Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-02-25
two MILLIONS\UP IN SMOKE
Disastrous Firel in New Or
leans Last Night.
LEAP ACRs)SS A STREET
A Full Half SquAsire of Build
ings in RSiins.
New Orleans Experiences the Most Ex-
citing and Damaging i ,ire Known There
for Years--A Half Blolclx in the Heart
of the City Destroyed.

New ORLEANS, Feb& 18.-Two mill
lions Of money went uf in smoke last
night by the destruction df the largest re-
tail dry goods establishment in the city.
This morning the palattal stores Of A.
Schwartz g. Co., AmosI Runkle, S. @.
Kreeger, gloves, milliniry and fancy
goods; Phillip WherliI, pianos and
musical instruments; DIross Brothers,
fancy goods and notions; lW. Il. Clavoy-
ing, retail drugs; John MfCloskey, con-.
fectioner; James M. Hoffman; worsteds
and fancy goods; T. Yi1le, gloves and
perfumery, and Wenger'b concert hall
are in ruins. In fact tile walls Of all
these buildings have falle4.
The scene of the fire WAS on Canal
street, the principal thoroughfare of tho
city, at the point where it lis intersected
by Bourbon. Schwartz's Establishment,
commanding structure and but re-
Gently completed, occupied the corner of :
Canal and Bourbon. 1t was four-story.
structure and mansard roof, brick, stone
and iron building, surmounted by a
high clock tower.
At 1915 o'clock waiter in Mooreau's
restaurant, on the opposite side of Canal
street, perceived small tongue of flame
licking its way along the cornice of the
roof of the Schwartz building and
hastened to give the alarm. The depart-
ment responded promptly but expert
enced great difficulty in getting to work
and the whole ediiice was ablaze before
a stream could be brought To bear upon
it. The flames spread backward to
Kraus Brothers establishment and
across Bourbon street to Clavoying's
drug store simultaneously and the de-
partment found itself in d rloment
powerless to cope with the destroyer.
A general alarm and then 4 repeated
general alarm was sent in and the sub
urban engines were pressed into service.
Backward the fire spread to Iloffman's,
to the left attacked Wherlin's and crash
followed upon crash as the falling roofs
overburdened the floors beneath, already
heavy laden with stocks of merchandise.
and each gave way in turn until the in
| terror fixtures of the stores and their
contents were piled in blazin1 heap on
the ground floor and stripped Of all sup
| port
The walls of the Schwartz building
toppled and fell and the WherliAg build
ing quickly followed suit. TIL build->
ings on the river side of Bourbc,n street
crashed in soon after and fill half
square of the most valuable property in
the city was a smoking mass of ruins.
A breeze arose to fan the flames, and,
they attacked their prey with renewed
yigor on the opposite side of Bourbon
street. Clavoyings building was the
first to collapse, and carried with it the
walls of Runkle's establishment.
Finally the flames were stopped hy tho
solid stone-wall of the Louri building,
| and the firemen soon had them under
| control.
The total loss on stock and buily ngs
will amount to about $750,000, Self Vlartz
& Co. suffered the greatest loss, $50, 900,
on which there is insurance Of $36S 900.