The morning news., 1889-02-03
BUFFALO HAS A BIG FIRE.
THE LOSSES WILL AGGREGATE
S3,OOOOOO.

ably Killed by II Falling Wall.
BUFFALO, N. V, Feb. AT 2:35 o'clock
this morning fire was discovered on the
fourth door Of the five story building,
owned, and in gre t part, occupied by Root
q ke2tiHg, wholesale dealers IN sole leather,
at the corner OF Carroll and Wells street.
The fetocity Of the wind made it certain
That il tho fire got hold it would DO a
disastrous one. The building had front
age of 1874 feet on Carroll aud 1871 feet on
Wells streets, and was situated in the heart
of business blocks. 1t was separated only
by the breadth Of Carroll street from the
Prof Jewett block, fronting 1t. aud was di-
rect in line with the new six-story block Of
Sibey s. Holmwood, candy manufacturers,
on the opposite side of Wells street.
A HOTEL NEAR BY.
A little further north is the Proessel
| house, a massive six-st ry structure, whose
! guests were up and dressed a few minutes
after the alarm. They were scared, aud
they had good reason to be. for the com
mercal mea who largely composed its
guests, bad painful memories of hotel fires
in Buffalo, The flames bad a
good hold of the Root a.
Heating uuilling ana at $ O'clock the
flames we're boiling and soothing mass
9 tlrely fiLlng that part Of Carroll street
directly in front of the loomed bnilding. a
few minutes after 3 o'c ock the heat was 50
I, intense a. to bs unbearable even at Seneca
| street. The sky was Illuminated for many
miles ana crowds from all parts of the city
kept the police busy.
GRANDLY TERRIBLE.
At 3;15 O'Clock the raging mass of flame
was grandly terrible. Wells street was
being swept by a sheet of fire waited across
the two streets by the wind. At3:25 O'clock
the rear Cf the six story building Of Siblev
& HOLLYWOOD had caught AMI portions Of
tie back of the Broossel house were smok-
/ j <. There we're nearly fifty tons Of starch
slowed in the top fl or5 of the Sibloy
and Holm woods building, according to the
statement Of their employees, and the
starch burned like finder when once ignited
carrying the flames through from the rear
TO the front Of tho hui ding in few min
ates. At 3;27 O'clock the rear Of Surtto
and Stambac 3 d T. G. Reynolds stores
| on Seneca street were in full blaze. The
fire ran along the roof as though the ma
telial that comp sed it was paper.
THE HOTEL ON FIRE.
At $3.50 o'clock the south west corner Of
the BroeSsel house was burni 2 fast The
guests were moving out their baggage, and
u large uumber of firemen went TO the aid
| of the guests in the hotel The wind had
shifted to tho northwest and sleet was COM
ing down in torrents, which added to the
diluculJas under which the fl einen labored.
A5 3:40 O'Clock the roof OF s. f. Egaa's
1 whisky store, Just cast Of the Broessel house,
was on fire The hremen on the street direct
ed t. cir efforts to the building on the other
side Of the street. The front of the Broessel
| house had becO no a mass of flames Shortly
before O'Clock the sixth floor Of Sibley &
Ho woods store fell with a tremendous
crash, sending storm Of debris and eInbers
in all directions
SKY PARLoR OVEN.
At Vthis time tho top floor of the Jewett
building appeared like an oven. The scene
on Carroll street was appalling. o. the
mort side Of the street the Sibey a. Holm
wood building was in ruins and Jewett
building was blazing from basement to roof.
The large six story building occupied by
Moffatt Bros, Hoffeld d Co. and other
firms on the opposite side of the street. next
to the Root a. Keating ruins, was yet
| untouched, but at 4:lJ O'Clock tho cornices
Of the top story began b. blaze, though the
| firemen held them in check for a time. The
aalls Of The Jewett block now began to
bulge, and TIE crowd gave a howl of warn
| Ing to the hremen. At 4:lJ O'Clock the
walls fell with q shock that fairly shook the
| surrounding walls, aud before the c.oud Of
dust cleared away terrible panic took
place and frantic struggle was made in
| getting out the horses from a stable next TO
the JeNetU block.
FALL OF THE HOTEL WALLS.
By 4:0j O'Clock, the Broessel house was
abandoned 10 the flames and at 4:15o'clock.
| th- front Of the 3r essel house fell in with
a laundering crash, and the firemen in
front narrowly escaped. One fireman was
feled TO the ground, but heroic fellow
worker rushed to his assist nee and carried
him Of. Despite the efforts of t1s fremea,
| Egan's whisky store was in full. blaze
| Tuere was nothing TO do but leave the fire
to run its c1u Sc.
h At4:4O O'Clock, fire burst through the
| froqt Of tho Seuaca street store of August
Egs aud an empty store room adjoining
Fowler e. Sons place was
filed with seasoned wood, for
carriages. Adjoining was small fruit
store, aud then came Sidney Shepard &
Co.'S. mammoth stamping works. At 3
o'cock the Seneca street stores, up 30 Snep-
ards. mad been well gutted, The wind by
this time had died out
The fire extends from A. J. Kerr a. Co.'S,
! down Seneca street, 30 Sidney Shepard d.
| Co.'S. Wells street is burned through 10
Exchange street. ard tho corner j., burned
out completely TO the Arli gton house.
The loss win reach S200O,0O0
ONE MAN PROBABLY KILLED.
About noon a number Of 1remen we're at
work az the rulhs al the rear ut the Arlin2-
! ton hotel whe the western wall Of the rear
/ az extension fell without any warning
/ One fireman was badly hurt by flying bricks,
/ aud another was completely buried in the
! ruins and probably instantly killed.
! II ofiici 4 records show that between 3
and o'clock this morning the wind main
taineI a l0cty Il thirty miles an hour
| and at tunes, between 4 O'Clock
reached lAlrty-h7e miles. Ths hrs, begin
mig 10 the bg Root d Heating building,
spr sd by contact or force Of tho
/ high wind blowing at the time in all
| directions bnt chiefly 10 the northward and
eastward. Wells street Is u comp etc desert
| from Seneca to Exchange streets--an ap-
| bailing chaos Of brick, twisted iron and an
| inextrlcabe tangie Of wires. The total area
! included . the burnt district is roughly
estimated at seven or eight acres and the
! total number Of buildings destroyed or
| gutted at forty.
THE INSURANCE.
! The principal losses are insured as follows:
Root q EeAipg ......-.....S ; 1000
! Te aus of Root q keatlng ............. 5000
/ S. s. Je ct a Co .-t..+...+. -t+.+..... HJO)J
| Fowler & Co................ ............... $1,000
! S. i. EagaG ...........,.... .......... 5000
! sldusy Shepard & Co ................... 10000
Arlington upiel........ ... 60. 1000
/ A 4 Kerr & Co....... ............. .... 5000
/ Stroatinan s build ngs and tenants ..... 5OgJvJ
] fs.v. s4u AZ III