The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-19
NEW ORLEANS BIG FIRE.
TIE LOSS ESTIMATED AT UP
WARD OF S1.IoO,ooo.

The Largest Retail Dry Goods Estap-
Hsnment in the City Reduced to
Ruins-Canal and Bourbon Streets
the Scene of the Fire-The Losses
and Insurance
New ORLEANS, Feb. ls.-A million OF
money went up in smoke last night by
the destruction of the largest retail dry
goods establishments in the city. This
morning the palstial stores of A. Schwartz
4 Sons, Amos Runkel, s. G. Kreeger,
gloves, millinery and fancy goods; Philip
Werlein, pianos and musical instruments;
Kraus Bros, fancy goods aud notions; p.
W. Clavoying, retail drugs; John McClos-
KEY, confectioner; James NJ. Hoffman,
worsteds and fancy goods; L. Viple, gloves
and perfumery, and Wengers' concert hall
are in ruins--in fact the walls of all the
buildings have fallen. The scene of the fire
was on Canal street, the principal thorough
fare of the city. at the point where it is in-
tersected by Bourbon. The Schwartz es-
tabllshment, a commanding structure,
recently completed. occupied the corner of
Canal and Bourbon streets. 1t was 4-story
structure and mansard roof, brick, stone
and iron building surmounted by high
clock tower.
DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.
At 1910 o'clock a waiter in Moreas' res
taurant on the opposite side of Canal street,
perceived a small tongue of flame licking its
way along the cornice of the roof of the
Schwartz building and hastened to give an
alarm. The department responded promptly,
but experienced great difficulty in getting
nd fba xuho
before stream could be brought to bear
upon it. The flames spread backward to
Kraus Bros establishment and across BouI I.
bon street to Cleuverius' drug store stimuli
taneously, and the departments found
itself in moment powerless
TO cope with the destroyer. A general
alarm, and then repeated general alarm
was sent in and suburban engines were
pressed into service. Backward the fire
spread to Hoffman's, to the left it attacked
Werleln's and crash followed upon crash as
the falling roofs overburdened the floors
beneath, already heavily laden with stocks
Of merchandise. and each gave way in turn
until the interior fixtures Of the stores and
their contents were piled in a blazing heap
on the ground floor, and stripped of all sup.
port the walls Of the Schwartz building
toppled and fell. and the Werlein building
quickly followed suit.
The buildings on the river side of Bour-
bon street crashed in soon after, and
fully half a square of the most valuable
property in the city was smoking mass of
ruins.
A BREEZE SPRINGS UP.
A breeze arose to fan the flames and they
attacked their prey with renewed vigor.
On the opposite of Bourbon street the
Cleuverius building was the first to coll
lapse and carried with it the walls of
"a lschv M~fN Nl.xeYr
fectlonery store was a mass Of seething
flame and Kreeger's building was also burn
ing fercely. The Nickel sPlate shoe store
interviewed to save the main entrance to ID.
II. Holmes immense establishment on
Canal street and that portion of the store
was but little damaged. The Bourbon
street entrance to Holmes store, however.
Jared worse. The massive plate glass win
dows and weather doors were shattered to
atoms and the more in6ammabie
portions Of the stock thus exposed
caught fire in a moment, Long be-
fore this the department was fairly
a. work, and tons Of water were being
poured upon the burning material, and the
flames showed the first symptoms Of yield
ing.
On Canal street, east of Bourbon, they
met an impassable barrier in the massive
Touri bulldogs, which adjoined Werlein's,
and though the roof of all of the stores
comprising the row we're more than once
on fire, the flames could not make any
progress against the sturdy masonry.
A HOTEL ON FIRE.
The new Cosmopolitan hotel and the ad-
joining 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 effort on
the part of the firemen to save them.
Schwartz's stock was valued at over
$4,000, was insured for $3.50, 900, and the
building for $4,000, considerably below its
value.
Holmes stock was insured for $500, 600 aud
was worth nearly twice as much, but the
damage to 1t is not thought to be very
great
Cleuverius carried $1,000 on his stock, and
Others were insured in propoy ton.
Every insurance company in the city has
an equal share of the loss. The risks have
oeen divided. Most of the buildings were
and excellent risks.
Inc buildings destroyed collectively are
estimated to be worth fully $3.50, 900, while
many other buildings are badly damaged.
az we'll as their contents, and are not in-
GUIDED In the above estimated loss.
TEE LOSSES AID INSURANCE.
g, NEW ORLEANS. Feb. IS, 10 P. M-Col
simon Toby, insurance editor of the States,
estimates the actual loss by the fire last
ssIgnt at 10000 and the insurance at
S'oV'oOO. The home companies are affected
70 70 the extent of 100000. The rest Of the
Insurance Tsanc was carried by foreign companies
me general of pinion is that the fire vas
Saused by an electric light wire. The
9Tc9nwartz T9 building was Illuminated by the
Huson Electric Light Company. There
,S %ere no lights in the store. Chief O'Conuor
Ss9snornlng stated that the alarm he got at
le house was the automatic alarm. The
"sses are as follows:
scb,r Losses. Insurance
ssoG5. s5. soG5...............'... $500. 900 $3.50, 900
M "WStllin WaIi .:............. 10000 $4,000
ymerlein. pianos, ETC., on
|& 1sck %ock ................ $4,000 6O.OoO
M T6epoia pEIa Levy, carpets. $1,000 fully ms.
VSnGsIIAs CIuo:. uo:............... 1000 uninsured
npeNngers garden. ...... $4,000 1900
G%S, GoSo,n Holmes, dry goods. $1,000 fully ms
'Saen ooI & Martinez, lace
NstSoals..;,... NspOas. .........~ 4.5OO insured
' ssaoIpolitan hotel, dam
81 nj .......... ........... 5000 insured
j. AlIlan. lan................ 5000 insured
vd... Hoffman & Bros,
& BpRIatlsted and fancy goods $4,000 1900
# thug, the property Of
81 TIahe University ..... .., 10000
8 soIIh a. Son, badly dam