Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-12
HALF A MILLION.
The Queen City Visited by a
Serious COnflagratiOn.
Ezekiel & Bernheim's Auction
and Storage House.

ing Walls, Smoke and Water-Colum.
bus, o., Has 100000 Blaze.
CINCINNATI, Feb l2.-The Queen City
has again been visited by disastrous
conhagration. Wednesday evening the
big auction house and storage rooms of
Ezekiel & Bernheim, on Main street, be-
low Fourth went up in flames, and with
it over $500, 900 worth of valuable prop
erty. Fire and water carried destruc-
ton to the American Oak and Leather
company next door on the north and to
the Commercial bank on the south.
In addition to this, falling walls
wrecked the south side of the Hammond
street station. The total loss will reach
$500, 900, upon which it might safely be
said is two-thirds insurance.
Shortly after o'clock employees who
were preparing to leave the Ezekiel &
Bernheim building were startled by the
sudden appearance of dense volumes of
smoke coming up from the cellar.
The alarm was raised and one of the
men ran out of the rear to Hammo i
street and notified Officer Dennis Ryan,
OF the Hammond street station.
Gould Not BE Located.
The fire was known as "blind one"
the fremen being unable to locate the
flames. Volumes of smoke were pour
ing from the cellars, and these were
flooded by streams of water from both the
front and rear. Not flame was visi-
BILE, but the fact that an ugly blaze was
raging was undisputed, as the clouds of
smoke that came from the cellar told
this.
Firemen tried to get into the cellar,
but We're driven back by the dense
smoke. The fire fighters did not reach
the seat of the blaze, which was in the
center of the cellar, and difficult to see
owing to numerous wooden partitions.
The fire gradually crept from cellar to
roof, and when the open air was reached
a draft was created that allowed the
flames to play in all their fury. They
burst out with roar and lit the heav-
ems for miles.
Showers of burning wood, some pieces
foot long, rained for ten minutes, Civ
ing an impromptu floating pyrotechnic
display.
When the fire assumed such an ugly
aspect, Chief Hughes ordered Captain
Higginson to call in, by telephone, all
engines except the reserves. This was
equivalent to a general alarm.
The entire relay surrounded the blaz-
ing building, and kept the fire within
the Bernheim building. Two big Siam
ese lines played from the front and rear.
These, with the smaller streams, had
a good effect, and in a short time tlle
fremen had the blaze, as they woud say,
"down."
Buildings Threatened.
For while the st. James hotel and
the oil house of Burckhardt & Com
pany on Hammond street, We're threat
ened. Several times the roofs We're on
fire, but couple of streams were kept
ON them, and all danger of destruction
was averted.
Loss and Insurance.
The Ezekiel & Bernheim building was
five stories high and was owned by the
Fosdick estate. The building is valued
at $50 900, upon which there is an insur-
ance of only $4,000. The value of
goods stored at Ezekiel & Bernheim's
was about $250000.
The firm only carried an insurance of
$50, 900, one-half of which is placed with
the Fred Rauh agency.
The two upper stories of Bernheim's
were used as storage rooms and contained
1876 departments.
Though the fire was confined to the
Ezekiel q Bernheim building, it was
the cause Of disaster and ruing to the
neighboring buildings.
Adjoining on the north is the build
ing occupied by the American Oak and
Leather company A stock valued at
$50, 900 was carried by the firm, which
was almost totally ruined by the water,
smoke and heat. The loss, however, is
covered by insurance.
On the south was the Commercial
bank. The center of the south wall
caved in and wrecked this building. 1t
was destroyed, but the vault containing
the money and valuable books and pa
pers remained intact. The bank will
lose very little beyound the fixtures, and
opened business at So West Third
street.
In the destruction of the Commercial
bank building an old landmark is wiped
away. 1t suffered, twelve years ago, at
the Pollak-Wilson fire, but was net
wrecked then as now.
Accidents.
There were several accidents attend
ing Lne Hfe, DuI hone OI tneln were Ia
tai.
Adam Michaels, a houseman at the
st. James hotel while working on the
roof of the hotel, slipped and fell twelve
feet, badly injuring his back.
John Cunningham, of the salvage
corps, was struck in the back by some
falling rolls of leather in the leather
house, and was badly injured.
Herman Newman, also of the salvage
corps, fell ten feet from some shelving
in the leather store, and injured his
right hip and arm.