Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-09-30
BIG BLOCKS BURNED.
Fire Started by Cigarette stub Causes q
Loss of Nearly @1,OOO,OOO at st. Joseph,

Sr. JOSEPH, Mo-, Sept. 26.-Three
blocks of the finest business houses of
st. Joseph are in ruins and nearly ST.
900, 900 worth of property has been de-
stroyed.. A cigarette stub cast into the
storeroom on the fifth floor of the
Townsend e Wyatt building by care
less clerk is supposed to have originated
the conflagration.
The center block and the immense
department house of Townsend 81
Wyatt are in ruins, likewise the Com
mercial block containing the CONNER
cial bank, the safe deposit vaults, the
Central savings bank and numer-
GUS offices, likewise the immense
building occupied by the Reg
nier & Shoup Crockery company.
The Corby block is badly dam
aged as are also the Stone build
ing and the Muhlens building, while
the new building of G. b, France, the
Ballinger building and the Zimmerman
building are badly scorched. All these
are adjacent to the Townsend Il Wyatt
building, Sixth and Edmond streets,
where the fire started and burned the
best and most modern business struc-
lures in the city. Each marked step
in the advancement of the city.
About 10 o'clock a. IN. c. A. Purdy,
who was passing along Edmond street,
noticed thin curl of smoke coming
from the top floor of the eight-story
department house of Townsend &
Wyatt. BY the time he could
turn in an alarm flames burst
from the entire top floor When the
department arrived it was found that
the water pressure was bad and the
firemen fought at disadvantage. The
entire building was soon in flames and
| Chief Kane saw there was no chance to
save it. A strong wind from the north
| carried the flames across the street,
and thence to the buildings named
above. The firemen labored hard, but
could make no headway against the
flames.
The fire was burning fercely from
four sides and the destruction of the
best business interests of the city was
imminent. At this time dynamite was
resorted to and a number of buildings
blown up. With the help of the Topeka
and Kansas City fire departments the
fire was gotten under control. The
principal losers are:
Loss Insurance
Townsend Wyatt Dry Goods ,. ..,. -.
company ............"..... s2o0OO1 s2Oo m VV
| Central block. MINIMUM. $1,000 1900
| Hoagland block -. I5,O0O 4O,OO
Regnier & Shoup Crockery
commercial S9mPTeiK bank 5000 5000 Full, Full
Carbry block ...... .,.,.... 10000 25 90
Ransome Garrett l. Brewster 1900 ..,..
Thirty smaller ins stitutions. 10000
Several accidents occurred during th
progress of the fire. When one of th
buildings was blown up boy, Johnn.
Haskins. was struck by flying bricl
and badly hurt. Allen Laird and Olive
Knapp, two firemen, were thrown iron
ladder into a burning building
and both badly hurt, Knapp probabl.
fatally. Chief Kane, of the fire depart
ment, was badly burned and youn
man, George Hunter, fell three storie
! into cellar. He was little injured
two ribs alone being broken. Severa
, persons were hurt by falling walls
but not fatal accident occurred dul
| ing the fire.
, In the seven-story building occupie
by Townsend, Wyatt & Emery NOR
| than 100 persons We're at work whe
the flames were discovered. The
: spread with such rapidity that the es
: cape of many was cut off and the
J We're forced to wait for help from tn
, firemen.
/ At $50 o'clock the fire was entirel
under control. Hard work on the pal
of the departments confined the fire
the block bounded by Felix and L,
? mond and Sixth and Seventh street
/ and to the north half of the block b.
S tween Edmond and ST. Charles, Sixt
) and Seventh.