, 1874-07-23
Cause OF tho Connagratlon In Book
sollcrs' Now--Tho Insurance.
Feeling Among Underwriters
Ultimatum Of the National
Board,
Are the Recent Fires Due TO
IncendiarismP
- --
B!azea at the Dearborn Seminary
and elsewhere.
Continuation OF THO 1stancson
Trinl.
A. Word for the Firemen.
YESTERDAYS FIRES.

published In THE Tn1nuNE OF yoa1eraay hofA-
ing, contained nearly Nil Tho important 1acts III
tho case, hut threw no light upon tho orfsln' real
or supposed, of tho conilagration. 1t IL on'y
ueccsaary to atato briefly that about sunr.so
fire broke out in tho building Nos. l9l ano 1a'
stato street, occupied BY GioB Bros', dea'ofs Ill
e,lyorwaro, ctc., aud Z. T. Hollis1ef, dealor III
carpets, etc., and Ind attained such hoadwas
boforo tho engines arrived that tho en-
tire building waa destroyed, excepting
the front md roar walls, anu SERIOUS
ianago to adjoining BtructuroB was aToiooo ohly
by tho untiring efforts Of tho firemcn WHO.
,here at loast could not complain OF 'acA OF
eyater, Owing to tho intlau,mahio nhture OF
much Of tile material stored up-ata'ra, tho ire
burned with great fury, and the largo platos Of
c1ass on the other side Of tho wtdo street were
badly cracked.
Tho late arrival Of tho engines is duo to tho
fnot TINT alarms wero turned in from couple Of
toxcs at about the same momont. aud tho opcr-
asor at headquarters says ho wanted To iind at
which ono tho fire was, not wanting to send tho
engines to both.
Tho building destroyed was n ano four-story
brick, With froostono front, oroctod In 1879 BIZ
Mr. FraDk sturgas, at q cost Of nearly af00, 600.
RICHARDS, SHAW 1 wINs1ow.
Shortly after tho tl1e1ucn arrived on the ground,
Two long lends of hose were taken up tho Htair~
Eays III Richards, Shaw & Windows store. and
thopco to tho roof, whore good service was rem
derea. The hose burst twica on top Of tho
building, md flood Of wator spread over tho
ruof, and ran down on tho floors below, oausing
total damage to dry goods Of about pa, 900, as
,astmatad by Mr., W. II. Fitch, junior member
OF the firm. a lnrgo quantity Of valuable silks
wore removed immediately aftof tho arrlYal of
the iirencu, aud ropiaood in . fow AourH altor-
wards. Tho fifth floor was uaod as apacking room,
whero goods in bnlea and boxes are stored. Tho
tho second white goods; and tho first dress
goods. Domestic goodB wero kept in the base-
Meut. The firo Patrol, under tho Immediate
supervision Of Capt. nullwinklo, who reached
glyen did good eoryioa, and saved thousands Of
dollars worth Of property. Tho mon covered
up the g0otia with tArpaulins, and what damage
resulted by tho torront of wHtor Which poured
down tho starways aud through hoos mado for
lilo purpose, was doAo before tue Patrol got
tAlrlY ut work.
lilo question still rc1nains,--a n1yatery which
nsLler Air. Ho}ieter, Mr.. Giles, Marshal Dcu-
uer, nor the insurance men Of tho ojty can solye.
THE TlIEoNY or 1NCESp1AAIRM
seemed at first tho only probable solution, and
was supported by o story put IN circulation early
in the morning tAat one Of hlr. D. .. FiHka
wutchn3en Ind discovered a saturated tire-ball
upou tho roof of his building just after tho tire.
of little weight and oaay oSplainablc. oil1cor
MuAcler, Of tic Firo Aarahals force, Htatea that
ho was upon tho roof ndjacont to the bnrning
building Eo long aa the. flames lastcd, s1ld that
tIre-Da!ls descended near him. They seemed like
round Bolil balls Ut fire, md, what was woEae,
they would eett!e right through tho tar fclt aud
gravel OF tho roof aud oven into tho wood II not
q stream Of watpr upon several Of thon. SUBJ
soqunnt Investigation proved that thcao cinaors
for they were nothing olBe-~wero hut bulls or
clots Of solidly-rolled charrel carpoting, from
ward by the flames and dropped uron tho ,ad-
iacent roafs. TLiB would sce,n to bo sufficient
to put at rest the tiro-ball theory
Az TO THE HEAL CAUSE
Of tho fro It would Eecm to DO one Ut tlsOsp mat
tors which "no fcllah cau find out" Tho idea
uf spontaneous combustion, advanced by some.
