
>QI F8tA6nHbm6nf
In Which they wore deoply and roligioualy CON
oerned. Tho building was singed, but. tho man
sgor aald thoy suffered no loss, and ho ought to
This prop1iotors and workmcnl connected with
the establishments that were reduced to ashes
were very much Infected. Two Of tho workmen
were crying on the sidewalk, aa they related
their sorrow for tho disaster: There were some
thirty men employed IN Potter, King l. Co.'s
The Workshop was in the upper floor.
Various theories wore circulated as to the
cause Of the disaster the most authentic boihg
that lot Of dry material used for etufslng chairs
caught fire near tho elevator, setting fire to the
elevator, covering thoropes which held 1t, allowing
IT to drop mass Of flames to tho bottom Of tho
building, Whence 1t communicated to everything
a around, and soon there was roaring column 81
the top. -,
Tho llro might have boon conquered At IN
early stage, had tho Fire Department beon noti-
ing twenty ninutoa eooner, aud then lad plenty
OF water to pour omit and 4 brtpk dividing wall
to confne. the fire within q smaller space. For
Home reaaon' The alarm was delayed; for aomo
small aud inadequate, and for some other roaaon.
there was' no brick wall. Tho building, which
vas ne" % and handsome yesterday, stands to-
syas expressed fSr tho owner Of tho building and
its occupants. With pEaisoworthy energy, the
building was ,raisod and filed with valuable
goods, and It ls hard that sueh pluck and ontor-
f4Aeo LAteL uo netIGE 4uCk. FOLLOWING ,1B
IN account OF the losses and insurances.
Tho whole block, which embraced Nos $50,
282; 284, 288, and 28o Wabash avonue, Is owned
by James ?; Otis, and cost $4,000. 4 ilrc-wa1l
two buildings, aud to this fact, moro than
Of tho north atoro. The roof Of tllis
structure n was partially Destroyed, but the
damage: THO south store, which inc included I
Nos. 284, 28G, and 288 wo1o almost totally de-
stroyed, involving loaa Of about S28, 900. There
is 930, goo insurance on the block, divided among
10000; London, Liverpool, and Globo, e6, GOD;
Traders, Chicago, 5000 dirard, $1,000; and
Commercial Union, London, 95,006+ a.
Tho arst aoor Of Nos. $50 aud 2a2 Is occupied
3D. Tie second door Is occupied BY va West J. e Co.,
insured Tho oor ss is 1aesns eea' TIe ioasR au
no0r q4s2ro s ooenplsa BY A a Turner, hat and
for $500 in the Adriatic. Tho Fro insurance
Patrol, under Capt. Bon Bulwinllo, covered the
stocks Of goods ID this building with oil-clothe,
s:1, Gnd, owing to the actlyty OF tho patrol, very
The first floor Of No. 284 was occupied By Il.
Iiebenstein d Co., doalors In furniture. Their
etook. valued at s5o, o0o, was totally destroyed.
named London Assurance Association, $1,000;
Manufacturers, Of Boston, o., 900 WILLIAMSBURG
City, $4,000 !; Iranklin Of indianapolis, 81, ,600
Michigan State Of Adrian, Miol., 90, 600 Ban-
gor, e2,bo0; Mercantile, OF Cleveland, S2,-
Of Columbus, $1,000 Hamborg Bremen,
5000. The latter Company also have 90, 600 Oh
fixtures. Mr.. Henry Meyer, member OF the
firm, Loaf 5000 worth OF Ills own household
goods, recently brought from New York, upon
wlioh ho has no insurance.
Tho first floors OF Nos. $50 aud 288 and the
three upper hoors Of Nos. 284, 2s6, and 288 wero
occupied BY Potter, King d Co., manufaaturere
of and dealers In furniture. Thofr stoclf and
fixtures were worth about e85, 900, and they
haye policies representing 1874, 900. Tho Com
paniea Interested are tho following. Lycoming,
$4,000 German, .S6, 900; Penn, Of Philadelphia,
e2,000I National, OF Philndelphla, $4,000
Western, Of Toronto, $4,000; Alps, $1,000
FArmers' of milwaukee, A5 600.