The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-02-11
AN IMMENSE LOSS.
Many Elegant Buildings and
Contents Destroyed by Fire
at Memphis.
The Value Of Property Destroyed
Is Estimated at a Million
Dollars.

MEMPHIS Feb. 9.-To-night the building
No 23O Main street, occupied by the Bruce
Be!n Hat company, dealers in hats, caps
and straw goods, was discovered to be on
fire. The entire rear portion Of the six
story building from basement to top seemed
to be ablazc in an instant. -
The fire quickly communicated to the
back from the roaring furnace of hats and
straw goods, and directed their efforts to
saving che trunk factory OF S. Levy, adjoin-
ing the hat store on the north. The build
ing occupied by the hat company soon col
lapsed, and into the space formerly occrl-
pied by it crashed the building of the Lang
staff Hardware company, which adjoined
at the south. .t...
The firemen were utterly unable to cope
with the flames. and in a short time the
Levy trunk factory was total wreck, and
Leuhrman's hotel, probably the finest
south of the Ohio river, was in
flames. This magnificent five-story hotel,
at the corner of Main and Monroe, was
SPLENDID food for the flames, and in less
than an hour was totally destroyed. The
hotel was meghificen>ly furnished. and had
but recently added special bar outfit OF
the most costly design.
The loss to the hotel will be $1O0, 0oo At
this juncture breeze arose and changed
the course o: the fire, and it began to sweep
eastward Tho 6rnr,o,, I, a.,
every point by the resistless fury of the
flames, and IN short time the Ruby saloon
and the saloon of J. G.. Mayer, adjoining
buildings, were destroyed.
Eastward and to the south of where the
blaze started the fire went on. Soon
Lemon & Gales wholesale dry goods store
was
A MASS OF RUINS.
III. Waters hardware store and William
Jacobs china store were next to be de-
stroyed and William Wilerson's wholesale
drug store was next reached. 1t was
thought this.splendid structure, with its we'll
known 6re-proot walls would prove bar
rier to the flames, but the fire crept in upon
the stock OF lnflammable drugs from the
side and rear, and it was soon blazing
iercely.
A2a:n the wind veered to the west and
the fire started eastward to Second street.
Jones, HUM &Co. s printing establishment
was burned to ashes in short time. The
Lily Carriage company on Second street
was next caught, and the rear portion OF
their factory with part Of the stock was de-
stroyed.
The tiremen on Second street meanwhile
gained foothold and began to keep the
tire within the block. The wind died out
about this time which probably saved the
WIS. Bruce carriage factory and one or two
smaller buildings which alone were left in
the block. The block destroyed is in the
rear of the business district of the city.
The loss will reach $1000,0O0. The Pea
body hotel, on the northwest corner OF
Main and Monroe, the Louisville G. Nash
vile ticket office. on the opposite corner,
was on fire several times, but by hard work
on the part of the hotel employees, guests
and bystanders pressed into service to aid
the firemen, was saved. The fire at a. M.
is burning fercely, but is under control.
AS far as known at this hour no lives were
lost.
The loss can not be appropriated at this
hour, but it will foot up in the hundreds of
thousands, as the burned portion of the
city was the finest building site in town.
LOSS AND INSURANCE. /
1t is lmposslb bic to give an accurate list Of
the losses or insurance, owing to the late
ness Of the hour, but the 10 lowing esti-
mates are given by prominent insurance
agency:
Hotel Leuhrman, loss 100000. insurance
$oo,OoO. Levy Trunk company, loss $500 900
INSURANCE. ms unknown. Beine Hat company. stock
$45.o0o, insured for s2s, 0oo Ladgstaff Hard ds
ware company, stock sl2o, 900. insurance $780,
ss SuSss o Hurst % ss
Bruce Beine store. loss 100000; insurance
$1,000 Le s9n@ 6o Gales dry dry goods
ysiuea at ~ sso,oSo; Z: INSURANCE. M tsm ss9
ooo: II. w.tter. hardware stock, loss
the Waters estate worth s25, OOU, insured for
$4,000: William Jack & Sons, wholesale queens
ware stock. $4,000, Insurance $1,000; 5uild-
insured for $4,000; W. n Wllkerson & Co.
wholesale drug stock value $4,000, insurance
$3t;59o: BUILDING aa owned by W: N Wikerson.
valued at $4,000, insured for $4,000 T.
Samuelson 4 Co., cigars and tobacco under
Leuhrman house, loss, $4,000: Insurance,
IS Union Street, a0hR oss 90 prn nsS
ance. $4,000 The building was owned by
the Wetter estate. and valued at sl5,O00; in
insured far $25oo. T. &. Myers saloon loss
$4,000; insurance not known. Lily Carriage
works, Second street, loss $4,000; Insurance
not known. S. P. James g. Co., copper and
brass works. 30 Union street, loss $4,000; ill.,
surance not known.
In addition to the above individual losses
the building damages will amount to at
least $25, 600. The origin of the fire is un-
known, but is supposed to have been the
crossing of electric wires on the third story
OF the Bruce Beine hat store
: No Use for It,
WAsH1NGToS, Feb. 9.-Francis G. New
londs to-day addressed the house commit
tee on coinage, weights and measures on
the International mnnntaru ION raranno