The Indianapolis journal., 1886-01-02

Burning of the Ferry Seed Warehouse ani
Other Buildings-Loss, 81 500, 900.

Other Buildings-Loss, 81, 500, 900.
DETROIT Jan. Shortly after o'clock this
morning, smoke was observed coming from D.
NJ. Ferry s. Co.'S mammoth building on Brush
street An alarm was quickly turned in. sec
ond and third alarms following in quick success
sion, there being promise of big confagration
in the heart of the business part of the city. The
fire department turned out in force and soon sur
rounded the burning building with hose. The
flames had started in the packing department,
on the corner Of Lafayette and Brush streets.
| and soon enveloped the whole building, which
| was mere SHE'LL having but one solid wall in
side Of the outer walls. Bravely and intelligent
ly the fremen kept at their work, but all
efforts seemed futile, the flames spreading rapid
| ly, until at one time there seemed probability
that the whole district in which the burning
building is situated was doomed. Buildings On
the opposite side of Brush and Croghan streets
| caught fire number of times, but the depart
| meat managed to keep the flames from totally
| destroying them.
| ACROSS the way from Ferry's building, in the
same square, and facing on Randolph street, are
| Whites Grand Theater and the Windsor Block,
| and smaller building, used az restaurant.
The flames leaped across the alley and began to
| eat into the theater; first the roof caught. and
soon falling with terrible crash. fred
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 Of
window-g glass was the signal for increased fury
of the fames which seemed to laugh at the ef
| forts Of the fremen. An immense crowd blocked
the streets in every direction, and at times were
| in the way of the department.
| At 10 o'clock the Ferry building was q mass of
flames. and the walls had commenced to fall,
creating something of panic among the throng
| of idle spectators. Numerous narrow escapes
occurred among the fremen, who worked close
to the flames. BY 1890 Whites Theater had been
seized by the fire. and all the firemen were COM
PEELED TO turn their attention more to saving
the buildings on the opposite side of Randolph
street. although still keeping numerous
streams of water playing on the burning build
ing
At II o'clock the men Of No. fire company
raised ladder in front of the theater to get q
better chance at the flames. Finding the rap
idly advancing fire would prevent any effective
work at that point, the men were descending the
ladder, and had about reached the ground, when
several feet of the cornice fell on the ladder
| wagon. Captain Richard Filban was struck on
the head by the bricks and instantly killed, and
fireman White was badly, but not fatally in
iured.
Soon after 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. managed to
keep it within the square named, and by IL
o'clock it was fully under control Tonight the
flames are still raging fercely, but have been
confined within the walls of the buildings al
ready 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 is total loss.
The burned district belonged to what is known
| as the Brush estate, having been the site Of the
old homestead D. M. Ferry e. Go. built their
establishment six years ago. Whites Theater
erbund, a Michigan offshot of the North
| American S@pgerbund The company
was organized in 1880. and this music hall
was built at that time being opened with an
| u, ~.
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
the building burned to-day 400 people are usually
employed, besides 400 more employed ON their
| immense farms near the city. 1t was we'll that
the fire occurred on a holiday, as otherwise the
loss of life would probably have been very great
| Definite figures Of Losses cannot be given, but
the total will reach not less than 81, 800 000 The
stock alone in Ferry q Co. s is estimated to have
been worth from 500, 900 to $120, 600, and their
building valued at $3.50, 600. AS to the origin
Of the fire. there are no well-defned theories.
Some of the employees hint at incendiarisn,
| claiming that there were no fires in the part of
| the building first attacked By the flames, and
that some outside agency must have been
responsible for the fire. Officers of the company
are completely at a loss to account for the origin
of the fire. Ferry & Co.'s insurance is estimated
as follows:
Lion of England, $50, 000 The following COM
| panies have policies for 80 900 each: Michigan
Fire and Marine, Phoenix of London, Orient of
Hartford, Commercial Union of England, Home
of New York, American of Boston, Firemens',
Prescott of Boston, London, Liverpool and
Globe.
The following have 81, 500 North British and
Mercantile, Phenix of Brooklyn, Mercantile of
| New York.
The following are the S., 900 policies: Imperial of
England Buffalo German, Fireman's of Dayton,
Sun of California, Pennsylvania Of Pittsburg
Connecticut of Hartford, Long Island of New
| YORK. Detroit flre ana Marine, City or LONDON,
| Providence of Washington, st. Paul Fire and
Marine London and Lancashire Norwich Union
of England, Phoenix of Hartford New York AL
lance, Niagara of New York, German American
of New York, Washington Fire and Marine
Oriental of England, Queen, British American of
Toronto, Western Of Toronto, Rut-
gers Of New York, Lancashire,
Central of New York. National
of New York. New Hampshire, Sun of England
Rochester German, Fire Association of Philadel-
phia, Northern of England, American of New
York, American Of Philadelphia, Insurance AS
sociation of North America Hartford, Califor-
mia, United Firemen Of Philadelphia Cooper Of