The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-08-20
DANGEROUS FIRE.
Freiberg & Workum's Rectifying Hous'
Loss Over $40, 900; Insurance, $50, 800.

AT 6:45 o'clock this morning an alarm OF
fire was sounded from Box No. 49, corner
of Second and Sycamore streets. Within a
few minutes afterward the general alarm
was turned in and the whole Fire Depart
ment called out.
The fire was in one of the most dangerous
localities in the city, in the northern half
of the block bounded by Main and Syca-
more and Frontand Second streets 1t was in
the six-story brick rectifying and distilling
establishment of Freiberg & Workum, whose
tive-story stone-front warehouse is at Nos.
% and 30 Main street The building in
which the fire originated is Immediately
in the rear of it, but separated from it by
an alley. Another alley runs along the
south of the building, and third one along
the east side. The house is surrounded by
and in the neighborhood of a number of
other whisky-houses.
At the above-named time Fritz Horstlock,
the compounder, whose home is in New
port, KY, August Shipker, the distiller, and
young man Nipker, also employed in the
house, were at work in the fourth story,
when they heard loud noise come from
the cellar, One of the fues just over the
high-wine tub had exploded, and the gases
and spirit were at once set on fire. The
flames burst through the iron gratings on
the outside and on the inside they assembled
with Lightning speed through the hatch
ways, setting fire to the second, third and
fourth floors.
Horstlock saw the flames first and warned
his ompanions OF their danger. In trying
to get out he was terribly burned over his
whole body. His left hand was split in half
by the flames, the skin burned off his
hands, neck, breast and arms, and the hair
of his head entirely burned off. Shipker in
assisting Horstlock had his eyebrows and
whiskers burned off and his hair singed.
He was not injured any other way, how
ever. Nipker got out unharmed. Horst
lock was taken to a neighboring drug store
and his wounds dressed, after which he was
taken home.
The alarm was then given and was
promptly responded to by the engines
They deluged the cellar with water, then
put out the fire in the first, second and
third floors and directed their undivided
attention to the fourth and fifth floors
where the distillery tubs were situated and
which were burning so tiercely as to threat
en- not only the destruction of the building,
but also of the adjoining houses. After
hard struggle OF over an hour the flames
wards entirely put out.
Mr.. George Guysi, a gauger had about
$500 worth of instruments in the building,
and they were almost totally destroyed or
rendered unfit for further use The gaugers,
t. G. Davisand Jacob Reis, also lost part of
their Instruments
Mr.. Workum, one of the firm, was lying
on sick-bed at the time of the fire, but
nevertheless appeared on the scene.
The firm so far is unable to estimate its
loss, as most of the whisky in barrels had
been taken from the burning building,
leaving the damage to the fixtures the
building itself and to the spirits and high
wines in the rectifying and distillery tubs
They think that their loss will be little
over $4,000. The insurance is as follows,
divided among local companies:
vi pulluIhg 5,OOO
T5U, oUU
The building was valued, with its con-
tents, at 100000.