The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-01-09
A FIERY INAUGURAL.

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Warehouse, Whites Grand Opera House
and the Windsor Block Burned-A Fire
man Killed by Falling Wall--The Loss
es Roughly Estimated.
DETROIT, MICH, January 2-Shortly sf-
ter nine O'Clock yesterday morning smoke
was observed coming from d. M. Ferry
& Co.'S mammoth building on Brush
street, between Croghan and Lafayette
streets. An alarm was quickly turned in,
and second and third alarms following in
quick succession, there being promise of
big connagration in the heart of the
business part of the city. The fire depart
ment turned out in force and soon surrOun-
ded the burning building with hose. The
flames had started in the packing depart
ment on the corner of Lafayette 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 and intelligen tly
the firemen kept at their work, but all
efforts seemed futile, the flames spread
ing rapidly, until ut one time there
seemed probability that the
whole district in which The Herring
building is situated was doomed. The
buildings on the opposite side Of
Brush and Croghan streets caught a nun
Der of times, but the department man
aged to keep the flames from totally de-
stroyng them. Across the alley from D.
M. Ferry Co.'s buildings, in the same
square, and facing on Randolph street,
are Whites Grand Theater and the Win
sor block, and smaller building 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 a terrible
crash, firing the whole interior of the
building, after driving away the men who
had been working on the Ferry block
through the windows of the theater. The
crashing window glass was the signal for
increased fury of the flames, which
seemed to laugh at the efforts of the fire.
men. An immense crowd blocked the
streets in every direction, and at times
were In the way of the department.
By ten O'Clock the Ferry block was a
mass of flames and the walls had COM
menced to fall, creating something of a
panic among the throng of idle spectators.
Numerous narrow escapes occurred
among the hremen, who worked close to
the flames, wrapped in repeatedly soaked
but rapidly drying clothes. by 1880
Whites Theater had been seized by
the fire, and by eleven the fire.
men were compelled to turn their
attention more to saving the build
ings on the opposite side of Randolph
street, although still keeping numerous
streams Of water playing on the burning
building. At eleven O'Clock the men of
No. Fire Company raised O ladder in
front OF the theater to get better chance
at the flames. Finding the rapidly adj
vancing fire would prevent any effective
work at that point, the men were de-
scending. the ladder, and had about
reached the ground, when several feet of
the comice fell on the ladder-wagon.
Captain Richard Filbin was struck on
stantly killed, and Fireman
jured. Soon after the flames spread to
the Wesson block, on the corner of Ran
dolph and Croghan streets, and that
building was quickly envelOped in
flames. Although the buildings across
the street were threatened, and caught
once or twice, the department managed
to keep the fire within the square named,
and by twelve O'Clock it was fully under
control. Last night the flames were still
raging iercely, but had been confined
within the 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 not seriously in
| jured, hut all the rest of the square was
a total loss. The burned district be-
longed to what is known as the Brush es-
tate, having been the site of the old home-
stead. d. M. Ferry & Co. built their man.
moth establishment six years ago.
Whites Theater was originally built to
accommodate the Peninsular Saenger-
bund, Michigan off-shoot of the North
American Saengerbund. The company
was organized in 1880, and this Music
Hall was built at that time, being opened
with an annual feast August Both, 1880.
d. M. 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
In thu building burned to-day 400
people are usually employed, be-
sides 400 more employed on their
immense farms outside the city. It was
provide"tial that the fire occurred on q
holiday, as otherwise the loss of life
would have probably been very great
Definite figures of losses can not be
given, bu: the total will fall not far short
OF S2,000,000. The stock alone in d
NJ. Ferry G. Co.'s is estimated tC
have been worth from $1,000, 00(
to Sl,20AG0O, and their building
was valued at $780, As to thu
origin of the fire there are no well-de.
fined theories, Some of the employees
hint at incepdiarism, claiming that there
were no fire, in the part of the building
first attacked by the flames, and that somt
outside agency must have been rcspon,
sible for the fire. The officers of thu
company are completely at loss to &C
count for the origin of the fire.