The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-11-18
Famous Clothing Company, Sonnenfelds
Millinery House and Penny e. Gentles's
Dry. Goods Establishment Destroyed.
Total Loss Will Reach 81, 100000, Which
Is Fully Covered by Insurance.
Other Firms Damaged or Burned 0ut-Sev-,
eral Persons Injured and One NJ an Missing
Arson Confessed BY Book Keeper.
BIG BLAZE AT ST. LOUIS.
Several Large Retail Houses Burned, Causin
Total Loss OF 81 800, 900.


Total Loss of 81, 100000.
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 1.-THE cold wave which
reached this city last evening was the cause
of one of the most disastrous fires which
has visited ST. Louis in many years. at an
early hour this morning one person was
probably killed. two badly hurt, and
S1.0OO.0O0 OF property went up in smoke.
AT about 4:30 o'clock fire was discovered
in the furnace-room of the large dry goods
establishment Of Penny & Gentles, on the
corner of Franklin avenue and Broad
way. The watchman quickly turned in
an alarm. and. seeing the terrible velocity
with which the flames greedly devoured
the inflammable material in the basement
sent in second and. within ten minutes
after the discovery of the fire, general
alarm was sounded. which brought the
whole fire department to the scene. But
notwithstanding the heroic WORK of the
firemen the flames quickly ate their
way to the top of the building,
and. within an incredibly short space of
seething flames, the roar of the fire being
heard two or three blocks away. A cold,
high, westerly wind was blowing at the
time, rendering the work of the firemen
almost useless as the water poured on the
burning building seeming to have the effect
more of oil than water.
The flames spread to Sonnenfeld's milli-
| merry store, south of Penny d GentIes, on
Broadway. This is the largest establish
ment of Its kind in st. Louis, occupying
| four floors of the north end of the Famous
| Building. The most strenuous efforts
| of the tiremen to quench the flames seemed
| like those of hliputIans, and, notwith-
| standing ther noble work, the fire swept on
| toward the south. eating its way through
thick fire.proof walls into the mammoth
| shoe and clothing-h house of the Famous
| company. This is the largest house of the
| kind in the West, and here is where the
| most destruction was wrought by the
| seemingly unquenchable fire fiend. The
| Famous company occupy the building on
| Morgan street and Broadway. about 125
feet front and scventy-five feet deep, four
stories high.
| As soon as the fire attacked the Famous
establishment the flames here found ready
| fuel. aud the firemen's efforts were futile
| to stay the spread of the devouring element.
| They, therefore, turned their attention to
| saving adjoining property on Broadway,
| franklin avenue and Morgan street. The
IRE was SO hot, however. that no one
| could remain on the street facing the
| burning buildings and ID. Crawford& Co.'s
| immense dry goods store on the southwest
| corner of Broadway aud Franklin avenue
was greatly damaged by The terrible heat,
| which broke the thick window glass and
started fire in that building. the whole
| front part of the store at one time being
| on fire, but the firemen by almost super
| human efforts managed finally to subdue
| the flames. By this time the heat from the
| other side of the street had subsided some
| what, enabling the firemen to go on Broad
| way and fight the flames from better
| vantage ground,
| NARROW ESCAPE OF FIREMEN.
| at 5:45 the walls on the west side of the
Famous and Sonnenfelds building fell into
the west alley with a loud crash, and a mo-
ment later the walls of the Famous fell. A
squad of firemen at work in the alley mar
rowly escaped being caught under the fall
| ing walls. Shortly after O'clock flame
| appeared at the cornlce of the Weinman
House, which is directly opposite the
| Famous on tho east side of Broadway. !.
In a few moments the roof and upper story
of the largo four story building were q
| mass of flames. The dense smoke from the
fire on the other side of the street made it
impossible for the firemen to work at this
point for some time, but a lull in the wind,
or rather change in the direction. swept
the smoke away and gave the fire laddies o
chance to combat the flames.
Before the department. could obtain the
mastery, however. the TO " of retail stores
from the northeast corner of Franklin
avenue and Broadway to the middle of the
block were badly damaged. These were as
follows: Square-deal Clothing Company.
L. Il. Stowe ~ Co., groceries; Mrs. NJ. Tobin
millinery; the top floors Of this building
were occupied by the Weinman House.
the guests of which made their es-
cape in safety; G. Thai 81 Co., clothiers;
New York Millinery Company and the
Koppetman Furniture Company. The row
of stores on Franklin avenue were
also badly scorched. These build
ings were occupied by the following
firms: o. W. Heyer drugs; Ed. L. BOIL.
hats: Grierson ~ Co., hats; L. III. Kortkainp
d Co.. jewellers; st. Louis Tailoring Com
pany. Next to the Penny 81 Gentile's
store, Oh Franklin avenue. was the dry
goods EN- porIum of Thomas Hodson.
The firms occupying the Famous build
ing. outside of the Famous Shoe and Cloth
ing Comnany and the Sonnenfeld Mil
inery Colnpany, were: Mcdonald Brothers,
hats: G. III. Clements. shoes: Charles Silk,
| gents furnishings and cloaks. and Specht
q Ritter, clothing. These were destroy ed,
nothing but n pile of ashes marking the
| place where stood three of the largest dry.
goods and clothing houses in the West.
The fire throws aDont fifteen hundred pee
pie out of EN- ployment. a majority of them
being in the service of the Famous com
pany. One life was probably lost. and four
persons were injured by the fire. The
whereabouts of night watchman Jasper
employed by the Sonnenfeld Millinery
Company. have not been discov'
cred, and it is thought that he
was killed. Firemen John Linch and
Alonzo SIMON were hit on the head
by falling bricks and badly hurt-the for
mer seriously that 1t was necessary tt
remove him to his home. Mike Conners,
roomer at the Weinman House. corner o.
| Broadway and Morgan street. jumped from
third-story window, and his life was
saved by the fall being broken by electri,
wires. However, his leg was broken. A
:. Taylor. a newspaper man. received {
severe shock from an electric wire and wa
hit by falling debris.
sw.ns kalI