St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-24

] Ter.
DETROIT, Mich, Nov. 25.-0ne ofthe'
| worst fires that Detroit has experienced
in many years today completely de-
| stroyed the fiye-stery building atthe
corner of Jefferson avenue and Bates
| street, occupied by Edison, Moore q t
| Co.. wholesale dry goods. and damaged /
| several adjacent buildings, causing a +
! total less of 500, 600. Three men en- /
ployed by the dry goods fri lost their |
| lives in the flames, and five others WAC !
are missing are also supposed TO have /
| persisted.
The dead are: James Mckay, clerk, |
aged thirty-eight; Bradley a. Dun |
ming, porter, aged forty four; Ed Gen
Their. entry clerk, single. aged twenty |
eight.
The missing: Edward n. Volt, order |
clerk; Patrick Marley, aged thirty-twe,
leaves widow and three children; DAN
lei A. Baker, clerk; Henty Rider.
packer; Charles ". Kirehner, clerk.
The fire started at 1890 O'Clock, and
so quick was the work OF the flames
that in halt an hour the building was
completely gutted. ana practically only
the firmly boited iron front remained
standing The saddest feature was not
the destruction of property. however.
but the loss of life. Long be
| fore the many engines responded
to the general alarm. two men
could be seen on the window sills Of the
fifth story OF the Bates street side OF the
| building. a groan went up from the
crowd. which in a moment realized the
awful peril of the unfortunates, and
saw but too plainly what little chance
there was to render effectual assist
ance. So rapidly had the
FLAMES PROGRESSED
that the men undoubtedly had not the
time to get out of the building. Caught
J | like rats in trap. with the flames roar
ing above and beneath them and spread
ing every moment. with the smoke be-
| hind them increasing In suf0cating
volumes. the unfortunates were fairly
l | driven to the window silis. There they
: chung. The crowd shouted, Don't
jump, don't jump: there's nelp COM
ing"
But even as those below called out
these words of useless encouragement
the flames behind them advanced and
-
was procured by the spectators and
f placed below the window Cd which
t Bradley Dunning was perched. Driven
: by the flames which roared around him,
he sprang from the window and landed
| on the bale He bounded off and fell to
v the sidewalk. where he lay limp and ap-
V parently lifeless. An ambulance car
e RED him to the hospital, where he died
o soon after. BY this time the f1remen
II | who had arrived spread a net to catch
l. Mckay. who fell into il. His injuries
i were such that he. too, died soon
: after being taken TO the hos
= pital. Hardly had this double tragedy
2 TRANSFERRED then another man was seen
q near the upper window nearest to the
= corner. He was evidently nearly suto-
Il Gated. for, although he succeeded IN
+ reaching the sill, his strength apparently
gave out, and. after an effort to raise
l. himself. one arm having been thrown
e over the sill, he slowly sank back and
e disappeared from view. being swal-
l. lowed up in the furnace behind him.
: He is thought to have been Edward
- Genther.
IS After the fire the firm established
e. temporary headquarters and opened &
register. All employees who reported
signed the roll. By comparing notes il
became evident that Genther, Rider
le Markey, Baker aud kirchner were
k missing.
If Next to the dead and missing ths
N chief topic of discussion was the re-
- - markable suddenness with which the
~ FIRE BROKE OUT
"a and swept through the building. Mel
- II
m time to escape, and lost their overeoatS
- The fire ate down through the floors Il
IN the ground with iRconeeivable rapidly
- The elevator boy says that when tht
~ fire broke out he held the elevator foI
ba several moments at the top floor, ant
begged the employees there to get in ant
90 down, but they seemed so ratified ant
excited that they paid no attention Il
him. He finally went down alone AM
ct left them to their fate.
T.. 1t is thought that the flames started
-os in lot of cotton batting on the tol
floor used for packing. How the FIR
u was ignited is not known.
VI James L Edison, senior member of tn
,LII firm, said the loss on stock would b
10 about S500,000. 1t is we'll covered b.
- insurance.
he The burned building belonged to tn
nc nc estate Of Francis Palms. 1t was ereete
- twelve years ago at cost Of SlO0.00(
-, when it was considered Que of the fines
III VI business blocks IN the city. The losi
y; which is total, was covered by $50, 90
= insurance in the following companies
&c Michigan Fire and Marine, So, 600; d.
o. tToit Fire and Marine, 5000; Liverpool
@0' London and Globe, $4,000; Lion. {
England, SO, 600; Home, of New YoTE
s., 600: Royal, 5000: Lancashire, {
England. ZOO; Commercial Union,
Ia England, 5000.
- Other business places were damage
AZ to the extent Of $4,000. John j. Ba!
ere leY's tobacco works, which are situate
sed Immediately in the rear of the Pain
len building, suffered loss of So. ZOO.
ng- was mostly caused by water on I'd
col stock and working material. The lot
NJ. is fully covered by insurance. The D
me troit Lithographing company, which Q,
ere cupies portion of the Bagley building
an suffered a loss estimated at $50, 00
the amply insured.
ma Freidenberg Il Sheek, dealers in tai
OTIS trimmings and furnishing good
occupied the west half of the four-stol
building east of the Palms buildip
The flames threatened 10 totally destTC
'en- this building, which, however, WI
Dos saved by the supeThuman efforts of Il
on. fTemel, who poured tremendous W
he ume Of water upon it. The dana!
go done amounted to 5000 and VI
ent mostly caused by water; insuranc
inc S25, GOO. The second, third and four
; S. floors OF this building are occupied
the Merchants hotel. Tbs falling wal
of the dry goods building crasht
through the hotel root. causing a dan
u- age of S, 900, which was covered by
suranee. Several other firms III adj
t4e cent buildings suffered smaller losse
and
nix.