and supported by tho assumption Tint oil goods
wero among the stock OF Mr, uolilstcr, docs not
eocin to be very tonahe ono, though, perhaps,
more 81 tAnn any other. In regard to it, hlr;
uoliistor statea that ho should have expected
such . thing much aooner in the building which
was not burned than in the other. Some throe
months ago. for the expreBB purpose Of coneell'
tratiug whatever dangerous clements there
might DO In QUO building, ho romoyedal Lis man
uiactnring apparatus luto No. III, and here Il
anywhere no would lhye expected fire to
originate. Moreover, lle statoa that, al ia tue
custom IN his establishment, thorough tour Of
previous oyeaiuB, nnl there woro not tho faint.
cut signs Of anything wrong. Il ia suEgostot
by aotns TINT some ot tue saturated rags used IL
polishing OIL furniture may have boon lett III 81
exposed place, and possibly hayo spontaneously
ignisel md tLis is sa near to solution OF tht
matter uH auy peraon Las yat como.
Az for tt.p angno, both Mr. uoliator md Mr
Giles stasu that it WAS properly cooled down att
ita l.res extinguHhe1 before the building wni
slut up for tha nigAt.
MAl6l1AI, BESEEn
statoa Ills belief TINT the l,reHont conaagratio1
will iIaye to be reported in the list Of tluBl
tint at almost every fire tllaro occur inoidontl
which seem to huggost innendtarism. ua III
h...uced tho late tira on Milwaukee avenue
w..rre, aftor the lamos Ind been mostly oxtm
su=lcd, u barn took Dre at soluo distance t.
wiulwaltl Of tic gceno. hlatshal Danner llas u
fAth in the tro-bull theory.
WHAT IL CERTAIN.
Ono thing seems to bo certnlnly established
and that il that tho tlro originated upon aoulo OH
This uceins to be established by tho tosli.nou.
nf Msssrs. Z. o, Chiffon, Frank Emerson aui
e. 4. Walker, three clerks Of Giles Brothers
who slopt regularly ~ the store; Mr: Chiilo
was tia crash Of tho CLAUS falling down til
ocyn!or III tho roar Of which no MI
lllA bsn.l!ar-clesks slopt. Aroused at tho notHe
thoy Jumped from bod and rushed to tho ffor
nl' WEE bt ' portion Il thoir olothng In T passln
thoy nnatciod glimpse up tho elevator. 81,
could SEC tlat tho whole upper portion of I'll
building WIS naas OF lamo and red-Aot tin
bers,
CAPT. nULLWINKLE,
who rcncied tho scene moment or two atte
entered tha bu,!ding, paasel the ELEVATOR, nn'
finding himself HAnt In by the tRmoa, VI
obliged to tiud egross through the roar. wllie
ho did by bursting window. The Captai
makes tho same report With regard to tho app,
floors being alrendy noarly consumed. aud 1t
yury oytont that the tro lad boon burning #
several hours. Indeed, the hamos wero alrcat
et,cap!ng ont tho upper trout windows 81
acrosa tiis Btreet when the clerks alluded
1nAtlo their haBty exit. They also encounter.
smother shower Of glasa upon the sidewalk
thoy passed out. -.- :,
air, Chiffon insists that he waa hlmaolf u
1}rs1 10 glyo tho alarm that when i'a reacl
tho utraut not y parson waB In sight, lhd III
when to roaohel tho nearoat lrebox no.alaI
had yet boou given,
THE FlRE-WAL1A. --
Tl1ora Ia ono fontUro Of tho caho which eoon
to u1yo considerable satafaotl0u. 1t IL tue nla
,,,r in Which tho tira.wals Of tho tVo builtlll
m oacI Bilo stood the test. Tho interior Of Il
burnt building is complotely gutsod. Not d tl