Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-02


Gently, when the United States Congress de-
creed the illegality Of polygamy. the Mormons
were wholly within the law.
GREAT FIRE AT BUFFALO.
Many Big Business Houses Burned Out,
Causing a Loss Of So 900, 900.
BUFFALO, Feb. AIT 2:S5 o'clock this MORN
ing fire was discovered on the fourth floor of
the five-story building owned and in great part
occupied by Root d Heating. wholesale sole
leather, at the corner of Carroll and Wells
streets. The velocity of the wind made il GER
tain that the FIRE, il il got hold, would be u
disastrous one. The building with frontages
of lS4 feet on Carroll and l27 on Wells street,
was situated in the heart of business blocks
Ii was separated only by the breadth of Carroll
street from the fine fre-proof Jewett block
fronting on Seneca street, and was directly in
line with the new six-story block of Sibley a.
HOLLYWOOD, candy manufacturers. On the op-
posite side Of Wells street little farther north
Is the Broesel house, a massive six-story
structure. whose guests were up and dressed a
few minutes after the Aarm. They were
scared, and they had good reason to be. Tor
commercial men, who largely composed its
guests, had painful memories of hotel fires in
Buffalo. The flames had a good hold of the
Root d keating building, and at O'Clock they
were
BOILING AND sEETHISG MASS
entirely filing that part of Carroll street di-
rectly in front Of the doomed building. few
minutes after 8 O'Clock the heat was so intense
as 70 be almost unbearable even at Seneca
street. The sky was illuminated for many
miles and crowds from all parts of the CITY kept
the police busy. At 3:l5 a. m. Wells street was
being swept by a sheet of fire waited across the
two streets by the wind. At 3;25 the rear OF
the six story brick building of sibley a Holm
wood had caught, and portions of the back OF
the Broesel house were smoking. There were
nearly fifty tons Of starch stored in the top
floors Of Sibley 4 Holmwood's building ac-
cording to the statement of one of their en-
ployes, and the stare burned like tinder when
once lgnited. carrying the flames through from
the rear TO front of the building in a few mo-
ments. At 327 the rear of Swift a. Stambach's
and L. C. Reynolds stores, on Seneca street,
were in full blaze. The fire ran along the roof
as though the material that composed it was
paper.
BIO HOTEL on FIRE.
At 1886 the southwest corner Of the BoeseI
house was burning fast. The guests were
moving out their baggage and a large number
OF hremen went to the aid of the guests in the
hotel. The wind had shifted 10 the northwest
and sleet was coming down in torrents. which
added to the difficulties under which the fire.
men labored. At $40 the roof of S f. Egan's
whisky store, just east OF the Broesel house.
was on fire. The firemen on Seneca street
directed their efforts to the buildings on the
other side Of the street. The front of the Broe-
sci house had become a mass of flames
Shortly before O'Clock the sixth floor of Sib-
ley and Holmwood's store fell with a tremen-
dous crash, sending a storm of debris and en-
bers in all directions. At this time the top
floor of the Jewett building appeared n roar
ing oven. The scene on Carroll street was ap-
palling. On the north side of the street the
Sibley HOLLYWOOD building was in ruins and
the Jewett building was blazing from the base
ment TO the roof. The large six-story building
occupied by Moffatt Bros, Hoffeld A Co.. and
other firms on the opposite side, next to Boot
keatings, was yet untouched, but at 4:l{
the cornices of the top story began to blaze
though the fremen held them in check for Q
time.
WALLS COME CRASHING DOWN.
The wallis Of the Jewett block now began 70
bulge, and the crowd gave howl of warning
to the fremen. At Ais the walls fell with a
sheck that fairly shook the surrounding walls.
and before the cloud of dust cleared away a
terrible panic took place. A frantic struggle
was made in getting out horses from the stable
next TO the Jewett block. BY 415 o'clock the
Broesel house was abandoned TO the flames
At 4:l5 the front Of the Broesel house fell il a
laundering crash, and the firemen in front mar
rowly escaped. One fireman was felled to the
ground, but heroic fellow-worker rushed TO
his assistance and carried him off, Despite the
efforts Of the iremen Egan's whisky store was
In full blaze. There was nothing TO do but
LEAVE THE FIRE TO RUN ITS COURSE
At 4;40 the fire burst through the front OF the
Seneca street store of August Eys and an
empty store adjoining. Fowler 4 Sons place
was filed with seasoned wood for carriages
Adjoining a small fruit store, and then
came Sidney Shepherd a Co. q mammoth stamp
ing works. At s o'clock the Seneca street stores
up to shepherds had been well gutted. The
wind by this time had died out. The fire ex-
tends from A. T. Kerr q Co.'S down Seneca
street to Sidney Shepherd a Co.'s. All Wells
street is burned through to Exchange street.
and the corner Is burned out completely to the
Arlington house. The loss will reach 1900 600
At this time it is very difficult TO give the
individual losses, but the loss on the Broesel
hotel cannot be less than $l60, ,O00 probably
$50 600 on the building and $50 600 ON furni-
ture. From there the fire extended steadily
and rapidly along the east side of Seneca
street, cutting the Broesel house bar; Albert
Eyes sample-room, 135 Seneca street. loss esti-
mated at Sl0, 900; Egan's Wholesale iquo. es-
tablishment 1873 Seneca street. loss about S3O.-
600; the hardware establishment of Fowler a.
Son, 141 Seneca street formerly the Bensler
house,, estimated loss, $50, 900; the house and
store of Edw. Streiber, l43 Seneca street. occu-
pied as a fruit store, loss about $40 OOO and
doing great damage to the building and con-
tents OF Sidney, Shepard d Co.'S hardware
store and warehouse, where the damage
amounted to not less than S5O00O chiefly COW
cred by insurance. Careful estimates place the
loss at between $4,000, 600 and q. 200. 600, and
even this may be too low. More complete
figures will be given later.