The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-11-15
THE FIRE FIEND
Destroys the Largest Dry Goods
House in the West.
Several Lives Los. and Many Wounded.

Chicago, Nov. 14.--At sos thiseven-
ing an alarm of fire was sounded from
the corner of State and Washington
streets, fire having been discovered in
Field Il Letters retail establishment.
BY fatal mistake nobody was at the
| box when the firemen arrived and they
were misdirected to another building,
and had almost concluded that false
alarm had been sounded, when the
flames were seen bursting from the
upper story of Field & Letters large
store. BY this error of judgment fully
fifteen minutes were consumbed, and
the fire had gained much headway be-
fore the first stream was directed upon
it. The origin is in doubt, some say
ing it began in the pressing store, and
some that it was first discovered in the
loft above. 1t quickly communicated
by the means of the open elevator
hatchway with the lower floors, and at
10 O'Clock almost the entire stock of
dry goods were destroyed by the fire
and water. The building seems to be
completely gutted, except on the two
lower floors, which remain less injured
than the others.
PROBABLE Loss.
The building was owned by the
Singer Manufacturing Company, and
cost when built, some five years ago,
three quarters of a million of dollars,
and is worth now at least half mil
lion. The walls which were impaired
by an earlier fire, have never been as
strong as they should be, and are now
so shaky that they doubtless will have
to come down. The building may
therefore be considered very nearly IL
total loss.
Mr.. Field estimates the loss at about
81 200, 900 on the stock. The insur-
ance on the building is not known, but
it is stated to be over 100000. The
stock is believed to be insured for at
least two-thirds its value.
ACCIDENTS WERE NUMEROUS,
and scarcely one of the firemen escaped
without bruises. The following are
known casualties: Charles A. Dudley,
of San Francisco, but formerly a mem
ber of Chicago fire company, which
he was assisting tonight, killed; a
watchman in the building, name I'M
known, killed; Lieut.. J. II. Shavenberg,
fireman, injured internally in the heart
and asphyxiated dangerously; r. G..
Payne, colored. fireman, hurt severely;
Jerome Bailey, pipeman, badly about
face and hands. The following are
missing: John O'Rourke; Eugene
Sweeney, pipeman, supposedto to be in the
ruins; Pat Smith, an employe, hurt bad
ly by falling timber which struck him
on the head. All the injured are more
or less burned; the injuries resulted
largely from falling stairs and eleva-
tors, which fell on account of the break
ing of ropes. Eight hundred and fifty
persons were thrown out of employ
ment by this disaster, of whom $50
are women.
Chicago, Nov. 15.-Mr. Field fur
nishes the following statement: The
fire originated in "a sort of demi-story
or attic, an occupied room just above
the fifth story. Its origin cannot be
accounted for on any theory. Only one
man is known to have been killed out
right. His body has been recovered.
He was the fireman whose name has
already been sent. The fourth and
fifth stories are gutted and the stock
entirely consumed, and the masonry
rendered valueless. The three lower
stories may be repaired at considerable
outlay.