The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-01-03
THE FIRE FIEND.
Estimated Loss Over a Million
Dollars.
LEPRosY IN MINNESOTA.
The Dastardly Deed-A Heavy Sem
tence-A FOrger Shot-Blaine's
Book. 7. 1Ea
Disastrous Fire

DETROIT, January Shorty after 8
O'Clock this morning smoke was OBJ
served coming from D. NJ. Ferry g. Co.'S
mammoth building on Brush Street, be-
tween Croghan and Lafayette Streets.
An alarm was quickly turned in,
second and third alarm following in
quick succession, there being promise OF
big confiagration in the heart OF the
business past of the city. The fire de-
partment turned out in force and soon
surrounded the burning building with
hose The flames had started in the
packing department, corner OF Lafay
cite and Brush, and soon envelOped the
whole building which was mere shell,
having but one solid wall inside the
outer wall. Bravely and intel
hgently the fremen kept at
work, but all efforts seemed
futile, the flames spreading rapidly
until at one time 1t seemed the whole
district in which the burning building
is situated was doomed. Across the
alley from D. NJ. Ferry q Co. building
in The same squareiand facing on Ran
dolph Street are Whites Grand Theatre
and Wesson block and a small building
used as restaurant. The flames leaped
across the alley and began to eat into
the Theatre First the roof caught and
soon fell in with terrible crash, firing
tue whole interior of the building,
after driving away the men who had
been working on the Ferry Block
through the windows of the Theatre
Crashing window glass was the signal
for the increased fury of the flames,
which seemed to- laugh at the
efforts of the iremen. An i'm
mense crowd blocked the streets
in every direction and at times
we're in the way OF the department. By
10 O'Clock, the Ferry Block was mass
OF flames. The walls had commenced
to fall, creating something of a panic
among the throng of idle spectators.
Numerous narrow escapes occurred
among the firemen who worked close
to the flames, wrapped in repeatedly
soaked but rapidly drying clothes. By
1870 Whites Theatre had been seized,
and by IL the 1remen were compelled
! 10 turn their attention to the saving of
buildings on the opposite side of Ran
dofph Street, although keeping numer-
GUS streams of water playing on the
| burning building. At II O'Clock the
men of No. 8 Fire Company raised
J ladder in front of the theatre, to get a
better chance at the flames; finding the
rapidly advancing fire would pre-
vent any effective work at that
point, the men were descend
! ing the ladder, and had about
reached the ground when several feet
of cCrnice fell on the ladder Wagon.
! Captain Richard FIlban was struck on
the head by bricks and instantly killed,
and Fireman White was badly but not
fatally injured. Soon after II the flames
spread to Wesson block on the corner
of Randolph and Croghan Streets and
that building was soon developed in
f mes. Although buildings across
Croghan Street were threatened and
caught once or twice, the department
managed to keep it within the square
named and by II o'clock it was fully
fully under control. Tonight the
flames are still raging fiercely,
the buildings already mentioned. Dur
the worst of the fire the wind had been
from the south, and single building
on the corner of Lafayette and Ran
dolph Streets was not seriously injured
but all the rest of the square was a
total loss. D. NJ Ferry & Co.'S
building occupied half the square,
being one of the largest in the city.
Their seed business was probably the
largest in the United States. Definite
figures of the losses cannot be
given. but the total will reach
not less than 81 100000. The stock
alone in d. M. Perry & Cos is
estimated to have been worth 81 100000
to 81 200 900, and their building was
valued at $3.50, 000 AS to the origin of
the fire there are even no well devised
theories. Some of the employees hint
at incendiarism, claiming there were no
fires in the part of the building first
attacked by the flames, and that some
outside agency must have been respon-
sible for the fire.. Officers of the COM
pany are completely at loss to Sac-
count for the origin of the fire.