Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-06-12
WENT UP In SMOKE
Powers Opera House De-
stroyed by Fire.
IT CAUGHT IN The SCENERY
And N an Instant the Entire Structure
Was Mass Of Ssslhsnx. Rosr-
ing Flames.

Yesterday afternoon Powers opera
house vas completely ruined oy rlre.
Tue alarm was tarned in about 4:30.
and by the time the first fire engine ar
r.ged on the scene the entire opera
house MAS IN = blaze. In twenty min
ulas from the time the alarm Was
turned in dozen streams were playing
on the flames. At irst some difficulty
was experienced ia patting 40 ladders,
ss the wires were ia the way and had
u De cut down, bat N few minutes =
long ladder was shot " the roof OF the
block. several frightened women were
eiamoring At the windows, and tness
were speedily rescued.
For nearly an hour II seemed as II =
q general condagrason was imminent.
The upper stories of the block were
mass OF fiFe aud the efforts OF the de-
paTtment did not seem 10 De effective.
Streams were playing On the Lyoa
stFeet side of the block. on the
Pearl street side and from the alley
between the opera house and the Met
r0pohtan hall Ia less than three
quarters of all hour. however, the
building mad been Hooded with water
and the nInIes were under the contro.
oil th- department. Al D O'Clock IL,
trs was exuDgulsDei.
The opera mouse presented a most
deplorable -ight after the final stream
OF water had Deed turned OF and ace -
could be gained 10 the building.
livery yestige of the stage aud the stage
trappIngs has been burned out. Tie
paTquet was a mass OF ruoDIsh. Bricks,
burned and olackened chairs. distorted
Chandeliers, p.aster, frescoing and
dirty water were scattered around IN
about equal quantities. Small rem
nants of the boxes remained to show
that they once had been boxes, AMI
that the building that contained tnem
had been All opera house. The appear
auce OF the balcony Was even worse
than the parquettc, ana the galleries
had been destr yed entirely;
External Appearance.
There was little on the Pearl street
slie OF the building To denote that
there had been fire. The walls are
apparently as trm aud intact as ever.
On tho Lyon street side the walls are
cracked and tulsing. part OF the top
has almost fallen, and there Is every
appelfance - suggest that the re-
m llgiler so0n will fail. The arcade Is
only remembrance. IL IS filled with
masses of BRICK, backenet beams. and
oiner rubblsh. The entire block 10
ho.slessly ruined beyond any possibil-
nv of repair.
The tre caught 10 the scenery of the
sags. Yesterday morning the gas
cOnapssy was requested TO send man
10 the opera house TO read the meter,
as tue season was closed and the man
sger wished 10 settle the bill. The
company suggested that the meter had
better be removed, and q man was sent
10 DO II. he took out the meter which
was located under the stage stairs,
and after shutting OF the valve. plug
gea the tw0-incn pipe. The stage car
penter Ed Warrington, was not aware
Of this fact and attempted TO light the
gas on tue stage Just previous To the
tre. Finding ne couldn't do this he
went to the meter room, lighted a
match and turned the meter ON. In
an instant the escaping gas had caught
and a column of flame shot to the roof
OF the entire building. In an equally
brief space Of time the whole interior
,f the block Was IN fiames.
Warrington made ms escape through
the stagesntTance and gave the alarm.
He face was burned to- blister. h,s
eyebrows burned of and his hair
singed. He made mis- escape lusI IN
time.
The firewas so suddeu that the occu-
pants IN the upper stories did not have
time tO save their effects, most of them
beng satisfied to escape themselves.
Several women were taken down lad
ders put up ia tbe alleys between the
opers house and Metropolitan hall
Occupants OF the Block.
The easement Of the block was occu-
pied by Pelzee's barber shop. and by
the Edison Electric Light company,
Rsthfus q Powers Plumbing company
and by Captain Daley as a restaurant.
The ground -four was occupied by the
Uuited states Express company, I,
wykes & Burns. Quecn City Varnish
company aud by Hennessy Il Waters
"a a saloon. Ca the secnnd floor were
Offices occupied by Clark III. Gleason.
Earl & Hyde. Tuttie Bros., Albert
Dodge and Dr. Mcs;snnon. The offices
were AT slightly damaged by water,
but The contents are insured. On the
fourth door we're J. W. Chase's eisc-
tricsi school and K. MeGowan's spsrt-
nIents. They wers not damaged. W Il.
Powers loss xill amount 20 nearly
se0 600. There Is atout SO. 900 worth
OF insurance on the buiIdin< aud fnrni-