The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-07-04
THE FLAMES FEASTED.

AAS u D4tiu NlcnotBDn % oFOGEfY
House In ST. Louis Together with the
Finest Stock Of Wet and Dry Groceries
In the City-Seyeral Small Establish.
ments Adjoining and AbuttinE Crushed
by Falling walls and Partially Consumed
The Loss Fully . Quarter Of . Million.
but Well Insured.
ST. LOUIS, June 30.-Maddened BY
fright, screaming, cursing and groan-
ing, the guests at the Ivy house, at No.
II North sixth street, rushed from their
rooms and climbed down the fire escape
in their night clothes at 4 o'clock this
morning.
Smoke was pouring from the win
dows of Nicholson's grocery house,
next door. Engines and hose carts
were rattling up the street, glass was
cracking in the windows of the La
clede hotel across the street. and the
guests of that hostelry were leaving
their rooms in terror and, displaying
more fear than modesty, were rushing
about the halls in scant attire seeking =
place of safety.
Flames darted out of every window
in Nicolson's establishment. and for u
time it looked as il everything in sight
would be consumed.
The fire was discovered in the third
story of Nicholson's place few minutes
before 4 o'clock, and when the firemeu
arrived at the scene the flames had shot
down the well hole in the center of the
building and were curling around the
stock on the second and first floors
The blaze spread with amazing rapidity
and the huge streams of water thrown
into tie building seemed to have no
effect.
Part of the contents of the building
was of combustible nature, and made
such good food for the flames that it was
not long before they had attacked and
weakened the walls themselves
About 4:l5 the north wall began to
totter, and suddenly the west end of it
fell, crashing into c. Boekelbrinck's
cigar-store and Ticknor's tailor shop. at
Is and Il North Sixth. These were one
story buildings, and were completely
demolished by the heavy mass of brick
which crushed their roofs as il they had
been made of paper. The blazing
embers started a blaze in these places
also, and the flames slowly crept
around the corner to the little stores on
Chestnut street
BY this time the Nicholson building
was nothing more than a blazing she'll
Back at the corner of the alley lowered
a huge chimney which seemed to have
been completely separated from the
rast of the block by the flames Fire
men, policemen and spectators were
rushing to and fro in its very shadow.
Suddenly there came a cry of warming.
and the people rushed frantically across
the street The big chimney began to
lean over and slowly and majestically
it fell to the ground, crushing the Office
of the Heinrich Coal Co. at $40 Chest
nut Bricks and debris flew into the
street, and had not the people there re
ceived warning a number would doubt
less have lost their lives.
The fall of the chimney caused the
flames to spread along Chestnut and +.
Oelker's shoe store and ii. L. Ermatin-
gers hat store and L. Eckerle's tailor
shop were in ruins
Just at this time some one declared
that two men had been asleep in Book
elbrinck's cigar store when the fire
broke out and that they had been
crushed under the wall when it fell.
The firemen forced their way through
the binding smoke and were cropping
around amid the debris, when BOckel-
brincks clerk called them back saying
he was the only person who slept in the
building and that he had been aroused
and made his escape at the first alarm.
The heaviest loser in the fire was
Divid Nicholson, whose stock of fancy
groceries, both imported and domestic,
dry and wet, valued at s24o,O0O, was
over two-thirds destroyed The in
,urance is slT2,OOO. The building,
owned by the Nicholson estate, was
damaged to the extent of $4,000. The
other losers were Charles Humes & Co,
hardware, stock damaged by water,
Sc, 900; C. Bockelbrinck, cigar dealer,
$4,000; +. Oelker. boots and shoes,
81, 200; ii. L. Ermatinger, halter, 81, 900;
L. Eckerle, tailor. $500; $. Ticknor.
tailor. $500; Heinrich Coal Co, 500 All
the losses were partially covered by in
surance. The Ivy house, in which the
panic occurred, was scarcely damaged
at all. The cause of the fire is not
known.