Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-01-05
faE new YoaK r1Rs
Cause Hot Known-Looaoo and h
surance-No Iiveo Lost.

broke ont In the Fifth Avenue Thsatza las,
Right and communicated 70 several other
buildiugs was under control st 8 80 this
morning. 4 careful estimats places H.
total loss at S567 coo, more than half q
which tails upon the insurance campsniss.
Never in the history Of the IRE dspalsnsat
Of this city we're the members called upon
to battle with such herce nsmes.
So far there 10 no positive explanation
gwen OF the origin Of the Gre. There 10 .
supposition, however, that . cigarette,
thrown carelessly away while still burning,
was the cause. Then. again, il 10 said that
there vas come smoke seen In the Fifth
Avenue Theatre previous to the fiss. which
could not be accounted for. But thin Mr..
says the fire started In the sapes' room Of
the Fifth Avenue Theatre.
When the dfe was At ito height Herr.
mann's Theatre was given up for lost, but
now that the IRE has exhausted itself. il 10
plainly evident that the building II not 20
badly damaged after all. the greatest dam
sge being done BY water. Prof. Hermann
says the total loss will not exceed ea5, 600.
The only cssualty reported 30 far 10 that
Of Battalion Officer Foster, Who was over.
come by the heat, but he soon recovered.
A rumor was started to the effect that
there were some lives lost. but . careful
investigstion by the police and dremsn
happily failed to confirm the rumor.
Crowds gathered around the scene Of the
IRE as soon a. the sun was up today, and
all the forenoon the neighborhood Was nlled
with people who eaxed curiously on The
ruins and watched the engines. Streams Of
water were still being poured on the burn
ing buildings.
Save for the eharred and blackened walls
of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, and for the
burned northwest corner Of the upper story
Of the Sturtevant House on the opposite
side of the street, it would be hard to
realize that the city had been only .
few hours aso visited by . confis-
grafton which threatened to wipe out
almost the wealthiest portion Of the
town. Fire engines we're playing this morn
ing on the ruins of the Fifth Avenue Thea
tre from both the Broadway and the Twsn-
ty' eisth street sides of the building. The
walls of the theatre still etood but inside.
the foyer and the auditorium was q mace Of
smoking iimbefs. 1t was the
the thickness Of the wall Of the theatre
which secured from complete destruction
Hermsn's Theatre. and which therefore
saved the entire block between Twenty.
eisth and rwenty-ninth streets.
Numerically opposite the theatre, on
the northeast corner Of T~enty-ninth
street. the Sturtevant House showed the
effects Of the blaze, for the rooms in the
northwest corner Of the mansard roof were
burned out, and the roof itself at that cor
Na thaw 80 nf he -
was damaged except by water. and the part
that was touched by the fire included only
eight rooms, from which the guests had
ample time to escape without the semblance
of dnmsse to themselves.
While the Giisey building, which covers
the ground on the Broadway eide from the
street does not appear to be very badly
damaged, the interior is in q dilApidated
state. The stores below, while they escap-
ed the flames. suffered greatly from water.
There was rumor that the explosions
which shook the neishbnrhood during the
prevalence of the fire were caused by the
gun powder in j. B. Crook & Co . sporting
goods store, on the ground floor Of 1889
The police and fremen say
that such 10 not the case, and that the ex.
plosions occurred in the Fifth Avenue
Theatre, and ~as probably caused by the
calcium light tanks, gas metres. or oil bar
rels.
The following is q complete list Of losses
as estimated by the police:
Fifth Avenue Theatre, owned by the
6ilsey estate, q total loss. damage $780,
0Oo; Harry C. Miner. lessee of the build.
ing, loss Ss0,0On; Fanny Davenport, the
actress, loses S50. 900; the Gilsey building,
No. lIS5 to 1908 Broadway, owned by the
Gil.ey estate. Sl00, 900; No. lls5, ground
floor, j. J. Slater, shoe dealer, loss by
water, $500; basement occupied by the
Cash Register Co., water damage,
$1,000; J. B. Crook 4 Co., sporting goods,
loss by water, Sic, 600; s. s. Pero. tailor.
a similar amount; the Staten Island Dye
ing Company. $1,000; J. P. Herman. tailor,
$1,000; ID. Roth, jeweler. $1,000; d. Car.
dealer in furnishing goods. $1,000;
J. Fl Grojean. dealer in furnishing goods,
$1,000; J. C. DeveDs. corsets and under
wear, $1,000; E. A. Brooks, shoes, $4,000;
HermaDn's Theatre, S25 600; Sturtevsns
House. by fra and water, $25, 900; Nos. 33
and 35 West Twenty eighth street, known
as the Gilsey mansion, $1,000. In addition
to these, there are number of smaller los
ses. ranging from S5er % $1,000.
II was not till an hour before daylight
that Chief BeDner ordered the reserves to
be dismissed.