St. Paul daily globe., 1886-05-27
A COSTLY CONFEDERATION,
Chicago Suffers a Loss of a Million by
Fire.
Large Publishing Firms Burned Out
by the Hungry Element.

CHICAGO, May ga disastrous fire oc
Cured in large brick and stone structure
at the corner of Congress street and Wa
bash avenue early this morning. The loss
will approximate fully $1,000 0G0. Among
the principal losers are the publishers, Bel
ford, Clarke u Co., and the large book
bindery firm of Donohue & Henneberry.
The structure in which the fire originated
is at the northwest corner OF the two
thoroughfares, and was six stories
in height. The first alarm was turned in
shortly after 5 o'clock. but before the
arrival of any fire steamers the flames had
burst out of the building with such fierce
ness as to insure the destruction of the en-
tire structure and its contents. In g very
short time after the flames were first dis
covered the building was on fire from top
to bottom. 1t was filled with material of
the most infammable description.
The occupants were Belford. Clark e Co.,
publishers; Van Antwerp, Bragg & Co., i'll
the same business; Donohue Il Hanheberrv,
bookbinders; r. II. Peele q Co., litho-
graphers, and the Central Lthographing
company. MI Belford, of Belford,
Clarke & Co., places his loss at $780, 600,
many valuable plates being DESTROYED.
Next door was tive-story building, owned
by A. o. Slaughter, and occupied by the
furniture firm of r. Deimel S5 Co. This
| tlrm was burned out short time ago, and
was just moving back. and had only Il
small stock on hand. The loss will not
exceed SIS. 600. The most exciting part of
the fire was the panic which occurred
among the guests of the Hotel Brunswick,
| directly opposite the burned block. The
heat was SO intense that every pane of
glass in the Wabash avenue front of the
hot al hrol- fhn has nd Vrri,
dow frames scorched. The guests became
alarmed, and not stopping to dress them
selves, fed from The hotel. The loss by
HEAT AND WATER
to the hotel folks will aggregate s., 600;
fully insured. Capt. Joe Kenyon of truck
No. 81 was seriously injured. In jumping
from the truck on arriving at the
fire he fell, and the wheels of the
truck passed over him. Both of
his legs were broken, and one of them was
so mangled that it will have to be ampu-
tated. William Langdon of truck No. 1,
was badly cut in the hands and right arm
by falling glass. John Breen and fireman
| O'Neil. both of truck No. 1, were also cut
by falling glass. The truch, which was
new one, was caught under the falling Con-
gress street wall and was completely de.
stroyed. The insurance carried by Bed
ford, Clarke & Co. is not known,
but it will not cover the loss. The
other firm losses so far as ascertained, are
as follows: r. III. Peale & Co., loss
$4,000, insurance $35, Donahue q
Henneberry, loss $3.50, 600, insurance $780,
600; Van Antwerp 81 Co., loss $1,000. no
insurance. The insurance on the building
and contents was written with thirty COM
panies. The origin of the fire is not
| known but if is SuDDOSnd il
STARTED IN THE ENGINE ROOM,
in the northwest cornor of the basement,
| and, as the building was full of elevator
shafts, which acted as so many haies, it
took the flames but few minutes to spread
through the structure and seize on the In
fiammabe material with which it VAS
filled. Every floor was filled with heavy
machinery, the top floor alone containing
twenty-five Gordon presses. The ltho-
graphic and stereotype plates were stored
! in the basement, and it is thought good
deal of this valuable property will be saved.
| The loss on the building will be about
500, 600; insurance $780, 900.