The record-union., 1891-11-18
St. Louis Suffers From a Disas-
trOus COnnagratiOn.
STORE AFTER ST RE GOES DOWN II
THE FIERCE FLAMES
A Million anS Half Dolia1 Worth of
Property .urned Before the Firo
Was Gotten Under CohtroI-A Row
Of Tenement Houses Burned in
BroolSlyn-Ss. Ere SEQ Suffers to
the Extent OF $40 10.
Special to the REcoz UNION.

which reached this city last evening was
the cause Of one of the most disastrous
fires which has visited st. Louis in many
years. One person was probably killed,
four men badly hurt and million and a
half dollars worth of property went up
in smoke. The flames spread with
almost inconceivable rapidity, eating
their way through brick blocks as though
they were pine. a cold westerly gale
was blowing during the time the fire was
at its hight, rendering the work of the
firemen extremely difficult, and for a
time it almost seemed a hopeless task.
The water poured on the flames seemed
to act like oil instead Of extinguishing
them. Store after store went down be-
fore the fierce flames, and fears were en-
tertained for time that a second Chicago
disaster was imminent. The fire ragged
from 4:30 \. NJ. until 10 O'Clock before it
could be said to be fairly under control,
and tonight the engines are still pouring
water on the smoking debris.
The fire started in the furnace-room of
the large dry goods house of Penny q
Gentle, on the southwest corner of Broad
way and Franklin avenue, about 4:30
O'Clock this morning.
The watchman Immediately turned in
the alarm, and then second and third
within ten minutes, but the flames spread
so rapidly that general alarm was given,
which brought out the entire department.;
but before the engines arrived Penny q
Gentle'S dry goods store the Sonnenfeld
Millinery Company'S store and the MAN.
moth establishment of the Famous Shoe
and Clothing Company, occupying the
entire block of fuur-story buildings on
Broadway, between Franklin avenue
and Morgan street, were in flames, and
within two hours all the walls had fallen
and nothing was left but ashes and bent
and twisted iron girders.
Opposite is the immense dry goods
store of D. c. Crawford IL Co. The heat
was so intense that the whole front of
CrawfOrdS store, including the display
windows and all the show cases in the
front part of the store, from top to bot
tom, are badly damaged by the heat,
causing a loss of $4,000. On Franklin
avenue, opposite Penny u Gentle's. the
whole row, from Broadway to the allev,
was badly damaged.
Adjoining CrawfOrd's on Broadway the
following business houses were burned
out: Mcdonald Bros, hats; g. II. Glenn
ents, shoes; Charles Stix, gents furnish
ing and cloal1s; Mrs. Tobin, millinery:
+. Wendell d Co., New York Millinery
Company, the Square Dealing Clothing
Company, and the Weiman House, the
guests of which safely evacuated the
building.
On Franklin avenue, Just west of Penny
IL Gentle's, the general dry goods store
of Thomas HodsOn was damaged by
smoke and water TO the extent of $50, 600;
insured.
The fire shortly after 10 o'clock burned
itself out, and the fears that it would ex-
tend were relieved.
The fire throws about 1000 people out
of employment, the majority Of them be-
ing in the service of the Famous Com
pany, one Of the largest boot and shoe
houses in the West.
One life was probably lost, night
watchman Jasper, employed by the Son
nenfield Millinery Company, not having
been seen to-day. Fireman John Lynch
and Alonzo Simon We're badly injured by
falling debris. Michael Conners. a
roomer at the Weiman House, becom-
ing alarmed at the sight of the fire,
Jumped from the window and broke his
leg. a. S. Taylor, a newspaper man,
received a severe shock from electric
wires.
The losses are about as follows: Famous
Shoe and Clothing Company, 500, 900;
Penny & Gentle. $4,000; Sonnenfelds,
S245,G The minor losses will aggre-
gate $50, ,000 The insurance is about two
thirds Of the losses.
During the time this fire was burning
the handsome residence of Captain John
A. Scudder, in the aristocratic portion of
the city, was destroyed by fire, with a
house full of costly furniture The loss
will exceed $4,000; fully insured.
BIG BLAZE IN BROOKLYN.
BROOKLYN, Nov ia fire broke out
at O'Clock this morning on the third
floor Of the four-Story frame building, I2O
Nostrand avenue. The buildings were
occupied chiefly by the families of me-
chanics. The flames spread with great
rapidity and in half an hour four or five
buildings were blazing at once. Harry
and Edward Ashworth were rescued by
hremen from the top floor of 120. 4
butcher named Schnabel, who lived on
the second floor Of 120, rushed into the
street with a child in his arms He
wildly shouted that his wife, one of his
children, his mother-in-law and her two
children were i'll the building and were
burning to death. He ran up and down
the street in an excited way, calling upon
the firemen to save them. The fears of
Schnabel were not realized
The widest excitement existed among
the people in the neighborhood, and the
streets were filled with half-dressed, cry
ing women and frantic men. At O'Clock
the whole row, consisting of several
frame houses, was in flames, and every
available engine in Brooklyn was fight
ing the fire. Wild rumors We're circu-
lated Of whole families being lost but
they proved groundless. The loss on the
buildings is estimated at $4,000; fully
insured.
FIRE AT ST. PAUL.
ST. PAUL. Nov. 1S.-A. M-At midnight
q fire broke out in Griggs, Cooper d
Company's wholesale grocery establish
ment, on East Third street, in the heart
of the wholesale district The building
is doomed, and all efforts of the firemen
are being made to save the adjoining
buildings. The fire was not gotten un-
der control until I:30 A. NJ. Griggs.
Cooper Il Company's stock, valued at
over S3O0,O0O, IS total loss 70 fully in
sured.
The fire also attacked the wholesale
hardware building of Farwell, Osemun,
Kirk d Co., just east of Griggs, Cooper y
20. $, and 1t Will probably be total loss.
WHOLESALE HOUSES BURNED.
MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 1.-THE whole
sale houses OF the Minneapolis Glass
Company and Lindsay Bros. agricult-
ufal implements. were burned this morn
ing. The total loss will be nearly $780,
001; partially insured.
planning MILL BURNED.
NEWARK IN. j., Nov. I7.-John Rim
deli q Sons planning mill burned this
morning. Loss, 100000.
FIRE AT SAN FRANCISCO.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 17.-Y esterday
afternoon at $50 o'clock the most danger
Gus fire with which the department has
mad to cope in some months broke out in