Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-15
A BIG FIRE.

Ferry Il Co., winters 1heatef ""u May
Other Buildings in Detroit Destroyed ny
Fire on New Years Morning-A Loss oil
81, O 900 Entailed-A Fireman Killed.
DETROIT, Mich, Jan. "A fire broke out
shortly after nine u. IN. yesterday which
DESTROYED nearly the whole of the square
bounded by Croghan, Brush, Lafayette and
Randolph streets, entailing a loss of about
81, 100000. The fire started in the m
mense seed warehouse of D. M. Ferry
e. Co., which occupied one-half OF the
square. This great building, with ell
it's contents, Whites Grand Theater and
the Wesson block were the principal
buildings destroyed. An alley thirty feet
wide separated the seed warehouse from
the theater. The latter was q lofty build
ing, the lower portion Of which was used
as stores. The theater proper seated 5000
people. The remainder of the square was
built up with buildings OF less height, used
as stores. manufactures and dwellings,.
The locality is in the heart of the city,
some three blocks from the city hall.
The. fire department turned out in force
and soon surrounded the burning building
with hose. The flames had started in the
packing department on the corner OF La
fayette and Brush streets and soon envel-
oped the whole building, which was q mere
shell, having but one solid wall inside of
the outer walls. Bravely and intelligent
ut all efforts proved futile, the
ames spreading rapidly, until at one time
there seemed a probability that the whole
district in which the burning building was
situated would be destroyed. Buildings on
the opposite side of Brush and Croghan
streets caught fire a number OF times, but
the department managed to keep the
flames from totally destroying them.
Across the alley from D. M. Ferry & Co.'S
building, in the same square and facing on
Randolph street, were Whites Grand Thea
ter and the Wesson block and Il smaller
building used as IL restaurant. The flames
leaped across the alley and began to eat
into the theater first. The ~roofcaught and
soon fell in with a terrible crash, firing the
whole interior of the building and driving
away the men who had been working on
the Ferry block through the window OF the
theater. Crashing window-glass was the
sign:l for the increased fury OF the flames,
which seemed to laugh at the efforts OF
the tiremen. An immense crowd blocked
the streets i'll every direction and at
times were in the way of the depart
ment. BY ten o'clock the Ferry block was
IL mass Of flames and the walls had begun
to fall, creating something of Il panic
among the throng of idle spectators.
Many tiremen had narrow escapes, as they
were compelled to work close to the flames
wrapped in repeatedly soaked but rapidly
drying clothes.
By half past ten Whites Theater was on
fire, and by eleven tiremen We're compelled
to turn their attention to saving the build
ings on the opposite side of Randolph
street, although still keeping numerous
streams Of water playing on the burning
building. At eleven O'Clock the men OF No.
3 fire company raised a ladder in front Of
the thcater to get q better chance at
the flames. Finding the rapidly advanc-
ing fire would prevent any effective work at
that point, the men were descending the
ladder and had about reached the ground
when several feet OF the cornice fell on the
ladder wagon. Captain Richard Filban
was struck on the head by the bricks and
instantly killed, and Fireman White was
badly but not fatally injured.
Soon after eleven the flames spread to
the Wesson Block on the corner of Ran
dolph and Croghan streets, and the build
ing was soon enveloped iii flames. Although
the buildings across Croghan street were
threatened, and caught once or
twice, the department. managed to
keep it within the square named,
and by twelve o'clock it was
fully under control. The flames were still
raging fiercely last night, but they have
been confined within the walls of the build
ings already mentioned. During the worst
Df the fire the wind had been from the
south, and the single building on the cor
ner OF Lafayette and Randolph streets was
not seriously injured, but all the rest OF the
square was Il total loss.
The burned district belonged to what is
known as the Brush estate, having been
the site OF the old Brush homestead. D. NJ.
Ferry d Co. built their mammoth cstab-
tlshment six years ago. Whites Theater
was originally built to accommodate
the P%eninsular sangerbund, Mich
lgan offshoot of the North Amer
ican sangerbund. The company was
organized in 1850 and this music hall was
built at that time, being opened
with an annual fest August 80, 1850. d.
M. Ferry e. Co.'S building occupied half of
the square, being the largest in the city.
Their seed business was probably the
largest i'll the United States. In the build
ing burned fourhundred people were usually
employed. 1t was p%rovidcntial that the
fire occurred OF a holiday, as otherwise the
loss OF life would probably have been very
great.
Definite figures of losses can not be given,
but the total will reach not less than
Sl,5OO,00O. The stock in D. NJ. Ferry q
Co.'S building alone is estimated to have
been worth from $1,OO0,OOO to 81, 2OO,-
900, and their building was valued
at S25o,O00. AS to the origin OF the fire
there are even no well-dcvised theories.
Some OF the employees hint at incendi-
arlsm, claiming that there were no
fires i'll the part of the building first at
tucked by the flames, and that some out
side agency must have been responsible for
the fire. Officers of the company are COM
Pletely at a loss to account for the origin
OF the fire. The insurance carried by d. M.
Ferry e. Co. was $3.50, 900. The rest of the
buildings burned were insured for S27, 900.
Some OF the minor losses are as follows:
J. Rnppei, loss $4,000: insurance, 5000: Vo.
sier {" MASS, Sl,bW; Insurance., SG0J; Reynolds
BROS, 5000; insurance. a3.OOO; Hoenning-
nauSen y Smith, 5000; insurance, $500:
Werner y c., 5000; insurance, 1920; Gers
Smith, "a 1000: Alphonse Baker, $1,000; J.
sntheriand, $1,000; II. Myll, s 1000: insurance,
S.tO1; J.Z. jerks. 81, 900 insurance. $1,000:
bfs. >. burch, Sl,2UO; insurance, 5000.
There are. besides some twenty-seyen
Others whose losses vary from nearly one
thousand dollars to less than one hundred