St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-28
A SUSPICIOUS BLAZE.
Fire and Water Play Havoc
for the Powers Dry Goods
Company.
A Loss Estimated to Reach
$f50,000, and Perhaps
Higher.
UndoIbted Evidence That the
Blaze Was Of Incendiary
Origin.
The Fire Board Discusses the
Subject OF a Salvage
Corps.

Corps.
The first serious fire of the season in
ST. Paul occurred yesterday. An alarm
was turned in from Wacouta and Fourth
streets at l 20 p. NJ, and in few mo-
men;S ii was seen that the Powers Dry
Goods company'S warehouses were on
fire. The heat had broken window in
the third story, and the volume of smoke
arising from it showed that the fire had
been burning for considerable time.
The first alarm was given by Samuel c.
Stickney, of 653 Goodrich avenue. Chem
ical Engine No. was on the scene five
minutes afterwards, and the Fourth
street door of the Schultz building
(Which, with the Dickerman building,
are occupied by the Powers company,
was broken in. The floor and fixtures
directly inside the door were found in
flames. and the crew OF the chemical
set about eXtinguishing this apparently
Insignificant source of so much smoke.
Almost Immediately after the arrival OF
the chemical Chief jackson drove up.
He remarked at once that no such vol
umes of smoke had proceeded from the
fire on the first floor. and little investi-
CATION showed that an entirely separate
contiagration was raging on the third
floor OF the same building. Asecond alarm
was turned in and in very few mo-
mentS no less than dozen streams of
water We're being poured into the
building. The smoke was SO
dense at first that access to
the third floor could not he gained, and
the fremen were compelled to work
from ladders. Gaining ground. how
ever, they at last got q footing inside
the windows aud,
After a Severe Struggle.
got the flames under control. Later II
was found that Il slow fire was burning
III the basement of the Schutte block,
and the cellars were flooded. At l:35
it seemed to those watching the
progress of the fire and the
efforts Of the department, that
the entire place was going to burn. 1t
appeared that the interior was mass
of flame and smoke. A very deluge of
water was discharged on every floor. 1t
ran out in black streams from tile street
openings, running everything in its de-
scent. The actual damage from fire
was slight. had the flames been con-
fined 10 one department it would have
been much easier for the department to
deal with them and the loss would have
been infinitely less. There was abso-
Iutely no connection discoveraule be-
tween the fire on the first floor and that
on tie third. Each was rag
got 20 work, and the effect
is separate so far as damage by fire is
concerned. Eugene F. Powers. vice
president OF the company,ar arrived on the
ground shortly after the outbreak. He
resides at the Portland hotel, and was
notified by messenger. The fire was
under control at 1:45. Mr.. Powers was
found in his Office at2 O'Clock. He
stated to a GLOBE representative that
he had no idea how the fire could have
started. He was utterly unable to give
an estimate of
The COmpany's Loss,
but from the character of the nerchan-
die damaged it was bound to be heavy.
The building occupied by the Powers
Dry Goods company are the Schultz ana
Dickerman blocks. extending from 22S
TO 240 East Fourth street. The loss on
the building in which the fire occurred
will be comparatively slight, not more
than $500. 1t is fully insured.
Chief jackson, OF the fire department.
stated last night that the fire could have
been arrested long before it had attained
such proportions had the usual precau-
ton been practiced of employing a
WatchmaE and the use of mercurial fire
alarms. Ihe Powers company was one
Of very few firms in the wholesale dis
trirt which do not employ watchmen.
Almost all wholesale houses use the
mercurial alarm, specially constructed
thermometer which turns IN fire
alarm by tie rise of the mercury to
point at which it comes into con.
tact with a needle and completes
an electric circuit. This device would
have called out the department when
the temperature on the third floor
reached 40 degrees, and the destruction
would have been reduced One-half.
The cause of the fire is so far un-
known. Chief Jackson, when asked for
his opinion. said that there was every
indication that the fire had been incen-
diary. 1t is impossible to account for
the existence of several separate and
distinct fires burning at the same time
III any other way.
AlonZo j. Powers, president of the
company, is in New York. He was
notified shortly after the FIRE broke out
by telegraph.
The work of the fire department was
admirable. Tie response was prompt
the measures used effe ctive and rapid
Loss and Insurance.
Eugene +. Powers was seen last even
Ing. He was adverse to speaking about
the origin of the fire, but admitted that
the indications pointed to incendiar-
ism. Subsequently ne related an Incl
dent occurring soon after the outbreak
which may lead TO az elucidatlon of the
problem now existing as 90 how the fire
started. Mr.. Powers was standing OH
the WacOuta side of the building when
IL occurred to him TO dispatch an en-
plOye TO the rear of the
house to see if any of
the doors or windows had been tam
pered with. In the alley al the rear of
the store are the double doors through
which merchandise is received. These
doors are double barred and locked
when the place is closed. There are
three sets of doors. two of them boiling.
the third being secured by heavy iron
bars, as well as bolts. The man re-
turned in few moments and reported
that the doors were all unbOlted and
the iron bars thrown down. here was
every evidence that the place had been
broken into. When asked whether
there was any reason for suspecting
foul play from any employe present OF
discharged Mr.. Powers again became
.etcent. There exists. however. not
sht slightest doubt that the building
4aS deliberately set on fire. The person
-esponsible for the deed gained Ingress
snrough the receiving gates in the aliey.