The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1891-11-21
A S2,000,000 BLAZE.
st. Louis Visited by Fire and Sew.
eral Of her Large Wholesale
Houses Burned.

Houses Burned.
The Loss is an Immense One an,
Only Partly Covered by
ST. Louis, Nov. 1.-THE cold way
which reached this city last evening wa
the cause of one of the most dissstrou
fires which has visite d this city in man,
years. early this morning. One persol
was probably killed and tw,
badly hurt and $50o0oO worth O
property went up in smoke.
At about 4o'clock the fire was dis.
covered in the furnace room of the larg,
drygoods establishment of Penny s
Gentles. on the corner of Franklin Ave
nue. and Broadway. The watchma1
quickly turned in the alarm, and seeing
the terrible velocity with which the
flames speedily reached to inflammabl.
material in the basement. sent in sec
ond alarm ten minutes after the discov
cry of the fire. A general alarm was
sounded which brought the whole fire
department to the scene. But notwith.
standing the heroic work of the fremep,
the flames quickly ate their way to the
top of the building and within an in.
credible short space of time the entire
store was mass of seethine
flames, the roar of the fire being
heard two and 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 bnrning build
ing seeming to have the effect more of
oil than water. The flames spread to
Sonnerfe!d's Millinery Store south of
Pinney & Gentles, on Broadway. This
is the largest establishment of its kind
in st. Louis, occupying four floors of
the north end of the Famous" build
ing The most strenuous efforts of the fire.
men to quench the fearful flames seemed
like Liliputians and notwithstanding
their noble work swept on toward the
south, eating its way through the thick
fre-proof walls into the mammoth shoe
and cothing house of the Famous Go. I"
This is the largest house of the kind in
the west, and here is where the most de.
struction was wrought by the seemingly
quenchless fire tiend The Famous Go.
occupy building on Morgan Street
and Broadway, about 1875 feet front by
rs feet deep. four stories HIGH. AS soon
as the fire attacked the Famous estab.
lishment the flames here found ready
fuel and the fremen's efforts were futile
to stay the spread of the devouring ele-
mt mt. They therefore turned their at
tention to saving adjoining property on
gan Street. The fire was SO hot. how.
street facing the burning buildings, and
D. Crawford & Go. Is immense dry goods
store on the southwest corner of Broad
way was greatly damaged by terrible
heat which broke the thick window
glass and started the fire in that build.
ing, the whole front part of the store at
one time being on fire, but the fremen
by almost superhuman efforts mansged
finally to subdue the flames, and by this
time the heat from the other side Of the
street had subsided somewhat, enabling
the firemen to go on Broadway and fight
the flames from better vantage ground,
At 7:45 the walls OF the Famous and Son
nerfeld's building fell into the west
alley with loud crash and moment
letter the Morgan Street walls of the
Famous fell. squad of fremen in the
alley narrowly escape being caught
under the falling walls. Shortly after
8 O'Clock the flames appeared at
cornice of the Weinman House, which
is directly opposite the Famous, on
the east side Of Broadway. In few
moments the roof of the upper story of
a large four-story building was mass
of flames. The dense smoke from the
fire from the other side of the street
made it impossible for the fremen to
work at tLis point for some time, but
later the wind rather changed around
and swept the smoke away ard gave the
fire laddies chance to combat the ter
ribly mendacious flames. Before the
department could obtain mastery, how
ever, the row of retail stores from the
northwest corner of Franklin Avenue
and Broadway to the middleof the block
were badly damaged, being as follows:
The Square Dealing Clothing Co., E
B Stove & Co., groceries; Mrs. NJ. To-
bin. millinery. The top floors of this
building were occupied by the Ween-
man House, the guests of which made
their escape in safety; q Thai & Co.,
clotbiers, the New York Millinery Co.,
and the Kappelman Furniture Co. A
row of stores on Franklin Avenue we're
also badly scorcEed. These buildings
we're occupied by the following: o. NJ.
Herr, d1ug ge; Ed I. BAIL, hats; Guerson
& Co., hats; E. 81. Kartamp & Co., jew
.lry; st. Louis Tailoring Co. The new
Penny & Gentles stole on Franklin
Avenue was the drygoods emporium of
Thomas Hawdson, the first occupying
the Famous building outside Of
the Famous Store and Clothing Go. and
the SOM erfeld Millinery Co were: Nc
Donald and G. II. Clements, shoes;
Charles Stix, gents furnishings and
cloaks. and Sprects & Ritter, clothing.
These were completely destroyed,
nothing but q pile of ashes
marking the place where stood
three OF the largest dry goods and cloth
ing houses in the west. This fire throws
about 1900 people out Of employment,
I. msjo,ty of tht N being in the service
the Famous. Que life was probably
| lost and iour persons were llJured by
tie fire, The whereabouts of the night
WatcLmap. Jasper, employed by the
] Sonne1feld Millinery Co. has not been
discovered and tits thought he was killed.
Fireman John Lynch and Aionzo ST.
mon were hurt On the head by falling
bricks and badly hurt, the former SO
seriously it wss necessary to remove
him to his home. Mike Connors, q
roomer at the Weinman House on
Broadway and Morgan Streets, jumped
from third story window and his life
was saved by tho fall being broken by
electric wires; however, his leg was
broken. A. $. Taylor, q newspaper
man, received q severe shock from
an electric wire and was
Int by falling debris. Losses and in.
sura nee are as follows: Loss on stock
n