The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-01-01
a GREAT FIRE IN CHICAGO.
nan a Million Dollars Worth Of Printing
Gone Up n the Smoke.
~r"pnic Description ofIthe Greatest m.
In chicago Since the destruction
Of that City I'm 1871.

penZlne, partitions and floors so,,r,,oJ
WIN printers ink, large stocks Of paner.
ou'idihg In every way ,naammable nj
combined to offer protection and encour.
asement TO the fire that started vestsrda,
afternoon at 4 o'giock. Il began in m,
shooer q CarquevlIle Lithographing Com.
pahy mousse and burned an hour before II
was discovered. Then it was past oil help.
ihe building fronts % feet at 1l9 Monroe
street, and extends back 200 feet. In tho
rear Is an L, liz by 12O feet, encrlinx
tue Montauk block, which towers
above it 10 height. 1t Is four
stories. Bradner, Smith & Co. lease the
building and occupy the first floor and base.
ment. The second floor is used by the Ma.
nonal Printing Company, OF which C. II.
Mcdonnell Is the head and owner, and the
shooer x Carquevlle Company occupy the
thlrd and fourth floors. All the firms are
engaged In the printing business.
THE ALARM.
About O'Clock flames were seen issuing
from The northwest corner of the building,
ana an alarm was turned on. When the
nremen appeared 1t was discovered that the
nre mad been smoldering for an hour, and
general alarm was given. The engines
tnat responded came acne too soon. The
entire third and fourth floors we're all
sbaze. Flames wrapped themselves
around pillars and posts, climbed the walls
ana ran with destructive force under floors
aud along ceilings. The iron shutters of
the windows kept them from throwing
their tongues outward to the air, but as
they were also defense from the embattl.
Ing streams Of water the fire simply Rugged
them In kindly embrace, and a food Of
steam was the only response when the fu.
I'll e water beat against the iron barriers.
Soon the fremen climbed the erected lad.
ders and removed the metal distractions,
and then from fifty windows burst flo cd
of flames that Illuminated the heavens, and
its reflected breath cast lights and shadows
upon the numerous edidces around, Above
all lowered the Montauk block, and below
and beneath arose the hoarIeshouts Of fire.
men ana the commands of their chief. In q
monetary view $500, 900 had gone up In
smoke, and insurance companies were
worse hit than by any fire that has occurred
since the great one. That one is the limit
Of all calculations. The building itself be.
longs to Samuel A. Crosier, Of Upland,
Pa, and was built 10 1873. 1t cost $780,
900, and the three upper stories are to.
tai loss. 1t Is insured for $50, 900, In vari.
GUS companies, which will make its owner
even. The loss will fall upon the insur-
ance companies. Brader, Smith & Co..
who held the leasehod Of the building, oc.
cupisd the basement ali irst floor. They
are q paper house, dealing exclusively in
fiat papers, stationery and inks. No fire
touched their stock, which was valued ap.
proximately at 500, 900. No account Of
stock has been taken since last April, so it
can not be given In exactness. But it was
subject TO q continual rain Of water, falling
In showers from the upper stories, which
were the receptacle for the hose OF twenty
engines. They have S175, 900 worth of in
surance, placed in numerous companies.
THE NATIONAL PRINTING COMPANY.
On the second floor was the National
Printing Company. Their assets footed
up; Stock, $50, 600; machinery, 500, 200;
wood cuts Of many kinds, $50, 900. On this
they carried $l65, 900 worth of insurance.
In addition TO this was their business office,
''the hnest office in America the furn-
iture and decorations of which cost S19,.
ono. After the fire the sight of that office
would make an artist weep. French mir
rors were broken In a thousandlpieces. The
AK of the eager fireman had cut costly oil
paintings and broken their golden frames.
Expensive engravings were drenched with
water, while the once handsome velvet
carpet squirted indignant and0protesting
streams OF many bued fluids whenever the
visitor stopped upon its saturated surface.
The loss Of the National Printing com.
pany was about two-thrds of the stock.
Their stock Of printed matter, $50, 900
worth, was entirely ruined. Their wood.
cuts were so warped with the intruding wa.
ter as 10 be worthless, but their machinery
is yet good and can be put in serviceable
shape at little expense. Their losses would
be met by the incidental ones resulting
from forced stoppage OF their business.
1t is bad time of the year for them to b
shut d own.
THE LITHOGRAPHING ROOMS.
Above was the Shober & Carqueville Lith.
ogrsphing company. Their loss was total
one. On the two floors they occupied were
stocks Of paper, printing machinery, litho-
graphic stones and other material used In
their business, which aggregate in value
$3.50, 600. In the midst of this costly fuel
the flames played. They enciroed With
their devouring arms presses and machin.
cry. Paper, both blank and printed,
were equally their object. For three hours
the heat of the fierce blaze warped and
twisted and scorched the valuable material
which filled the floors. The result was
ruin. Salt or sugar In water would not dis
appear more entirely than the stock Of Sho-
Der Carqueville in the flames that sur
rounded 1t. 1t was total loss. They car.
ried an insurance Of $3.50, 900. These were
direct results Of the fire, but there are
many incidental ones. The Montauk block.
boosted to be fire proof, suffered damages
to the extent Of 5000. The intense heat
scorched and burned within the lofty build.
ing. The building was occupied by Thomp.
son Houston, agent for electric lights. His
OF the Montauk block are many lawyers
offices. and to. morrow morning when they
come to them they will see scorched wood.
work and books blistered, while the hose,
which was carried through the building In
order to throw water on its burning neigh
Dor, left Its marks behind in the shape of
fluid which saturated papers and destroyed
documents, some Of them valuable. The
insurance offices underneath suffered in like