The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-19
A 100000 FIRE.
St. Paul is the Sufferer This
Time.

| i"ES "duidScu OclDS those OF
Grlggs, Cooper & Co., wholesale gro
cories, and Farwoll. Osmun, Kirk &
Co., wholesale hardware. The total
loss is estimated at from 100000 to
Sl,o00,000. Tho losses are covered bv
insurance. Tho building occupied by
the two firms is 4 brick and stone struc-
ture, five stories in height, and has a
frontage on Third street of three hun
dred feet and on Broadway Of two hum
dred feet. Griggs, Cooper & Co. occupy
two thirds of tho building.
FLAMES first made their appearance
at 11:44 o'clock in the fourth floor of
Griggs, Cooper e Co.'S building. Within
less than five minutes the fire depart-
ment was on hand in force, but tho gen
eral alarm had to be turned in soon
afterwards. The fire was in the upper
stories. Grisgs, Cooper & Co. s store is
divided in halves by a fire wall running
from Third street to the rear, and from
Farwell, Osmun, Kirk & Co.'S bv n
party wall. The fremen could there
fore reach the flames from only tLree
sides, being cut off on the east by tho
nre wall. However they mounted lad
ders and bravely faced the flames which
were almost licking their faces and sent
streams horizontally through the win
dows, thus reaching tho center and east
side of the floor
The fire rapidly Quilted the top floor,
and in half an hour from the time the
alarm was sent in the flames we're
leaping heavenward through tho roof.
The efforts of the iiremen were dircct ted
toward keeping tho flames confined
TO tue top floors. They wero only par
TALLY successful, however, for at q few
minutes before ten O'CLOCK tho flames
worked down tho rear elevator shaft
and set fro to the stool, Of 1000 barrels
of sugar stored on the second floor, 100
barrels of which were put in last Mon
day. The sugar burned fierceiy, and
SIX streams were soon directed on this,
succeeding after hours of hard work in
drowning out tho flames.
Through the roof the flames wero
communicated TO tho adjoining build
ing, where they made rapid progress,
the upper floor being all aflame. Tho
firemen turned their attention to saw
ing the floors below, and by dint of
hard work for a time succeeded in con-
fining most of the damage to this floor,
though the loss in this department
"AOiiS VIII luJlY GOUO,UUU, rs inc
more costly and lighter grades of hard
ware we've stored on this floor. But
the fire had too firm a hold to be thus
easily vanquished. The flames crept
downward in the hardware building by
the elevator shaft, and one by one the
third, second and first floors succumbed
to the flames.
The fire in Griggs, Cooper Sc Co.'s
building at this time took fresh start
and burned downward to the ground
floor. The fire department. fought
valiantly but against terrible odds, and
at $3.50 o'clock tho building was in such
shaky condition that it was dangerous
to approach it closely. The flames set
lire to the rear of the frame building
used by the Northern Pacific News
Company, and two employees named
Curry and Bauer attempted to extin.
guish this. While they were at work
tho walls tottered and the crowd
shouted in terror to the two men. They
made rush and were mono too soon, for
just as they escaped the walls of Far
we'll, OSmun, Kirk 81 Co. IS building fell
outward and the place where they had
stood but moment before was covered
with pile of brick and stone
Several attempts made to save the
stock in the less exposed parts of the
building were without avail, and tho
complete destruction of both stock and
buildings seemed inevitable. The
burned block extended on the south
side of Third street from the corner of
Wasanta. to within fifty feet of Rosa
bel, is five stories highland belongs to
ID. G. Shepherd. 1t was estimated 10
be worth 100000.
The losses are estimated as follows:
Farwell, Osmun, Kirk &. Co, 500, 900;
insurance, $l50,O00; Griggs, Cooper 81
Co.. S350,000; insurance, $3.50, 900; the
loss on tho building, S200,00O: covered
by insurance. The total loss is $3.50, 900
The flames were under control at 4:3O
o'clock this morning, but were fast con-
Stunning what remained of the stock
No definite information is obtainable as
to tho cause of the fire, but it is thought
to have originated IN some unknown
manner in tho packing room on tho
fourth floor
The fire department was considerably
handicapped by the weather, the mer-
curry ranging around zero all night.
Help was called for from Minneapolis
while the fire was at it's height, and
the engines from that city rendered
effective service. Griggs, Cooper & Co.
have secured other quarters, and are
ready for business this morning as
though the fire had not occurred. Both
firms saved all their books and ac-
counts. Farwell, Osmun e Kirk will
also continue business without inter-
ruptiUn.