The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-03-19
MUCH TOBACCO BURNED.
FIRE IN IrGGErr C mrER,srAcroRr
Tour Floors OF the Mammoth Establish
meDt Gutted-Loss $500, ,000-Fatat
Fire in London.

ST. LOUIS, March ls.-At s:35 this morning
fire started in the upper floor Of the Liggett
d Myer tobacco factory. and. in quick sue
cession. one, two and three alarms were
sounded. followed by general alarm. which
brought nearly every fire engine in the city
to the scene The factory is seven stories in
height and occupies the square bounded by
Twelfth. St Charles and Thirteenth streets.
At the time the blaze was discovered the
factory was filed with about SIX hundred en-
ployes. including many women and young
girls. The building was well equipped with
fire escapes and staIrways. and these were
soon swarming with an excited mass OF hu-
manity.
The male employees showed remarkable cool
ness and rendered Invaluable assistance u the
women III descending the fire escapes, stair
ways and hastily improvised ladders.
BUMoRED Loss or LIFE.
Some of the women were overcome with
fear and tainted. while many others were
blinded by the heayy smoke which quickly
filled the upper floors Of the immense build
ing. These were picked up by their male
companions and tremen and carried down the
long stairways to places of safety 1t was at
first reported that a number OF the employees
haG been OyerpOwered by smoke and were be-
ing incnerated in the burning building. Hap
PLY this rumor proved untrueand the hremen
state that no lives were lost, aud. with the
exception of slight bruises, no one was in-
jured.
Owing to the highly infammable character
of the material which it fed upon, the lre
spread with great rapidIty, and IN less than
fifteen minutes the entire seventh story was
mass of seething flames which were famed by
n IraE nd qllpV and tlrputpnol
TO destroy the large tobacco storage ware
house adjoining. which contained thousands
OF tons OF prepared tobacco.
FIRE SPREAD RAPIDLY.
Despite the hard work of the fire brigade
the flames worked down through the seventh.
sixth. fifth and fourth floors of the building.
and although nearly fifty huge streams Of
water were being poured into the blazing
structure il seemed for q time that the factory
was doomed to destruction. The fremen
were retarded in their work by the dense
volumes of puDgent smoke and in-
tense heat caused by the satur-
ated tobacco. After two hours hard work the
fremen succeeded in gaining control OF the
blaze and II Is nOw.belieyed the iiames will be
confued 10 the four upper floors. The loss
cannot be given as yet but it Is believed It
will fully reach 100000. The fire Is said to
have started in the curing room on the top
floor of the building. and was probably caused
by spontaneous combustion.
FATAL FIRE IL LONDON.
LONDON. March 1s.-Four Ives were lost
last night at "a fire in Fulham. A butcner-shop.
in building also occupied as a dwelling. took
fire. The flames spread rapidly and the in
mates, suddenly aroused attempted TO es-
cape. Two Of them. shut in on all sides
by the flames. were burned with the build
ing. Emma Weston made her escape in
safety, Suddenly she remembered that her
baby sister was still il the house. Thought
less of her own life she ran back into the
burning house and tried to save the little one.
The flames burned Emma so badly that she
has since died in the hospital The bahv a'eo
perished.