Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-11-20
Further Particulars of the Big Con-
tlagratiOn in St. LOuis-The
Insurance..
Dry Goods. Shoes, Millinery and
Furniture, All Go Up in
Smoke.
The Estimated Cost of the Blockade
of Vessels at Sault Ste
Marie.
The Firemen Worked Nobly.

ST. LOUIS, Nov. l8.-At 4:30 o'clock a.
m fire was discovered in the millinery
store of Penny &, Gentles, corner of
Franklin avenue and Broadway. A Sec
ond and third alarm was sounded within
fifteen minutes and the almost complete
force of the fire department responded.
The flames spread at a rapid rate, their
material which they fed upon being of
highly inflammable character. A strong
west wind was blowing at the time and
made the work of the fremen perilous,
and for time fruitless. Within half
an hour the large drsss goods store of
Sonnenfeld's, which adjo1ned Penny &
Gentle's, was afre, and the
Flames Were Working Their Way
to the Famous shoe store on the COR
ner Of Broadway and Morgan streets.
-Four tiremen were caught in the Fam
GUS building and were overcome by
smoke, and they We're rescued by their
companions. The weather was bitter
cold and the firemen, hose, wagons and
all matter not in the immediate vicinity
OF the flames was covered with ice. The
dry goods house of D. Crawford & Co.,
and the furniture store of J. H. Powell
q Co., were badly damaged. The smoke
was SO dense and the odor of burning
ribbons, feathers, cloth and shoes so
strong that the fremen could not re-
main on the windward side of the fire.
The fire ragged for five hours and it was
only by the almost superhunan work of
the tiremen that a tremendous confay-
ration was avoided.
The Fire Spreads.
Across from Penny & Gentles OIL
Franklin avenue We're the establish
ments Of Grierronac, halter; Ed. f.
BOIL, and drug store OH the corner OF
Broadway and Franklin avenue. These
places were badly damaged by smoke
and water. The wind had by this time
died away considerably, and the fire
men were able to do better work with
greater success. The whole block on
the east side of Broadway between
Franklin avenue and Morgan street. in
Guiding the establishment of D. Craw-
ford was damaged by fire and smoke
BY 8 o'clock the block of buildings
which were filled with holiday goods
Was "a Mass of Charred Timbers,
and the main part Of the walls had
fallen. The stores Of Sonnenfelds,
Penny & Gentles and the Famous Shoe
house, the largest shoe house in the
West, were wiped out by the flames.
On Franklin avenue, opposite Penny &
Gentles' establishment, was block of
retail stores. These were seriously
damaged. At 10 o'clock the fire was
under control and no further damage
feared.
The Total Loss.
The loss of the Famous company OH
stock is 100000; insurance, $4OO, 900.
Penny & Gentles lose $175, 900; insur-
ance, 100000. Sonnenfelds lose $12o-.
600; insurance, $4,000. The other
losses will make the aggregate reach
nearly $2,000,O00. On the east side of
Broadway the Weinman house, four
story brick hotel, was completely de-
stroyed. The Square Deal Clothing
company" E. B. Stow & Co., grocers;
M. Toblin, millinery, and G. Thai & Co.,
clothing; the New York Millinery c NJ
pany and the Koppelman Furniture
company were so badly damaged by
smoke and water that their loss will be
total. The origin of tie fire is unknown.
but it is supposed to have been caused
by an overheated stove or defective
fue.