The record-union., 1893-09-26
Special to the REcoRp-uNroN.

special 10 Jne kECORD-ONION.
ST. JOSEPH (Mo.), Sept. 25.-A fire
started in Townsend 81 Wyatts dry goods
store this morning and consumed the
five-story building of the Regnier &
Shoupe Crockery Company, the Com
mercial Bank and another small build
ing.
Among the buildings destroyed were:
Sansome, Garrett q Brewster, shoes; b.
+. Barnaby q Co., drugs; S. S. Allen q
Co., wholesale groceries, and the Daily
Meas building.
A rumor that five people were killed
by falling walls is denied by the police.
A number were more or less seriously
hurt.
Over one hundred people were at work
in the Townsend q Wyatt builling when
the flames were discovered. The escape
was cut of, but all were rescued by the
fire department.
The cause of the fire was the stub of
lighted cigarette thrown carelessly on the
floor in the Storeroom on the fifth floor of
the big department store of Townsend,
WYATT 81 Emery. The fire department.
could have put out the fire but for the
failure of the water works pumps to give
pressure sufficient to force water to the
required hight. The flames had got be-
yond point where the chemical appa-
ratus might have been of use. " hen
the fifth floor fell it became apparent
that the building was doomed, and the
tiremen then directed their efforts to at
tempt to confine the fire to the building,
Handicapped by an insufficient supply OF
water, they were unsuccessful. The
Townsend & Wyatt building soon be-
came a roaring furnace and the flames
l.. s,,f-N -.
and soon attacked the Commercial Bank
building.
Almost simultaneously the flames
Jumped across the street to the Carbey IL
France blocks. Then it was apparent
that the whole block was doomed, and
the fear became general that the entire
business portion Of the city would be
swept away. The roofs Of the Carbey d
France buildings were burning when the
water began to come. The department
stopped the progress of the flames north
ut the German American Bank, south in
the Carbey block and west at building
occupied by Ransom. Garrett d Brewster,
wholesale shoe dealers.
From the Wyatt Townsend & Emery
building, the flames leaped to buildings
occupied by Regnier u Shoupe. crockery
dealers. 1t quickly succumbed. Then
followed the S. L. Allen IL Company
wholesale grocers, and in quick success
ion hotel and several small buildings,
occupied by small tradesmen, were con-
sumed. 1t was o'clock before the fire
was under control. The confiagration
had been under way six hours. AT
O'Clock the fire was still burning fiercely
in spots.
The burned district is bounded by
Felix and Edmond, Sixth and Seventh
streets, and the south half OF the block
between Edmond and st. Charles, Sixth
and Seventh.
The largest losses are: Townsend,
Wyatt G5 Emery, dry goods, loss on stock
S225, 600, insurance $500, 600, loss on build
ing $50, 900, insurance $4,000; Regnier Il
Shoupe. wholesale and retail crockery,
loss S75, 900, insurance $4,000. Hoagland
building, loss S75, 900, fully insured; Com
mercial Bank building, loss $1,000, fully
insured; Commercial Bank annex, loss
So, 900, insurance $4,000; Carbey block,
damaged $4,000, insured for S25, 900;
S. A. Allen & Co., wholesale grocers,
loss S50,000, insurance $4,000, loss
to bnilding SIS, 600, insurance
$4,000; France block, loss $4,000, insur
ance $4,000; Ransom, Garrett q Brew
ster, loss and damage $4,000, fully in
sured; loss on building $4,000, insured.
The other losses aggregate 5000.
Allen Laird and Oliver Knapp, fire.
men, fell from a ladder into the burning
building, and was both were badly hurt.
Chief Kane was badly burned, and q
young man named Hunter fell two stor-
les into cellar and had two ribs broken.
Calvin Wyatt was struck by flying bricks
and seriously Injured.