The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-01-02
AN ENTIRE BLOCK
swspTAwAYBY FURIOUS PLANES
Detroit Visited by a DllAStrOuS FtrS-A Very
Bad Opening OF the New YsAr-OnS
Million and q HALF of Property
Swept AWAy-Ono Man Killed.

DETROIT, Jan. l.-shortly after Q o'CloCl
this morning smoke was observed cominl
from D. NJ. Ferry & Co.'s mammoth build
ing on Brush street, between CroghRu ant
Lafayette streets, An alarm was quiCkl!
turned in and second and third followed
quickly, there being promise Of q big 6EC
in the heart Of the business part Of th(
city, The fire department turned out il
force and soon surrounded the burning
building with the hose.
The flames had started in the packing
department on the corner Of Lafayette
and Brush streets, and soon euvelopsd the
whole building, which was a mere shell
having but one solid wall inside OF tht
outer wRlls, BrRvsly and intelligsntIy
the tirsmen kept at work, but all efforts
seemed futile. The flames spread rapidly
until at one time there seemed q prob
ability OF big Contllgratiou, The build.
inHs on the opposite sides ot Brush and
Croghan streets caught number OF times,
flames from totally destroying them,
Across the alley from D, NJ, Ferry & %, .
building in the same square and facing on
Randolph street are Whites Grand Thea.
tre and the Wesson block and a smaller
butiding used as a restaurant
THE LVAP OF THE FLAMES.
The flames leapsd across the alley and
began to eat into the theatre, first the
roof, and soon it 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 theatre, The
crashing Of the window glass was the Gig.
nal Tor the increased fry Of the flames,
which se3med TO laugh at the eSorts ofthe
aremea. Animmense crowd blocked the
slTeOtA, and at times were in the S4y Of
the DIRE department.
by 10 o'clock the Ferry block was a
mass OF flames and the walls had com.
menCed 10 fall, creating something Of u
panic among the throng ot spectators,
Numerous narrow escapes occurred among
the tirenen, who, worked close to the
flames, BY 1880 the theatre had been
90 Esd by fire and by II \, n. the fremen
were compelled to turn their attention TO
saving buildings on the opposite side OF
Randolph street, although keeping numer.
olI streams Of water playing on the burn
ing building.
At II o'clock the men Of No. 8 fire com.
pany raised ladder In front OF the
theatre to get better chance at the flames.
Finding the rapidly advancing fire would
prevent anyeIleCtiye work at that point
they were detcsnding the LADDER and had
about reached the ground when several
feet OF the C0rniC1 fell on the ladder
wagon.
PIREMAN KILLED.
Capt. Richard Filbau was struck on the
head by bricks and instantly killed, and
Fireman White was badly but not fatally
injured. Soon after II O'Clock the flames
spread to the WeSSon block, on the corner
Of Randolph and Croghan streets, and
that building was soon enveloped in
flames. Although the buildings across
Croghan street were threatened and
caught once or twice the department man.
aged to keep It within the square nahed,
and by ~ O'Clock 1t was lully under con.
troll.
Tonight the flames are still raging, but
have 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 OH
the corner OF Lafayette and Randolph
streets was not seriously injured, hut all
the reRt OF the square wag atOtRl loss. The
burned district belonged TO what Is known
as the Brush estate, having been the siteof
the old homestead. D. M,Ferry 4 90. built
their mammoth establishment Q years ago.
while the theatre was originally built to
accommodate the Peninsula slsngeyhund
a Michigan olshoot Of the North A Nmeri.
eau S,angstb9nd. Tile company was or.
ganiSsd In 1850 and this music hall was
built at that time. D. NJ. Ferry / Co.'s
building occupied half equare, being
onsgof the finest and largest in the city.
Their seed business was probably the
largest In the United States,
The LOSSES.
Definite. figures Of losses cannot be
given, but the total will reach not less
than 81, 100000. The stock alone In D. NJ.
Ferry 4 Co.'s is estimated to have heen
worth from 100000 to sl,2OO.OOO, aud
their building was valued at $250,0Ql. AZ
TO the origin Of the fire there iro even no
well defined theories, though the EN-.
ployes hint at incendiarism, claiming that
there we're no fires In the building first
attacked by the flames, and that some
outside agency must have been respon.
sible for the Hre.
FRAUD TRlUMPns.
chicago bIayoralty CONTEXT Abandoned Ne.
4 n 4. A.. IA