Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-01-02
Destroyed BY FIRE.
ferry's Seed Store and a Theatre Blrned
in Detroit-A Fireman Instantly Killed
by Falling Walls.
DErRorr. Jan.

At o'clock Friday morning. the whole
fire department was called out by fire in ID.
NJ. Ferry s. Cos seed store on LAFAYETTE
street. The flames spread rapidly and at
this hour the entire building is a mass Of
| flames.
| 10 As 4. M.-The fire has spread to the
box department on the opposite side of La
fayette street. Whites theatre is in flames
and seems doomed. The entire seed store,
an immense four story brick building, is to-
tally consumed. The insurance on ID. NJ.
Ferry's block is $500, 900.
IL A. M.-Both the Ferry building and
Whites theatre were without inner walls and
proved quick food for the flames. At 10. 40
Whites front wall fell in, killing Capt Dick
Pnilbert of the fire department, instantly.
The men were just coming down from lad
der when the wall fell and large number
narrowly escaped death. 1t is impossible as
yet TO give any idea of the damage done.
ANOTHER REPORT.
DETROIT, Jan. /.
Shortly after O'Clock this morning smoke
was observed coming from d. NJ. Ferry &
Co.'S mammouth building on Brush street,
between Croghan & Lafayette streets. The
alarm was qickly turned in and a second and
third alarms following in quick succession,
giving promise of big confagration in the
heart of the business part of the city.
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 Lafsy-
ette and Brush streets and soon enveloped
the whole building, which was a mere shell,
having but one solid wall inside OF the outer
walls. Bravely the firemen kept at work,
but all efforts seemed futile. The building on
tI. do Sf sI,
streets caught number of times, but the
department managed to keep the flames from
totally destroying them. Across the alley
from ID. M. Ferry & Co.'S building in the
same square and facing Randolph street are
Whites Grand Theatre and Wasson block
and small building used as restaurant.
The flames leaped across the alley and began
to eat into the threatre first. The roof
caught and soon fell in with a terrible crash,
firing the whole interior of the building.
BY 10 o'clock the Ferry block was mass
of flames and 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 in repeatedly
soaked but rapidly drying clothes. By 1890
o'clock Whites Theatre had been seized by
the fire and by IL the firemen were COM
pelltu W TURN tnelr htttutiuu mUTt W sdfluS
the buildings on the opposite side OF Ran
dolph street, although still keeping numer-
Gus streams of water playing On the burning
building. At IL the men of No 3 fire COM
pany raised ladder in front of the theatre
to get better chance at the flames finding
the rapidly advancing fire would prevent any
effective work at that point. They were de-
scending the ladder and had about reached
the ground when several feet of cornice fell
Oh the ladder wagon. Capt. Richard Filbin
was struck on the head and instantly killed
and fireman White badly, but not fatally,
injured.
The Wesson block on the corner of Ran
dolph and Croghan streets was soon envel-
oped in flames. Although the buildings
across Croghan street were threatened and
caught once or twice. the department man.
anged to keep it within the square named and
by IL o'clock it was fully under control. To-
night the flames are still raging fiercely, but
confined within the walls of the buildings
already mentioned. During the worst of 1he
fire the wind had been from the south The
single building on the corner of Lafayette
and Randolph street was not seriously in
jured but all the rest of the square was to
tai loss. The burned district belonged to hat
is known as the Brush estate, having been the
site of the old homested. ID. M. Ferry Co.'S
building occupied half square. being one of
the largest in the city. Their seed business
was probably the largest in the United States.
In the building burned today 400 people are
usually employed, besides 400 more employed
on their immense farms outside the city
Definite figures of the losses cannot be given,
but the total will reach not less than 81, $780,
600. The stock alone in d. NJ. Ferry & Co.'S
was estimated to have been worth 81 ,000,-
IN . HI k,,,I
valued at S250.000. As to the origin of the
fire there is no well devised theories. Some
of the employees hint at incendarism. claim
ing 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.