Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-01-07
FURIOUS FIRE.
The Great Seed Warehouse Of D.
NJ. Ferry DESTROYED.
Loss Estimated ut One and o HALF NIL.
lion Dollars.


About o'clock on the morning OF January
LIST, flames were seen issuing from the NAM
moth building Of d. NJ. Ferry & Co., In Detroit
Mich. An alarm was quickly turned In, and
second and third alarms following rapidly,
there being promise of a big conaagration In
the heart OF the business part Of the city. The
fire department turned out In force and soon
surrounded the burnigg building with hose
The flames had started In the packing depart
ment, and soon enveloped the whole building,
which was q mere shell, having but one solid
wall inside Of the outer walls. Bravely and In
diligently the fremen kept at work, bnt all of
forts seemed futile, flames spreading rapidly,
until ut one time there seemed q probability
that the whole district In which the burning
buildingwas situatedwas doomed. The build
ngs on the opposite side Of Brush and Crog-
ham streets caught number OF times, but the
department managed to keep the flames from
totally destroying them. Across the alley from
d. M. Ferry Il Cos. building, In the same
square are Whites Grand Theatre and the
Wesson block, and smaller building used as
restaurant. The flames lcaped across the
alley and began TO cat into the
Theatre first The roof caught
and soon fell In with a terrific crash, firing the
whole interior OF the building, after driving
away the men who had been working on the
Ferry block through tho windows of the theater.
The crushing of the window glass was the sig
nal for increased fury Of the flames An I'M
mense crowd blocked the streets In every drec-
ton, and at times were in the way of the de-
partment. BY 10 O'Clock the Ferry block was
a mass of flames, and the walls had commenced
to fall, creating something OF a panic among
the throng OF spectators and numerous narrow
escapes among the ilremen, who worked close
to the flames wrapped in repeatedly soaked but
rapidly drying clothes. By 03O Whites thea
tire had been seized, and IL OF the iremen were
compelled TO turn their attention to saving the
building on the opposite side OF Randolph
street, although numerous streams OF water
were still kept plying on the burning building.
At II o'clock the men Of No. Fire Company
raised ladder IL mont Of the theatre to get
better chance at the flames. Finding that the
rapidly advancing flames would prevent any
effective work at that point, the men were des-
cending the ladder, and had about reached the
ground when several feet of the cornice fell ON
the ladder wagon. One fireman was hit on the
head by bricks and instantly killed, and Ere
man White was badly but not fatally injured
Soon after IL the flames had spread 10 the
Wesson block and that building was soon en-
veloped in flames Although the buildings
across Croghan street were threatened and
caught once or twice, the department managed
to keep it within the space named, and by IL
o'clock 1t was fully under control During the
worst Of the fire the wind had been from
the south, and building on the corner
Of Lafayette and Randolph streets
was not seriously injured but all
the rest of the square were totally lost. The
burned district belonged TO what is known rs
the Brush estate, having been the site OF the
old homestead. ID. NJ. Ferry d Co. built their
mammoth building six years ago The White
theater was originally built TO accommodate
the Penlnsular Saengerbund, Michigan or
shoot OF the North American saengerband
The company was organized In 1880 and this
music hall was built mt that time, being opened
with an annual festival In 1880 The ID. NJ.
Ferry 81 Co. building occupied half a square,
being one of the largest In the city. Their
seed business was probably the largest in the
United States, In the building burned 400
people were employed, besides 400 more en-
ployed on their immense farms out Of the city.
1t was proyidential that the fire occurred on a
holiday, as otherwise the loss Of life would have
been very great. Definite figures of the losses
cannot be given, but the total will reach not
less than 81, 100000. The stock alone In d. NJ.
Ferry q Co.'S is said to have been worth from
81 0O0 900 to 81, 300, 900, and their building was
valued at $250,00O. The officers OF the com
pany are completely at loss TO account for the
origin OF the fire. The insurance on ID. NJ.
Ferry g. Co. is S46o,O00, and is distributed
among large number Of companies. The
Lion and England has $4,000, but none OF the
others have over $4,000 each. The loss and
insurance on the other buildings can not be
obtained