St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-02
Whites Grand Theater and the Wesson
Block Also Succumb-The Total
Less 81 100000.
a Fireman Killed and over Four
Hundred Men Thrown Quito
Employment
Had the Fire Occurred on a Working
Day Many Would Have Been
Killed.
Great Fire in petroit.

business part of the city. The fire depart
ment turned out in force and soon sur
rounded the burning building with the hose,
The flames started in the packing depart
ment. on the corner of LAFAYETTE ard
Brush streets, and soon enveloped the
whole building, which was a mere shell,
having but one solid wall inside of the
outer walls. Brayely and intelligently the
firemen kept at their work. but all efforts
seemed futile, the flames spreading rapidly
until at one time there seemed probability
that the whole district in which the burning
building is situated seemed doomed. Build
ings on the opposite sides of Brush and
Craghan streets caught fire a number of
times, but the department managed to keep
the flames from totally destroying them
Across the alley from ID. NJ. Ferry & Co.'s
building, in the same square and facing on
Randolph street, are Whites Grand theater
and the WessOn block and a smaller build
ing used as restaurant.
THE FLAMES LEAPED ACROSS
the alley and began to eat into the theater,
First the roof caught and soon fell in with
terrible crash, firing the whole interior of
the building, after driving away the men
who had been working on the fiery block
through the windows of the theater.
Crashing window-glass was the signal for
increased fury of the flames, which seemed
to laugh at the efforts of the firemen. An
immense crowd blocked the streets in every
direction, and at times was in the way OF
the department. BY 10 o'clock the Ferry
block was mass Of flames and the walls
had commenced to fall, creating something
of panic among the throng of idle specta-
tors. Numerous narrow escapes occurred
among firemen who worked close to the
flames, wrapped in repeatedly-soaked but
rapidly-drying clothes. BY 1890 Whites
theater had been seized by the fire. and by
IL the firemen were compelled to turn their
attention more to saving buildings on the
opposite side of Randolph street, although
still keeping numerous streams of water
playing on the burning buildings. At IL
o'clock No. 8 fire company raised ladder
in front of the theater to get better chance
at the flames. Finding the rapidly-ad-
vancing fire would prevent any effective
work at that point, the men were descend
ing the ladder and had about reached the
ground. when several feet of the cornice
FELL ON THE LADDER
wagon. Capt. Richard Filban was struck
on the head by the bricks and instantly
killed and Fireman White was badly, but
not fatally injured. Soon after the flames
spread to the Wess0n block, on the corner
of Randolph and Craghan streets, and that
Although the buildings across Craghan
street were threatened and caught once or
twice. the department managed to keep it
within the square named and by 12 o'clock
it was fully under control. Tonight the
flames are raging fercely, but have been
confined withiIbthe walls of the buildings
already mentioned. During the worst OF
the fire the wind had been from the south
and the single building on the corner Of
Lafayette and Randolph streets was seri-
ously injured, but all the rest of the square
was a tOtrl loss. The burned district be-
longed to what is known as the Rush es-
tate, having been the site of the old home
stead. ID. NJ. Ferry g. Co. built their mann
moth establishment six years ago. Whites
theater was originally built to accommodate
the Peninsular Sengerbund. 1t was opened
with all annual fest Aug. 80, 1880. ID. M.
| Ferry q 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. In the build
ing burned to-day 400 people are usually
| employed, besides 400 more employed on
their immense farms outside the city.
1T WAS PRoVlDENTIAL
| that the fire occurred on holiday, as other
wise the loss OF life would have probably
been very great. Definite figures of losses
cannot be given, but the total will reach
not less than 81, 500, 900. The stock alone
| in ID. NJ. Ferry & Co.'s is estimated TO have
been worth from $1,000, 600 to $1,000, 900,
and their building was valued at $3.50, 900.
| As to the origin of the fire there are even
no well-devised thories. Some of the en-
| ployes hint at incendiarism, claiming there
were no fires in that part of the building
| first attacked by the flames, and that some
| outside agency must have been RESPONSE
| bic for the fire. Officers of the company
are completely at loss to account for the
| origin of the fire. The insurance on Ferry
| 81 Co. is distributed as follows: Lion Of
England, $50, 900. The following COM
panies have policies of 81, 900 each: Mich
! igan Fire and Marine, Phoenix of London,
! Orient of Hartford, Commercial Union Of
| England. Home of New York. American
| of Boston, Fireman's Of Newark, Mercan-
| tile of Boston, Prescott of Boston. London
| and Liverpool and Globe. The following
have $1,000 policies: North British and
Mercantile, Phoenix of Brooklyn, Mer-
! chants of New York. The following have
| SIS, 900 policies each: Imperial of England,
Buffalo German, Fireman's of Dayton, Sun
| of California, Pennsylvania of Pittsburg,
| Connecticut of Hartford, Long Island Of
| New York, Detroit Fire and Marine, City
! of London. Providence Of Washington,
ST. PAUL FIRE q MARINE,
| London and Lancashire, Norwich Union Of
England, Phoenix of Hartford, New York
Alliance, Niagara of New York, Guardians
of England, German American of New
| York, Washington Fire and Marine, Royal
of England, Queen of England, British
American of Toronto. Western of Toronto,
Rutgers of New York, Lancashire, Central
! of New York, National of New Ork, New
Hampshire, Sun of England, Rochester
German, Fire Association of Philadelphia,
Northern of England, American of New
I York, American of Philadelphia, Insurance
Association of North America, Hartford,
California, United Firemen of Philadelphia,
| Cooper of Dayton, German of Pittsburg,
| Citizens of Pittsburg, Fire Insurance asso-
citation of England. Sring6eld. Kings county,
Ktna. The following companies have
| So, 600: Peoples Of Pittsburg Grand Rapids,
| There are 50 500 policies in the following
companies: Westchester of New York.
| Clinton of New York, Rhode
Island Underwriters, Peoples of
New York. Mercantile of Cleveland. United
States of New York, German of Cincin-
natl. The two following policies are for
81, 900 each: London Assurance corpora
ton. county of Philadelphia. The Fireman's
| Fund of California has a policy of 81. 600.
Total, S460 600. The rest of the buildings
were in one batch and were insured as fol-:
lows: Niagara, S1.5O0; National, 50, 500;
American Central. 81. 500; TRANSATLANTIC,
81. 500; BOyleston. $1,000; Union. $4,000;
Phoenix. 81, 500; Security. 81, 900; Washing
ton, 81, 500; Queens So, 900; Royal 81, 500;
Fire Association of England, 81, 000- Fire
Association OF Philadelphia, So, 900; Mer-
camille 81, 900; Springfield, S1,5O0. TctaSs
$4,000.