St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-26
LICKED UP BY FLAMES.
Smith & FarwelI's Magnificent
Furniture Store Completely
Quilted by Fire Last Night.
Firemen Labor Under Great Diff
Guilty, and the Loss Is Placed
atAbout $4,000.

Smith e Farweli's four-story furni-
ture store was Quilted by fire last even
ing, and the loss is little less than total
This firm had recently enlarged its
quarters so that it occupied Nos. 49,. 1879
and al East Seventh street, and last
week had an "opening." 1t was one
OF the most extensive establishments in
the city, and the stock included house
furnishings of all descriptions. The
fire department did admirable eXecu-
ton. There are few commodities more
combuStible than furniture, with its
coating Of heavy varnisheS. and the
flames made persistent Roadway, despite
the deluge sent in by the department.
Shortly after the fire was discovered q
carriage was sent to the residence of
Mr.. Smith, tho senior member OF the
the scene of the contlagration
ruined He claimed that the calamity
is more serious because of the season.
1t is now that people are making leases,
removing and settling for the coming
year, and that is why tapestries, car
pets. furniture and furnishings are in
active demand, and prosperous sea-
son has Just begun, and Mr.. Smith has
no doubt that the sales would have been
much greater the coming few months
than ever before.
The fire broke out in the rear of
either the first floor or the basement and
ran up the elevator shaft and stairways,
but seemed to miss the two intervening
floors, and confined itself to the top and
bottom floors. The roof was burned OF,
but the fire did comparatively little
damage to the building otherwise, prob
ably not TO exceed $1,000. The build
ing is owned by the Hale estate
The stock on the ground floor,
which was the main sales floor, as welt
as that on the upper floor, is
a Total Loss,
hut there will re some salvage on the
carpets, upholstery and furniture on the
second and third floors. Mr. Smith, of
the firm, says the stock was worth $40
600. and insured for $4,000, and Chief
jackson estimates the loss or stock at
from 60 to - per cent, so that S35, 600 to
$4,000 will cover the entire loss on
building and stock.
The network of electric wires in the
neighbOrhood interfered with the sue
water tower, and they were finally cnt
During the operation fireman named
Murray. from No. ,, received severe
shock II ON one OF the wires. Another
fireman. named Thomas, was nearly
suffOcated by the smoke while at work
on a ladder near the top of the build
ing.
The fire was discovered at 10 80 by
Officers Lawson and Brown. VITO sent
III the alarm, and only few minutes
had elapsed before the engines from the
central and from Nos. and stations
were OH the scene. Chief jackson saw
at a glance that the fire was of a serious
nature and turned in general alarm,
which brought all the apparatus to
the fire. Every available piece of
hose i'll the department was pressed
into service and i'll 4 short time numer-
Gus streams or water were playing upon
the building. Despite the efforts of the
firemen the fire gained Roadway until
it burned through the roof, and lit up
the entire block between Broadway and
Pine streets on East Seventh. 1t did
not require much labor to subdue
the flames in the lower part
of the building, but they had
shot up the elevator shafts. and
were spread over the entire floor. Lad
ders were lifted to the windows, but the
fremen could not endure the awful
heat, and worked under the greatest
difficulty. After while, however, the
water that was poured continuously
upon the root began to have effect, and
the flames were subdued at L o'clock
this morning.