Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-08
GREAT CALAMITY.
Nearly 100000 Lost by
Fire.
LOwenstsin's Magnificent Stock and
Goodlett's Building Converted
Into Ashes.
Insurance sIhO.OOO, Personal
losses sI25,0OO.

The new retail dry goods store o
B. Lowenstein & Bros, No. 2R ant
2i9 Main street, FIVE stories high, will
its entire stock Of freshly purchased
goods. worth ever $500, 900, was total,
destroyed by FIRE yesterday Afternoon
aud the total loss will amount to full
a quarter OF a million Of dollars, Will,
insurance losses will aggregate $3.50.
OOO, of which about $4,000 is laid il
local companies The FIRE broke GU
about two o'clock in the afternoon OF
the lower floor, or 10 the cellar, as
cended the skylight or large orna
mented opening 10 the center Of tn,
building With surprising rapidity, and
by the time the Ere engines reached
the spot the flames were up to tn,
root The front or Main street door
we're burst in by the firemen, and tn,
books in the rear OF the building wer,
saved by an employe, but not scraE
of anything else was gotten out. NJ
one was 10 the store at the time tn,
FIRE was discovered, aud its origin is a
mystery. Some attribute it to friction
OF the elevator, others to q
cigarette carelessly thrown aside
when the store was closed, and still
Others to incendiarism, though nc
evidence of any kind can so far be
traced regarding either theory. The
storehouse was the finest of its size in
the city, completed few months ago
by the Goodlett Bios, with an Ala
bama stone front, at a cost Of $40, 900,
and erected expressly for the heavy
retail business Of the proprietors ia
whom it was leased for long term oil
years. Within the past two weeks
over $4,000 worth Of goods entered
the building for the retail department
alone, aud these were handsomely ar.
ranged Tor grand opening display
which took place last Thursday, and
which over 10000 people inspected on
that day. 1t was pronounced the
finest and most valcable display Of the
kind ever seen in this city. At the
same time more than $4,000 worth Of
Wholesale goods in boxes we're stored
in the cellar for account Of the Low
enstein's house on the opposite side OF
the street. The FIRE was con-
fined to the building in which
it originated, but the adjoining store
Of Sol Halle was considerably injured
by fire. The loss Of the latter is fully
covered by $22,5OO, laid in
various agencies. The Goyer build
ing on north side, the upper part Of
which was occupied by Ben Bingham
as a photographs gallery, was damag ID
BY falling walls and water several
thousand dollars. But two Of
the ten OF our local insurance com
pauies here escaped sharing the loss
These we're the fernando and Mem.
phis City Fire. Others lost as follows
and the loss is total. Phoenix, $1,000;
Bluff City, 5000; Peoples, $1,000; all
on the building, and this embraced
the total risks onthe structure, there
fore Mr.. GoOdlett's personal loss will
be $4,000 or more.
The flames we're attacked By the
department first from the ground at
each end Of the building, and subse
quently from the roof of the Kremer
building While the force on the
root were directing a stream on tn,
flames a portion Of the high wall top.
Piled over, striSing the roof Of the
Kremer building and narrowly escap
Jog the fremen. A portion of the
bricks struck the rope which held the
hose in position, breaking it and
throwing the hose to the pavement
with such force that the nozzle was
bent into right angles The wall wal
on fire, aud started blaze in the roo
Of the Kremer building. Captain
Ryan Immediately extinguishsd the
flames with the Babcock, and thai
saved Messrs. Kremsr &, Co., from
meeting with the same tate as the
Lowenstein Brothers. 1t is the in
tentiOn Of Messrs. Kremer & Co. 70
make handsome donation to the
Fireman's Relief fund.
Every person residing or doing bust
ness in the block packed up and pre-
pared for sudden move, as they haC
no hope OF escaping from the ferc,
flames. Willing hands were found OF
all sides to give assistance, and house,
hold goods adorned the streets ant
sidewalks in most promiscuous man
ner.
INSURANCE LOSSES.
The loss on Lowenstein's stock anC
fixtures sums up slO6,O75 and is lait
as follows.
| Eaafnra a. N..-.hs. n go