St. Paul daily globe., 1892-01-03
LIVES CRUSHED OUT.
Four Colored Firemen Killed
by Falling Walls at a
Costly Fire.
Nashville, Tenn, Afflicted by
the Most Damaging Blaze
in Ten Years.
Two Ohio Firemen Mangled
by Tumbling Walls, and
Will Die.
Over a Dozen People Lost In
Nevada and Colorado by
Snow Slides.

NASHVILLE. Tenn, Jan. 2.-At $40
D. III. this afternoon the most disastrous
fire that Nashville has had since 1881
broke out in Webb, Stevenson II Co. s
store on College street. a strong wind
was blowing from the northwest. and.
although the tiremen were promptly on
hand, they could do practically nothing.
The wire was confined to this store for
nearly an hour, but gradually found its
way into the adjoining store oc-
cupled by a. G. Rhodes IL Co..
and then into Atwell & Sneed's.
At this time the wind changed and
the fire started i'll another direction.
Weakley Il Warren'S Seyen-story furni-
ture store north of Webb, Stevenson ~
Co., was soon a mass of flames. The
members of the cOlOred fire company
were standing across an alley on three
story building of the Phillips Il Buttortf
Manufacturing company when Weakley
d Warren's building suddenly bulged
out in the center and fell across the
alley. The following tiremen, all col
ored. were caught under the falling
building and instantly
Crushed TO Death:
Aaron Cockrell, Stoker Allen, Har-
vey Ewing and {. c. GOwdy, the latter
the captain OF the company. Capt.
Gowdy was one one of the leading cti-
xens OF the city, an eX-member of the
legislature, faithful and OfficiOuS city
constable When the Phillips and But
torff building crushed in it quickly
took fire ard was consumed.
About this time the wind changed
again, and the flames swept back to-
wards the Noel block, and a vacant
building adjoining Atwell & Snead's
was soon burned. The Noel block then
caught fire. and at this hour 11 p. m.) is
in ruins, but the fire is practically under
control.
There were number of men injured
at various times by falling walls and
explosions that blew out the front of
two or three stores. 1t is supposed that
the fire is of incendiary origin, AS Fire
man DAILY, while in the Atwell IL Sneed
building, saw man apply a torch to a
mass of inflammable material in the rear
OF that store.
The loss will approach 100000. 1t is
impossible to ascertain insurance to-
night, and the figures here given are
Estimates of LOSSES:
Phillips & Buttortf Manufacturing
company, building, $4,000; stock of
house furnishing goods, $4,000. They
are insured for $4,000. a. j. Warren,
building, $4,000; stock of furniture,
5000. Atwell u Sneed, stock of fur
niture, 5000. A. G. Rhodes, stock of
furniture, $4,000, and the buildings oc-
cupied by the three latter firms and the
vacant store. were worth about $4,000.
The Noel block was occupied by the
Western Union Telegraph company,
and contained about fifty offices and
bedrooms. The building cost about S75,-
600, and the Western Union probably
loses $4,000. Phillips, Hood d Co..
Bradford, Nichol, Warren Bros. and
Freeman Wall Paper company, across
College street from the fire, were all
damaged by water. 1t is difficult to get
information from this city on account
of the destruction of the Western Union
office. The operators are crowded at
two different railroad depots. While
the fire was in progress, another fire
broke out in the Waters-Allen Foundry
company, corner of Walnut and Union
street, and destroyed the plant. Loss
about $4,000.