Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-02
FLOWERS DEAD
Hollyhccks, Chrysauthemums, yloIets
Daisies and Roses All Die in
the Seed.
The Colossal Seed House OF d. NJ.
Feriy'& Co. Of Detroit Laid
In Ashes.
Whites fraud I'heater II, Ralns--A Brave
Fire cnptain Kiued,-Thc Prob.
ablr Loss.


THE DISCOVERY.
DETRoIr, AIIcu., Jan. i.---Shortly altar
O'Clock this morning smoke was Oh
served coming from ID. M. Ferry & Co.'s
mammoth seed store, on Brush between
Croghan aud Lafayette streets. An
alarm was quickly turned In, the second
and third alarms following In Quick sur-
cession. There being promise OF a bIr
CONFEDERATION in the heart OF the business
part OF the city the Ore department. turned
cut in force, and soon surrounded The
burning building with hose. The
flames had started In the pack.
Ing department., on the corner OF
Lafayette and Brush streets, aud soon Ell.
veloped Che whole building, which was n
mere shell, having but one solid wall IN.
side OF the outer walls, Brave ly and In.
telligenuy the flremen attacked their foe
hut all efforts seemed futile, the flames
spreading rapidly until at one time there
seemed probability that the whole dis
trict IN which the burning building is sit
uated was doomed. buildings on the OBJ
posite side OF Brush and Croghan streets
caught number OF times but the depart
ment managed 20 keep the fumes from
totally destroying them. Across the alicy
from ID, NJ Ferry q Co.'S, building In the
'ahiN HiNniN tAhh iuNllk 0il hinQOllsl
street are Whites Grand theater and
Windsor block, and a smaller building,
used as restaurant The flames leaned
across this alley AID hogan to work into
the theater. First the roof caught fire,
and soon fell in with crash nring the
whole Interior OF the building. After
driving away the men who had been
working on the Ferry block through the
windows OF tho theater, the crashing OF
window glass was the signal Ter The In
creased fury Of the flames, which seemed
to laugh at the efforts OF The ilremen.
An immense crowd blocked the streets
In every direction, aud at tunes were In
the way OF the department.. BY O'Clock
the Ferry block was n mass OF flames, aud
tho walls had commenced TO fall, creating
n panic among the throng Of spectators
Numerous narrow escapes occurred
among the fremen, who worked close Co
the flames, wrapped IN repeatedly soaked
but as rapidly drying clothes. by 1880
the tlleates had been seized hy the lire,
and by II the iirrnen Wora compslled 10
turn their attention 70 saving the buildings
on thd opposite side Of Randolph street,
although stlll keeping numerous streams
OF water playing on the burning buildings.
At II O'Clock tue men of No. 3 lire COM
pany raised ladder In front OF the thea
ter to get better chance at the flames,
when, fudinR the rapidly advancing IRE
would prevent any effective work at that
point, the men were descending the lad.
der aud had about reached the ground
when several feet OF cornlce fell on the
ladder wagon. Capt Richard Phllbert
was struck on the head by bricks and in
stantly killed, and Fireman White
badly hurt. Soon after the flames
spread TO the Wesson block, on
the corner OF Randolph aud Croghan
streets aud that building was soon en-
veloped IN flames. Although the build
ings across Croghan street were threat
ened, and caught once or twice, the de-
partmont managed TO keep the fire within
the square named, and by II O'Clock II
was under control Tonight the flames
are still raging flercely, 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 on the
corner OF Lafayette and Randolph streets
was not seriously injured, but All The
rest OF the square was o total loss.
The burned district belonged to what
Is known as the Brush estate, having
been the site Of the old homestead. ID.
M. Ferry Co. built their mammoth es-
Establishment six years ago, Whites
theater was originally built to
the Peninsula saen-
gerbund, Michigan offshoot OF
the Moth American sacnger-
bund. ID. M. Ferry 4 Co.'s building oc-
cupied half the square, being one OF the
largest In the city. Their seed business
WIS probably the largest in tile United
States. In the building burned to-day
four hundred people are usually
employed besides 400 more employed
on their Immense farms outside of the
city. IL was proyidential the fire occurred
on holiday, as otherwise the loss Of life
would probably have becn very great.
Definite figures OF losses cannot be given,
but the total viii reach not less that ST.
100000. The stock alone In ID. M. Fer
ry's In estimated 10 have been worth from
3 | 100000 TO 81, 100000, and their build
ing was valued NJ 100000. A. 70 tho
origin Of the fire there are no well-deylsed
theories. Some of the employees hist at
ncendlarlsm, claiming there were no flres
N the part Of the building 1fst attacked
~ the flames, and that some outside
agency must have been responsible for
he fire. The officers OF the company arc
at loss 20 account for the
,rlgin % the fire. Insurance on ID. Nj.
Ferry & Co.'s Ii distributed among
eyenty two Offices and amounts 10 $780,
100. The Other buildings burned were
insured for 100000 Neighboring build
ngs were damaged, but the figures and
have NOT bctn obtained