The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-12-17
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
Collapse and Burning of the Shapleigh g.
CantweH Hardware COmpany's stores in
st. Louisa Half Million Dollars Worth
of Property and Two Precious Human
Lives Destroyed.

OF property and Two Precious Human
Lives Destroyed.
ST LOUIS, Dec. 11.-At twenty minutes
| past two O'Clock this afternoon the fourth
floor Of the A. F. Shapleigh a CantweiI
Hardware Company's store, 4I4416420
North Main street, caved in The floor
was loaded with agricultural implements
| and the break extended through the third
! floor, loaded with shelf goods, and the sec
Ond floor loaded with sample goods to the
first. Whether the first floor caved in or
not can not be stated In the basement
the boilers set fire to the debris, and i'll a
very lew moments the entire mass was
burning. Most of the inmates of the build
ing escaped without injury or with slight
bruises
The fire department was represented BY
two engines and a Hayes truck before the
alarm had ceased striking. and two
streams were Immediately turned upon
| the building. The heat was intense,
and the engine companies as they
arrived busted themselves pouring water
on buildings adjacent Water poured in
upon the hardware ruin seemed to add to
rather than diminish the fury of the
flames, and none but firemen could keep
positions within fifty feet of the burning
| building.
About fifteen minutes after the fire be-
gan the front of No. 420 North Main fell
exposing the burning refuse piled within.
There was not stick standing between
No. 416 and the south wall of No 422
There was no partition wall between No
4l8 and No 420, the floors being sup
ported by slender iron pillars
The flames increased in No. 4I6,
when that portion of the front wall fell
and the remainder of the front wall
trembled. The increase of the flames
warned Chief Lindsay of probable
md a CrnTg Is114a
attracting the entire department to the
scene.
John Beck, brother of Mr.. Beck of Beck
& Marshall, was in the sample room at
the time the building fell, it is said, and
was killed, together with two customers,
to whom he was showing goods Others
are said to have been in the building at
the time of the crash, and in the excite
ment it is impossible to learn how many
were killed
Beck, the young man who, it is said, was
killed, was the city salesman for Shap-
leigh q Cantwell, and was popular and
well-liked in the city. 1t is probable that
the men with him were citizens of st.
Louis.
While Joseph Chambers, foreman of En-
gine company No. was carrying hose near
the burning Shapleigh building he was
struck on the head by some falling bricks
and badly injured.
Fireman Russell, of No 6, says that when
he arrived en- the scene he saw a man in
the third story of Shapleigh & Cantwelps
with the flames all around. When he
looked up minute afterward, the man
had disappeared, and he supposes he must
have fallen back into the burning building
and perished in the flames.
The value of Shapleigh & CantwelPs
stock IS placed at 5000 and it is a total
Eo 70
ferent parties and measure 125 feet on
Main street and 100 feet on Vine street,
and Were all four stories high. The loss
on the buildings will add nearly $4,000
more to the total loss.
The entire insurance on Shapleigh &
Cantwell's stock is placed at $3.50, 900.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 13.-The ruins of the
Shapleigh-Cantweu fire were visited by
thousands of people yesterday, the streets
in the vicinity being thronged all day.
During the whole of Saturday night
water was thrown on the smoking ruins
by the fire department. Several steamers
were kept there until after midnight,
and then when the fire was signalled
''out," two plug streams were turned on.
At 9 o'clock yesterday morning Chief
Lindsay sent Engine Co. u and IS to the
scene, and the work of washing down the
dangerous walls left standing from the
day before was commenced. This work
consumed about four hours, and
then the steamers were withdrawn
and the two plug streams left at
work, the object in view being to cool the
heated bricks and mortar which had fallen
into the cellar, so that the work of clear
ing away the mass and Of removing the
bodies might be commenced. Chief Lind
says idea was to flood the cellars and in
that way extinguish every spark of fire.
The mass was still very hot and occasion
ally Jet of flame and a volume of smoke
would shoot up several feet into the air,
having forced their way through the
crevices of the debris A heavy
would quench the blaze for a few
minutes, and then it would break out
again in the same or adjacent place
Shortly after noon yesterday about a dozen
men were put to work under the direction
of Assistant Fire Chief Finnerty, and
some of the mass was removed from the
east end of the cellar Of No. 418 The
steam and smoke that constantly arose
from the ruins prevented effective work
however, and but very little was accom-
plshed.
Late last night a reporter called at Mr..
A. F. Shapleigh's residence on Washing
ton avenue, and asked Mr.. S. if he had
heard that some of his customers were
in the store at the time and were perhaps
caught in the crash.
Mr.. Shapleigh said: Il have heard the
report that some of our customers were
in the store with Mr.. Clarence Beck, our
city salesman, at the time, but that is un-
true and Mr.. Beck has Sc stated to me
He and the customers left the building
short time before the crash"
''DO you believe that any others were
burned except Palmer and Mahanz"
''No; I feel quite certain that they were
bov n+ hot
any persons in the store other than my
employees"
''YOu have had full reports from all of
your clerks on that point2"
Yes; most thorough inquiry fails to
establish even a foundation for the belief
that any others were caught in the crash"
ssWhen and by whom will the work Of
the removal of the debris be commenced?''
eve will begin that work Immediately,
tomorrow morning, and pursue it until
he whole ruin is removed"
A Mind Bereft.
FT WAYNE, Ind, Dec 1.-THE sorrow
expressed over the suicide Of Oscar A.
Simons, president of the First National
Bank, which occurred yesterday, was in
creased today by the report, which has
been authenticated, of George Esmond,
brother-in-law of Mr. Simons losing his
reason and becoming so violent the
street this afternoon, IL was with difficulty
three men overcame him. Mr.. EsmOnd
was in the room with Mr.. Simons when he
committed the act yesterday afternoon,
and he imagined he was accused Of shoot
ing Mr.. Sim0ns He was taken TO his
residence, and it is doubtful whether he
will regain his reason
Asphy1iated BY Coal Gas.
CHICAGO, Dec. 13.-The Mcclure family,
mother, daughter and son, living at Maple
wood, died from escaping coal gas Satur-
day night The mother and daughter re-
tirr-l ea--lr- le.or-.r,rr The ana n affarad 4c