San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-11-11
Big FIRE.
FASHION THEATRE AND A
BUSINESS BLOCK
BURNED IN THE SIGHT OF
THOUSANDS.
The City Hall a Scene Of Splendor-
Destruction OF Valuable Mercan-
tile and Business Property
Toss Heavy.


many years broke out in the property
room of the Fashion theatre last evening
about quarter before six o'clock. The
theatre is located on the west side of Mil
itary plaza, in twO-story stone building
owned by Mr.. Simon Fest, Sr. At
o'clock the alarm was turned in from the
central station and the engines rushed To
the scene in short order, though one COM
pany struck up San Pedro avenue before
| the fire could be loctaed. When the
engines arrived the iiremen began work
| at once. but the fire then was well under
| way. The property man or one of the
| attaches of the theatre was in the little
room with an oil lamp. reading. The lamp
| tlared up and exploded and the man ran
| ont, crying fire. He closed the door and
| the bo0tblack. Smith NorCrOsS, who does
| odd Jobs about the place, says he ran in,
| saw the fire and with another BOY got the
| small stage hose on the nozzle and turned
| the cock A small weak stream only re-
| Spondcd, and with this they could not
! stop the fire and they ran tor Mr.. EcklcS,
| the proprietor He was in the bar. a
| barkeeper ran in with a glass of water
| but could not eXtinguish the blaze. The
| room was forced open, but the heat was
4
| being given by some one who ran over
| to the police station. they left
| the theatre. trying TO save some
| thing, but not succeeding. The flames
| climbed the curtain and scenery quickly,
| spread TO the upper work oil the stage
| over into the tinSelled drapery Of the
| boxes and licked the dome. Tongues of
| flame were bursting out the upper front
| windows when the lremcn arrived. A
| strong southeastern breeze was blowing
| and despite the hard work OF the iiremen,
| the roaring flames spread with the most
| incredible and awful rapidity. Three
| streams of water were started on the ilre
| in front. while four streams soon attack
| en- it from the rear, from narrow alley
that runs along the San Pedro creek. 1t
| was of no use To enter the burn
ing building then and nothing
| was saved. The bar fixtures, with
| its highly intlamabe stock OF liquors,
| which so often have burned the leaJhery
| Threats of many an old bum, served To
| spread the flames, and the few barrels OF
| whisky in the cellar soon exploded and
| nothing could save the doomed building
| The performers at the theatre, mostly wo.
| men, lost their wardrobeS, trunks. etc,
J while the orchestra. the musical special
| ISL and others lost all their instruments,
| Geo. Leonard being probably the heaviest
| loser. \ fine piano. several horns, snare
| drums and bass drums were destroyed and
| never will parade the streets and trighteu
| horses and children by their terrible din
4 gold and two silver watches back OF
the bar, were melted up. The restaurant
and lunch man, in front of the building
| lost all ms fixtures.
| In the burning block were the firms Of
Efrou n Co., A. IIeuSinger, White Stal
laundry. the Fashion. a OarOGr shop
Louis RergStrOm, Thomas n Co.. Joe
Henry. +. II. Henderson, Joe Dean, c
Guerguin II. Frankcl II Co.. G.. DOdic
| Adjoining the theatre was the produce
hides and commission house of Louis
BergStrOm. and Joe Henry in the rear
| There was a small printing office, Italian
| society meeting room and u school up
stairs in this building. The fire soon
leaped over into this building and it wa,
soon ablaze. The business men in thi'
| building saved their books and lodgerS
| and other papers and part NJ the stock
| principally owned by Mr.. BcrgStrOm con
! SiSting of fancy peitry and hides. The
! loss TO Henry. on grocery stock, was con
| siderable The loss to the other Occu-
pants of the building was, of course,
| total The tire Quilted these two
| big buildings completely and was only
| gotten under control and SubduCd by the
heavy stone wall separating IL on the
north side from the Dean TN shop and
| GuCrguiu'S loan Office. The ilremen used
| every means III Lltll pDNti ~ plcII lht
flames the chief working as hard as the
men and seemingly giving orders from all
| Darts Of the work at once. He was AS
| sisted by the city police and special Ollie
prS, who kept the crowd back aud closed
| all streets leading to the vicinity OF the
| fire The crowd. Numbering anywhere
from 1900 To 1000 people on the Military
plaza and streets. were very orderly, and
| kept their distance from the building. Il
| was with those people who came in
| vehicles. that the police had the
most trOdbe. Many drivers insisted
| on forcing their wagons and buggieS
| through the crowd of people and had not
| the police interfered, many people would
| have been trampled and injured in this
way. One man did deliberately drive his
| horse over an old crippled man. who
| could scarcely move about on his crutcheS
| and should not have been at the fire. in
| the first place.
From their point OF vantage in the win
| dOwS and balconies of the city hall and
even from the tower, many citizens and
ladies looked down on the fire. 1t was u
beautiful sight to see the fire, lighting up
| the Surging crowd brightly and shining
on the white front of the city hall and
| other buildings on the plaza. photOg-
rapher took advantage Of this.
| thinking he could get fine
picture, hut after nineteen seconds
exposure his camera would not regiSttr
anything like "a correct picture of the fire,
and he only succeeded in getting tolera-
BILE view.
The fire ragged from a quarter to six un
til 10 o'clock fiercely, After that hour
the tremen, very tired, took turns and
worked to keep the fire in its bounds. 1t
burned all night however, SmOuldering.
and at times lighting up into good
blaze. The losses on the fire are pretty
heavy. Mr.. Fest owner Of the Fashion