The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-02-18
FIERCE FLAMES.
Fire in the Business District Of
New Orleans.
Over Two Million Dollars Worth Of Prop
eFty Destroyed.
half a Block Of the Most Prominent Build
ingS In the City a Mass Of
Smoking Ruins.
Epecial 10 THE MORNING CALG..

New ORLEANS. Feb. 17.-At II O'clock
tonight fire gutted the dry-goods store
of Asharz & Sons, corner of Canal and
Burban streets. The heat was so great that
the fremen could not get near the burning
building.
The fire then spread to adjoining build
ings and soon Werelein's music-sture, Clu-
yiel's drugstore, Runkle's dry-goodS store,
McClOskey, confectionery; Kuhn. fancy
goods; Kreeger, fancy goods; the Nickle-
Kraus Bros, notions; Hoffman, worsteds;
Brills, saloon, and Wenger's saloon were
consumed.
The buildings and stocks already de-
stroyed will approximate S2,O00,00J.
THE swARTz BUILDING.
Swarz's establishment was command
ing structure, only recently completed, be-
ing four stories with a mansard roof, of
brick, iron and stone. surmount ted by a high
clock tower. At 1915 o'clock waiter IN a
restaurant on the opposite side of the street
perceived a small tongue Of flame licking
Its way along the cOTnlce OF the roof OF the
SwartZ building aud fastened ,tos gives an
alarm. The department responded promptly,
but experienced great difficulty 10 getting
ablaze before a stream could be
brought TO bear upon 1t. The
flames spread backward to Kraus
Bros establishment and across Bourbon
street TO CleyeriOus' drugstore simultane-
Ously, and the department found itself
pOweriess 10 cope with the destroyer and
suburban engines were pressed into service.
CRASH AFTER CRASH
Backward the fire spread to HOffman's.
To tie left IL attacked NeTeIn's, and crash
followed uDOH crash as falling roofs over
burdened the floors beneath, already heay-
ily aden with stocks of merchandise, and
each gave way in turn, until the interior
nX,ures Of the stores and their contents
were piled IN a blazing heap on the ground
floor.
Stripped Of all support the walls of the
SwartZ Building iopp'ed sand fell and the
Werelin Building quickly followed suit.
\ building on the river side OF Bourbon
street crashed In soon after, aud fully haf
square II the most valuable property ia the
city was smoking mass OF ruins.
A breeze arose 10 fan the flames and they
attacked the prey with renewed vigOr.
On the opposite side OF Bourbon street
the ClaverIas building was the FIRST 70 col
lapse, ana carried with lt the walls of
Runkefs establishment.
McCioskey's confectionery was a mass Of
seethug flames, while kreger's Building
was also burning hprcely,
The NiCkel-p.ate ShOe-stOre interviewed to
save the main entrance % ID. II. Holmes
immense establishment on Canal street, and
that portion Of the store was but little
damaged. The BOuTbon-street entrance 10
the Holmes building, however Jared worse.
Ine massive plateglass windows and
weatheT-dOOrs were shattered TO atoms, and
the more lnnammable portions Of the stock,
thus EXPOSED, caught fire in q moment.
Long before this the department was fairly
at work and tons OF water was being poured
upon the burning material, and the flames
showed the hrst symptoms OF yielding.
IAPAssABLE BARRIER.
On Canal street east of Bourbon, the
flames met an impassab'e barrier in the
massive IOurl buildings, which adjOin
Nerelm's, and though the roofs of all the
stores comprising the row were more than
once Oh fire the flames could make no
progress az inst the sturdy masonry.
The new Cosmopolitan Hotel and adjOin-
ing structures, which front on Royal
street. just off Canal, and run back into
the center Of the block, caught fire in the
rear and it required the utmost efforts Of
tile 1remeI TO save them.
The promptness with which the various
electric circuits running through the heart
of tile city we're shut Oft prevented fatal
tiles and the only ACCIDENT noted Is the in
jury 10 a fireman caused by flying debris
SWartz's stock, valued at over $500, O0O
was insured for $500. 600, and the building
for $50, 000, considerably below the value.
Holmes stock was insured for $500, 600,
aud was worth twice as much, but the
damage 10 it is not thought TO be very great.
CluyeriuS carried $1,000 on his stock. and
others were insured in proportion. Every
Insurance company in the city has about an
equal share Of loss.
Most OF the buildings destroyed were
newly erected, and collectively thought to
be worth q quarter Of a million. Many
other buildings with contents were badly
damaged. 1t is impossible TO obtain fun
details Of the losses and insurance tonight
AN EPIDEMIC OF INCENDIARIsM
MEMPHIS, Feb. 1Z-There is an epidemic
Of incendiary fires here. On Monday night
several small residences were burned; last
night there was four fires, two dwellings
being burned and the inmates barely escap-
ing. Every effort is being made TO discover
the firebugs