Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1892-02-18
TWO MILLION DOLLAR FIRE
A TREMENDOUS cONFL.AGRA-
TION IN NExv ORLEANS.
The Fire Fiend which Has Been
Getting I'm Heavy Work Lately
Shows His Red Fangs and Bis.
appears i'm smoke.

Getting In Heavy Work Lately
shows His Red Fangs and Dis.
appears i'm smoke.
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 1S.-Two millions
in money went up in smoke last night by
the destruction of the largest retail dry
goods establishments in the city.
This morning the palatial stores of c.
Schwartz & Sons. Amos Runkel, S. 6.
Kregor, gloves, millinery and fancy
goods; Philip Worlin, pianos and musical
instruments; Kraus Brothers, fancy
goods and notions; P. W. Clavoying, re-
tail drugs; John. McClosky, contec lioner;
J. M. Hoffman, worsteds and fancy
goods; L. Viple, gloves and Perfumerv,
and Wenger's concert hall are in ruins.
In fact, the walls of oil the buildings
have fallen.
The scene of the FIRE was on Canal
street, the principal thoroughfars OF the
city, at the point where it 10 intersected
by Bourbon. The Schwartz establish
ment, commanding structure, but re-
Gently completed, occupied the corner OF
Canal and Bourbon.
1t was four story structure and man
sard root, brick, stone and iron building.
surmounted by high clock tower.
| 4 - =. Il II. -
restaurant on the opposite side of Canal
street perceived small tongue of flame
licking its way along the cornice of the
roof OF the Schwartz building, and has
tened to give the alarm. The department
responded promptly, but experienced great
difficulty in getting to work, and the
whole editice Was IN a blaze before the
stream could be brought to bear upon it.
The flames spread backward to kraus
Bros. establishment, and across Bowden
street to Cleuverius' drug store simulta-
neously, and the department found itself
in moment powerless to cope with the
destroyer.
A general alarm, and then a repeated
general alarm was sent in and the
suburban engines were pressed into
service.
Backward the fire spread to Hoffman S,
AID then to the lett and attacked
WeilEn's, and crash followed crash as
the falling roofs and dover-burdened floors
gave way in turn until the interior tixl-
ures OF the stores and their co ltents wer.
piled in blazing heap on the ground
floor and stripped of all support, the
walls of the Schwartz building toppled
and fell and the Weillin building quickly
followed suit.
The building on the riverside OF Bourbon
street crashed in soon after and a iu
halt square OF the most valuable property y
in the city was smoking mass of ruins
A breeze arose to fan the flames anC
they attacked their prey with renewed
vigor. On the opposite side of Bourbon
street the Cleuvcrius building was th'
! first to collapse and carried with it tn,
| walls OF the Runkels establishment. Nc
Closkey's confectionery was a mass o
seethlng fame and Kregor's building
was also burning hercely, but the Nicke
Plate shoe store interviewed to save thu
main entrance to d. H. Holmes immens,
establishment on Canal street, and thai
portion of the store was little damaged
The Bourbon street entrance t.
Holmes, however. Jared worse. Th,
massive plate glass windows anc
weather doors were shattered to atom
and the more infammable portions Q
the stock thus exposed caught fire in {
| moment.
Long ere this the department wal
fairly at work and tons of water wer
being poured upon the burning materia
and the flames showed the falrest symp
tons OF yielding. On Canal street cas-
OF Bourbon they met an impossible bar
rier, in the massive Touri buildings whicl
adjoin Werlein's, and though the roof O
all the stores comprising the row wer
a more than once on fire, the flames coul,
make no progress against the sturdy ma
Z sonry.
The new Cosmopolitan hotel and ad
joining structures, which front on Roya
: street just off Canal and run back int,
the centre of the block, caught fire in tn
rear and it required the ut most effort o.
the part of the tiremen to save them.
The Schwartz stock valued at owe
$500,000, was insured for $500 900, an
the building tor $35, 900, considerabl
below its value. Holmes stock was il
sured for $500,000 and worth nearl
twice as much, but the damage to it
not thought to be very great. Cluvt
rius carried So. 900 on stock and other
were insured In proportion. Every il
surance company in the city has abou
an equal share Of the loss. The risk
have been divided.
Most OF the buildings were newl
erected and considered separate and e,
cellent risks.
The individual lesses so far as the
F can be ascertained are as follows
a. Schwartz & Sons loss, $500, ,00(
l. insurance, $365,000. Benevolent an
r, Protective order Of Elks, 5000; unil
sured. W. T. Cleuverius, SIS, 900, covere
~ y by insurance. Wenger's gardens, $50
{, 600; insured. d. H. Holmes loss, $25
u 900; insurance, 100000. Nine. Got
1T dard, loss slight; insurance, $10,00t
IN Nine. Godin, loss. $4,000; insured.
f. NJ. Hoffman, loss. ST., 900; insured. lob
Curry, loss, $3.50; uninsured. S. G. Cr
ger, loss, $4,000; insured. John Nj
Closkey, less $4,000; insured. Krat
Bros, loss. $4,000; partly insure'
= Philip Werlein, loss, Sis, 900; insured.
~ The buildings destroyed collectivel
are estimated to be worth fully a qua
ter Of a million, while many other bull,
= ings are badly damaged, as well as the
contents, and are not included in tt
above estimated loss.
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