River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-09-19
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A CARNIVAL OF FLAME.

"A big Dry-Goods Store at Louisville
Burns with Loss Of aT5O.0O0 D. Its
Failing Walls XIII So Flremen- Heavy
Losses Caused by fhe Burning of the St
Joseph (mo.) Exposition building, and a
Blaze in the One at Chicago.
LOUISVILLE, Ky, Sept 16-Six tiremen
were killed and several badly hurt in fire
here Sunday night Soon after 10 O'Clock
hames were seen bursting from the win
dows on the third floor Of Banberger,
Bloom & Co.'S wholesale dry-goods and
notion house. which fronts on Main street
between Sixth and Seventh streets
Five minutes later part of tie roof
fell in The fire department was
out in full force promptly and
ten minutes after the first alarm balf a
dozen streams were playing on the burning
building, but II was soon clear that moth
ing could save it and the hose was turned
upon the Louisville Hotel, two blocks
away. That building was smoking,
and IL was a sharp half-hour's fight
to make its safety reasonably sure.
Tho guests of the Louisville. as well as
OF Seelbach's Hotel at the corner of the
block. poured out number mostly
frightened servants Were taken from the
second and third stories by means of lad
ders They joined at once the crowd of
sight-seers which gathered In half an
hour to the number OF 10000. The
fire originated in Bamberger, Bloom Il
Co q. and Waterman McGrath who turned
In the alarm, said tha whole building
was aglow when he discovered the fire.
An explosion occurred soon after, and a
fireman who had Just arrived was
knocked over by it, but not hurt
few minutes after the explosion, how
ever, an awful accident occurred por-
tion of the high walls from which the sup
ports had been burned gave way and
crashed to the ground, burying nearly
dozen men. Six were killed outright and
several others were so badly hurt that their
recovery is considered doubtful Those
known to have been killed are: Captain
Ed Early, Ed Wheeler, Pat Eelsy, John
Steosiyhrer and Fran'- Monahan.
A conservative estimate of the loss on
stock is $780, 600 The insurance is heavy
and will about cover the loss. The build
ing was a double six-story, owned by the
firm, and valued at $75 900.
ST. JOSEPH, No. Sept l6.-The St Joseph
exposition met with great disaster sun
day night The crowd during the day and
night was far greater than at any time
since the opening. About 1899 O'Clock p.
m, Just as the entertainment in
the great amphitheater had closed fire
broke out in the main hall, a magnificent
building / 900 feet in length and filled with
all manner of exhibits The entire building
and contents were oonsumedin spite of the
most heroic efforts on the part of the fire
department II Is understood that moth
ing was saved but the carriage which
was built TO convey General Fafayette
during his visit to this country in 1872 Tho
exposition grounds are located two miles
from the city and at this hour details of the
fire have not been received The origin of
the fire is said to come from the electric
lights. The exposition will cOntinI =, but
Will be short of its vast exhibits IN the
main hall The loss must exceed <250,0O
CHICAGO, Sept 10. At 1920 O'Clock Sat-
urday night q red flake of carbon sput-
tered from an electric arc light in the booth
containing Gossage & Co.'S exhibit at the
exposition The spark lit on linen napkin
and feeble flicker soon appeared In a
moment the blazing napkin ignited other
fabrics, and the oxygen in the almost air
tight chamber was speedily consumed.
When the door was thrown open
the in-rushing air coming in con-
tact with the gases created by
the fire caused an explosion that shat
tered the glass sides of the neighboring
booths, and in less than a minute thou
sands Of dollars worth OF the finest linens.
silks and embroideries was ablaze. The
booths in this part of the bui ding con
tanned the exhibits of Marshall Field a.
Co, Gossage & Co, j. H. Walker &
Co, Schlesinger & Mayer, the lead
ing dry-goods houses OF Chicago.
Many pieces of costly fabrics imported,
and having no duplicates in this country,
were on exhibition Costumes from
worth's, furniture of the most exquisite
make pianos and frail stained glass pieces,
were near by. In the building was $780,
600 worth of valuable goods and machinery,
and within 200 feet more than
5000 worth of paintings and statuary.
Rarely was so exquis te and costly spread
laid before a fire. Plate-glass half inch
thick melted like icicles, and the rafters
seventy feet above, blistered in the heat.
Through this solid heat the fire patrolmen
plunged and in a twinkling had spread 2O0
tarpaulins.
Ten thousand people were in the build
ing, and 5000 lost their wits The big doors
in the center were wide open. and the peo-
pie near them stopped to watch the fire.
Those at either end of the building and
farthest away went Wild They smashed
windows, climbed over each other and
burst open doors At the lunch counter
people seized chairs and flung them at the
windows when doors were open within
forty feet of them Several ladies tainted
and were bruised in the crush, but no one
was reported as seriously hurt
The fire was quickly put out The iani-
tor of the art gallery closed its doors be-
fore the alarm was sounded. and not the
slightest damage was done the works on
exhibition. Except the booths in the i'm
mediate vicinity no damage was done
either by fire or smoke. The tarpaulins
and the care of the firemen prevented the
usual destruction by water and the smoke
drew out OF the skylights like ohimneys.
The damage to the Exposition building
was estimated by insurance men at 81, 00J,
mostly broken glass All but one of the
exhibitors who lost by the fire were in
sured The aggregate losses are estimated
as follows:
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