St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-07
George w. Childs' Newspaper
and Building Badly
ScoPched.
Flames Start in the Basement,
Quickly Reaching the Top
Floor.
The Monetary Loss by the
Conflagration Will Reach
$25O,O0O.
In the Composing Room Was
Where the Greatest DAM
age Occurred.


Ledger building, at Sixth and Chestnut
streets, was almost Quilted this evening
by fire. The damage by fire was con-
fined almost entirely to the composing
room, situated on thes top floor, but
a torrent of water poured down
through the building, flooding every
floor in the entire structure. The
loss can only be Appropriated tonight,
but it will probably be between s25O,OOO
and 100000. The Ledger building is
fiye-story brown stone building with
Mansard roof. The fire originated at
6 O'Clock in the basement, and through
an air shaft spread rapidly to the top
floor.
City Editor McQuade was making out
his evening assignments for his men
when the tumult and shouts of fire
greeted him. Grasping copy that had
been turned in by reporters during the
day, he stuffed it into his pockets.
and, after depositing the obituaries
of men of local prominence in an
other pocket, he took his assign
ment book under his arm and beat a re-
paper were all saved, and the many
rare and costly articles in Mr.. Chllds'
private office were all carried out. In
the meantime a dozen
Streams Of Water
had been turned on the fire in the eel
lar and the flames there were soon
eXtinguished. The flames in the COM
posing room, in the top floor, however,
had been creating great havoc. The
fire burst through the roof and shot
up i'll great column toward the
sky. About this time Mr.. Childs
arrived. He posted himself in
the doorway OF the court house
across the street from the burning
building, and silently watched his
buildings go up in flames. When in
vited to enter neighboring office he
declined, and said he liked to watch the
FIRE. He assumed charge of his EN-.
IIoyes. and directed them what to do in
The way of providing for issuing paper
tomorrow. Ts rrs.s>-
While the firemen were at work they
were spurred to greater efforts by the
announcement that Mr.. ChiIds intended
to distribute $1,000 among them for
their prevention of the total destruction
of his building. Neither was Mr..
Childs unmindful of the firemen's bod
lily comforts, for he provided them all
with bountiful supper at neighbor-
ing restaurant.
The greatest destruction by the fire
was done to the composing room. This
was completely burned out and the roof
went with it. While the fire was still
burning fiercely the work of getting out
tOmorrow's paper was begun. The city
rtn NJ n ri
of trade room in the next building and
the reporters turned in their copy of
the days dOings of great city as usual.
With the exception of presses, the
Ledger has
Al Complete Newspaper Plant
at No. 415 Locust street, and there the
compositors are setting type for tOmor-
rows paper. AS the presses were rem
dered unfit for use tonight by water,
Mr.. Childs accepted the offer of Will
the Records presses. During the fire
Mr.. Chiids was rendered the use of
presses by every daily and weekly
newspaper in the city.
fhe cause of tine fire is unknown.
The cellar in which it broke out is not
used, and no theory as to how it broke
out is advanced Joel Cook. business
manager of the paper, said late tonight
that the Ledger's total loss was es-
estimated at S150,000, including
100000 On the building and $50
600 on the contents. The loss or tenants
is estimated at $4,000. The perfecting
presses, engines and other machinery
in the cellar are valued at S250,0O0, and
the damage by water is 600, being an
outside estimate OF the loss.
The Public Ledger was established
in 1886 by Messrs. Swane, Abel d Sim
mons. In 1856 the paper was purchased
by George w. Childs, and has since been
owned by him. The Ledger is noted
in the journalistic world for its
conservatism and accuracy in news
Its proprietor is one of the best known
men in this country on account of his
public spirits and princely generosity.
Tae present Ledger building was erect
ed in 1878. Repairs Oh the building will
be commenced at once, and it will be
restored to exactly the same kind of
structure that it was. The insurance
on the building amounts to 100000.