St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-03
THESPIAN TORCHES.
The Fifth Avenue Theater De-
stroyed by Fire This
Morning.
Flames Wipe Out Hermann's
Playhouse and Gilsey
Building.
All Of Fanny Davenport's
cleopatra" Scenery Is
Destroyed.
The Total Loss Will Exceed
Five Hundred Thousand
Dollars.


New York, Jan. 2.-Eighteen years
ago to-day the Fifth Avenue theater,
then in the rear of the Fifth Avenue
hotel, on the Twenty fourth street SIDE,
disappeared in flame and smoke. With
ip short time after AuguStin DAILY had
old Apollo Hall, where the fam
GUS committee of seventy had its
birth, changed into play house.
Fifteen minutes OF SO tonight, after
Fanny Davenport, in the character OF
Cleopatra, had trod the boards OF the
Fifth avenue theater redivivus. and
the audience had passed out OF the
Broadway and Twenty-eight street ell
frances, a watchman ran out OF the
theater, screaming "Fire!" A few
seconds later fire engines were dashIng
up Broadway and until nearly O'Clock
this morning, new detachments were
still responding to additional signals
for help. What was at first believed
to be a false alarm proved to be one
that destroyed a whole block upon
Broadway, besides the Fifth Avenue
theater, Hermann's new playhouse, a
dozen stores, and threatened the Sturte-
want house on the east side of Broad
way, between Twenty-eighth and Twen-
ty-ninth streets. Up TO this writing,
while the fire is yet raging, no lives are
known to have been lost. There were
a dozen OF more
Narrow Escapes
and at one time it was thought that
three firemen, who were caught on the
roof top, would perish. For two of
these brave fellows, it was very lucky
that line of hose ran from the roof to
the street. The daring "laddies" took
advantage of this fact, and when
their comrades on the street gave them
up as lost. they slid down to
the street. But the other,
Il reckless sort of an individual, scOIned,
it seemed, to escape that way. He stood
his ground and was soon lost sight of in
the smoke. Ladders were hastily raised,
but the searchers failed to find
McGinnis-that was his name, it is
said-but, to the surprise of his
comrades. half an hour later the
brave man made his temperance
on the street. He had crawled along
the roof until he reached q hatchWay
through which ne made his escape. The
fire had been burning less than half an
hour before the flames shot through the
roof, causing the widest conster
nation among the guests OF the Brow
er house, on the northeast corner,
and the Sturtevant house. The shower
of sparks, which covered the pavement
of Broadway, also set fire to the aWn-
ings of the latter. To add TO the con-
fusion there were six explosions in the
Fifth Avenue theaier, which blew the
blazing rafters skyWard and these set
fire to the roofs of the buildings sur
rounding the burning theater. While
the
Firemen Were PovVerIess
20 do anything towards saving the play
houses, they worked nObly in prevent
ing the destruction of houses in the vi
cinity of the immense blaze. All the
property burned belongs to the Gilsey
estate, and the total damage to the
building and its contents is roughly
estimated at $500000. Manager Harry
Miner was early on the scene.
as was also Prof. Hermann. While the
former saved nothing from the wreck.
the professor and his wife worked like
beavers. Mrs. Hermann saved her four
pet doves, but her husband SorrOWfully
said that his favOrite trick apparatus,
worth $4,000, was lost to him for
ever. The occupants of the stores
on the west side of Broad
way from Twenty-eighth to Twenty
ninth streets, which number from 1855
to 1908, were as follows: No. 1855, j. j.
Slater, shoes; No. 1887 was the side en-
trance to the Fifth Avenue theater; No.
1889 was occupied by the Cash Register
company; No. 1lq1, j. B. Crook
& Co., sporting goods; No.
1893, L. Spero, tailor; No. 1876,
1897, A. E. Kirch, florist: No. 1899, J. B..
White, jeweler; No. 1901, Wissman,
florist, and No. 1903, Hannan 81 Son,
shoes. The goods in all these stores are
badly damaged by water. and should the
walls topple in the salvage will
be very small. They are shaky
at present, and the tiremen. aware of
their condition. for safety sake are work
ing from the opposite sides of Broad
way and West Twenty eighth street.
and the roofs of the houses to the west
ward. The first of the series of explO-
sionS, which are thought to have been
caused by the
Bursting of Gas Tanks,
came very near being serious affair,
for dozen or more firemen, under the
leadership of Battalion Chief McCabe.
were at that moment working in the
auditorium of the Fifth avenue theater.
They were almost blown into the
streets, with several reporters.
At intervals of every few min
minutes, explosion followed eX-
plosion. The fremen did not know
what was coming next, and they were,
for the first time in the history of the
department. more or less frightened.
But they soon rallied. Ladders were
raised and the water towers and several
n0zzes with "Siamese four WAYS, were
doing their best to stay the spread Of
the fierce flames. The stiff breeze
which was blowing from the
northward got In its fine work, and there
was no stopping the fire. 1t had simply
TO burn itself out and to the chagrin of
the fire department. Hermann's new
theater, which has recently been rebuilt
at considerable expense, was found to
be afire after the fourth explosion.
In this building, years ago,
the San Francisco minstrels- Birch.
Wambold and Baccus-kept many an
audience in rOars of laughter. And the
place in the olthwest corner of TWEEN
E-eighth street and Broadway is well
known 20 the gamblers of twenty years
Ago. In the basement Johnson kept his
pool room. and it was there John j.
Scanned murdered Tom Donohue. The
Fifth Avenue theater, or old Apollo
hall, famous for politics and plays since.
1t was remodeled by Mr.. DAILY, and
has been run by Harverly. and at the
time of its destruction, was being