Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-03-09
SUNDAYS SENSATION.
4 REHABILITATION OF THE GREAT
DISASTER.

-
Walls to be Stayed to Enable Removal
Amount of DamsEed but Unburned Prop
erty Beueath the Debrls-Accident to a
Fireman - Business Arrangements OF
Auerbsch. Finch, CuibertsOn s Co.
Active Prenarations for Speedy Resump-
ton of Business Temporary Warehouses
to BIO Erected-Carpet Department TO be
Reopsnsd on Third Street-TeD porary
Occupancy of the Schultz Block, Corner
Fourth and S.bley Streets Business
Office with Noyes Bros S Cutler-David-
son Block to be Rebuuilt-Liberal offers
of Goods from Eastern Merchants-Sal-
wage Wreckers at the Police Court
Gathering of Insu rance Adjus:ers-T Total
Estimated Los, $500, 900 = Total Insur
ance $565, OOS-The Risks In Detail.
In the morning light of yesterday what was
left of the Davidson block, Or Auerbach, Finch,
Culbertson i Co.. store, appeared disn al,
yet picturesque ruin. Within the walls OF the
main part was great empty spare, into which
projected few charred fragments of the tim
bers on which the several floors were laid. All
the bottom was covered with black, broken and
ragged remnants which had dropped from the
flames above and were still smoking and burn
ing The FIVE engines were still working. as
they were all through the night, and their
streams we're directed wherever the fire seemed
to be still working. Outside in the streets were
L., hoA cfn I'm
see and inquire what bad happened
through the night-the policemen stand
ing guard and keeping back those
whose curiosity would else have taken them
into dangerous places-and the tlremen, frost
covered, stiffened and weary, looking hagsard
and holow-eyed after their night of toll, ex-
citement and danger. The smoke begrimed
walls-whose bare openings, where windows
had been, framed pictures of smoke clouds
drifting 10y, between which were glimpses of
the cold blue sky-towered gauntly and frail
seeming above the streets. Over and down the
empty arches of the first story front and all up
and down and around the lesser part of the
building, beyond tine fire wall, y was frost work
in snowy wreaths anu masses and groups of
icicles. In rear and front of the part of the
building saved from totally burning out by the
fire wall, the walls were quite covered
by the frost work, like pre-
cipiccs down the face OF which water
had dripped and frozen the winter through
rather than the results Of a few hours of freez-
ing. The roofs and sides of buildings in the
CITY, which were wet down during the right
when sparks and embers we're fly ing, was COW
cred as by a wind driven snow storm. A leaf
less tree near the corner of The building on
Fourth street, looked at q distance as IT some
amateur horticulturist had tried to protect 1t
from next summers insects by daubing 1t with
frop, ba branch TO the roots.
and had quit the job after daubing one side OF
the tree profusely. telephone pole opposite
the jackson street corner of the building, with
n score of broken wires dropping from It's cross
pieces, was clad, pole, cross pieces and wires,
In snowy white with sparkling little lclcles
pendant to the wires and cross pieces, In
lines of silvery fringe.
The fire in the part Of the building which
was occupied by the carpet department. was
subdued early in the morning, leaving two
floors, the first and second, unburned. The
lower floor of the main building was holding
up the great mass of debris and it was hoped
to prevent the fire working through it into the
goods in the basement by keeping up the play
of water until the basement was Hooded. Ali
examination of the interior of the carpet de-
partment showed that mcst of the large stock
of wall paper on the first floor remained In the
racks and could be saved when the Hooded
floor above ceased to pour down Its rain or
blackened wa,er. The goods in the Easement
of the main part it was agreed, could not be
recovered until the first floor was partly cleared.
THE FIREMEN
had hard night of it. Their engines were
continuously at work from about $40 Sunday
evening, and all the night long the conquering
flames by turns baffed and defeated their eff
forts, Did q well.directed stream beat back
the fire in one place, it leaped forward In
another, and the position of hose and pipe had
to be changed accordingly; and all the time the
fire was steadily eating away the interior OF the
main building and the goods within Its grasp.
The night was not cold one for those who
were dry clad, but the tremen were where the
spray from their streams was falling on them,
frozen mist. The chief, Mr.. Strong, had his
hands severely frostec, and others of the fremen
had noses, ears or their wet feet badly bitten
by the frost.
At 1880 the Minneapolis engine was stopped.
and the company started with 1t for ZONE
about 8 o'clock. They had kept up a good
stream, and applied it well, for about ten hours
continuously. At Q A. M, Nos. and engines
were stopped and sent back to their houses.
They had been working steadily for nearly ff-
teen hours. At o'clock last evening, Nos.
and 4 were sent to their houses, and four by
drant companies fresh men, took their places,
to keep the debris wet down and flood the base
ment, if possible, with streams from the
neighborirg fire plugs. Nos. and 4, with the
chief and his assistant. and three or four men
from companies Nos. 1 and 3, had then been
continuously at work for twenty-three hours
and half. When the engines were drawn off
last evening, the water in the basement
stood about three feet deep and
it was hoped the basement drains which had
carried off large part of the water poured in
during the day were choked SO as to hold all
tho water afterwards put in.
CRITICISM OF THE DEPARTMENT.
There has been a good deal of criticism
of the management of the fire department
in fighting this fire. The delay in giving the
alarm was certsinly not the fault of any
one CONNECTED with the department.. 1t
was, indeed, SO far as we can learn. an I'M
fortunate accidental occurrence. The fire
men answered the alarm, when it was given,
with their usual promtitude. Two lines of
hose we're taken inside of the building, to
the upper story, and whatever fire there was
then ON that floor was quickly put out. But
meantime the flames were working along be-
tween the ceiling and the roof, and the
fremen and others who were at work or
far enough away, saw sharp little tongues
flame leaping here and here from the roof. No
Is hose was then taken on the roof over the
carpet department, holes we're chopped through
the melting roof covering over the main part
and an effort made to fight the fire from above.
By this time the fourth story had become a
danperoua Mace and the two lines of hose were