The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-09-26
OVER ONE MILLION
GOES UP IN SMOKE.
A Holocaust Caused by a Little
Cigarette.
ST. 10 A RIVAL TO CHICAGO.
Several People Very Badly, Perhaps
Fatally, Injured.
A Russian Warship with One Hundred
and Sixty Men on Board Founders
in Gale and Not
Soul Is Saved.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo-. Sept. 25.-Fire started
In Townsend & Wyatt's dry good store
this morning. 1t consumed the FIVE story
building of the Regnler & Shoupe
Crockery company, the Commercial bank
and other small buildings The loss is
over million. There is an unccnfrmed
report that three firemen were killed.
Among the buildings destroyed were
Ransome, Garrett & Brewster. shoes; B.
F. Barnaby & Co., drugs; S. 8. Allen s.
Co., wholesale groceries; and the DAILY
Meas building.
The rumor that five were killed by fall
ing walls. is denied by the police.
number were more or less seriously hurt.
Over hundred were at work in Town
send & Wyatt's building when the flames
were discovered. Escape was cut of, but
all were rescued by the fire department.
1t IS believed now that the fire Is under
control.
The cause of the fire was the stub of
| lighted cigarette, thrown carelessly on
the floor in the store room on the fifth
! floor of the big department store Of
Townsend, Wyatt q Emery. The fire
department could have put the fire out
but for the failure OF the waterworks
pumps to give pressure sufficient to force
the water to the required height. The
flames had got beyond the point where
the chemical apparatus might have been
OF use. When the fifth floor was reached
| it became apparent the building was
doomed and the fremen then directed
their efforts to an attempt to conhne the
fire to the building. Handicapped by in
sufficient water supply, they were I'M
successful. The Townsend & Wyatt
building became roaring furnace The
| flames, leaping 100 feet into the air,
soon attacked the Commercial Bank
building. Almost simultaneously, the
flames jumped across the street TO the
Carbey and France blocks. Then it was
apparent the whole block was doomed
and the fear became general that entire
part OF the city would be swept away.
The roofs of the Carbey and France
buildings were burning when the water
began to come. The department. stopped
the progress OF the flames north at the
German American bank, south in the
Carbey block and west at the building oc-
cupied by Ransom, Garrett 81 Brewster,
wholesale shoe dealers. From the Wyatt,
Townsend 6 Emery building the flames
leaped to the building occupied by Ranger
& Shoup, crockery dealers. 1t quickly
| succumbed.
Then followed that of 8. A. Allen &
Co., wholesale grocers, and in quick sue
cession the hotel and several small build
ings occupied by small tradesmen were
con sumed.
1t was 8 O'Clock before the fire was I'M
der control and the confagration had
| been under way six hours. At oscloe K
the fire is still burning fercely In spots.
The burned district is bounded by Fe-
| lix and Edmond and Sixth and Seventh
streets and the south half of the block
between Edmond and st. Charles and
Sixth and Seventh.
The largest losses are:
Townsend, Wyatt & Emery, dry
goods; losses on stock, S225 600, insur-
ance, 5000, 600; loss on building, $S5 200,
insurance, S75, 600.
Ragier & Shoup, wholesale and retail
crockery; loss, SO, 600; insurance, S70,-
600.
HOagland building, loss, SO. 900; fully
insured.
Commercial Bank building, loss. 4O,OOO,
| fully insured.
Commercial bank annex, loss, SIC, 600;
insurance, SIS, coo.
ance $40, Goo
S. A. Allen & Co., wholesale grocers,
loss $50, 600; insurance SAC, 600; loss to
Suilding $25, 600; insurance SIS, 600.
France block, loss goo; Insurance.
SIS, 600.
Ransom. Garrett & Brewster, loss and
damage $4,000, fully insured; loss on
building $4,000; insured.
| Other losses aggregate S25, 600.
| Allen Laird and Oliver Knapp, fremsn.
fell from ladder into the burning build
! ing and both were badly hurt. Chief
named Hunter fell two stories into the
cellar and had two ribs broken. Calvin
Wyatt was struck by flying bricks and
| seriously injured.