The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-17
BURNED TO THE GROUND.
Narrow Escape Of Several Gallant Fire
men from Falling Ladder.

! At s 80 o'clock last night the dry goods
store of A. Marx, In the lower portion OF the
three-story brick building at the corner Of
Toulouse and Royal streets, was discovered
to be on fire. Capt. Bat. Calvin, seeing the
smoke arising therefrom, Immediately turned
In an alarm from box No. 142, at the corner oil
Royal and st. Louis streets, which was i'm
mediateIy responded to by the salvage corps
and fire department.
Before the engines had gone to work the
flames shot out from the two lower stories
but were soon somewhat checked by the
streams OF water which were being thrown
| on the same.
At this iuncture Chief Engineer O'Connor,
In order to stop the flames from reaching the
third floor had Foreman Sarrazn, OF Pelican
Hook and Ladder No. 4, to shift his long
ladder from the adjoining to the burning
building, SO as to make an opening In the
third story to enable the other com
panes ot to play their streams into
had the ladder been placed in position, and as
Foreman Sarrazin was climbing up, followed
| by Chief O'Connor and the members of Peli-
can No. 4, than the whole building gave way,
pletely smothering the fire. Those in the
act OF climbing the ladder, seeing the wall
tottering, gave a shout OF alarm, and thus
| saved the lives OF those above them, who
jumped from the ladder, thereby escaping
being crushed to death. The ladder came
down with the building and was broken In
two.
Immediately thereafter search was insti-
tuted, and, after thorough investigation, it
can be positively asserted that no one was
buried beneath the ruins.
Joseph Lane, an exempt member OF No. "a,
Corporal Moran. and Officers Littleton and
Teen were injured by some of the bricks of the
falling building striking them.
The upper portion OF the building was un-
occupied. The same Is owned by Lafitte,
Dufilho II Co., and is insured in the Mer-
chants Mutual Insurance Company. The
building is valued at $5OOO Mr. Marks
stock, which Is valued at $500, is insured In
the Royal Imperial Company for $4,000 and In
the Royal Canadian Insurance Company for
$500. No cause can be attributed for the
origin Of the fire; yet some weeks since, In
the middle Of the day. fire was discovered
in the rear portion Of the same store. which
was extinguished with slight damage by
Capt, Manning, then commanding the Third
Precinct.
There should be some action taken for the
better protection of firemen, for at the time
the attempt Was made to reach the upper
portion of the building, and as the house
came down, there was no vestige OF fire in the
upper portion OF the building. The only rea-
collapse Is the defective construction OF the
building, it being one Of those antiuuated
pieces of architecture of which there are
many such In the city.
At midnight the fire, which was supposed
to have been extinguished by the cavng in of
the building, started anew, which necessi-
tated the ringing of an alarm, when the
flames were completely subdued by the fire
department. The adjoining building, occu-
pied by A. Flandry, on Royal street, was
considerably damaged. The burning build
ing IN falling brought down portion Of the
partition wall