The morning call., 1893-09-26
THREATENED BY FIRE
1t Was Feared the Entire CITY
Would Be Burned.
Water Was Scarce and What There
Was Could Not Be Thrown
on the Flames.

| ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, Sept. pa fire started
| in Townsend, Wyatt & Emery's dry-goods
store this morning and consumed the five
story building of the Regner & Shoupe
Crockery Company. the Commercial Bank
and another small building.
| The cause of the fire was the stub Of q
| cigarette thrown careleSsly on the floor in
the stOreroom of 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 Suf-
| hcient to force the water to the required
height. The flames had got beyond the
point where the chemical apparatus might
have been Of use, and when the fifth floor
| fell it became apparent that the building
was doomed.
The firemen then directed their efforts to
an attempt to confne the fire to one build
ing. Handicapped by an insufficient water
| supply they were unsuccessful. The
| Townsend & Wyatt building became a
roaring furnace, and the flames leaping
100 feet into the air soon attacked the
Commercial Bank building Almost SIM
| ultaneously the fire jumped across the
street to the Corby and France blocks, and
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
Corby and France buildings were burn
lug when the water began to come.
The department finally stopped the
progress of the flames north at the Ger
man-American Bank, south in the Corby
block and west at the building occupied by
Ransom, Garrett & Brewster, wholesale
Sh0e-dealers.
From the Wyatt. Townsend & Emery
building the flames leaped to the building
occupied by Regnier & Shoupe. crockery-
dealers. 1t quickly suceumbed. Then fol-
lowed that of S. u. Allen & Co., wholesale
grOcers. and in quick succession a hotel
and several small buildings occupied by
small tradesmen were consumed. II was
O'Clock before the fire was under control,
and it had then been under way six hours.
At 6 o'clock the fire was still burning
fercely in spots. The burned district is
bounded by Felix and Edmond and Sixth
and Seventh streets. and the south half Of
the block between Edmond and Charles
and Sixth and Seventh streets. The largest
losses are: Townsend. Wyatt & Emery,
dry-gOOds, losses on stock S225.O00. insur-
ance 5000 600; loss on building $685. In
surance $4,000; Regnier & Shoupe. whole
sale and retail crockery, loss $500 in
surance $4,000; Hoagland building, loss
SO. 900, fully insured; Commercial Bank
building. loss $4,000. fully insured; Com
mercial Bank annex. loss $4,000. insur-
ance $4,000; Corby block. damaged S25,.
000 insured for $4,000; A. Allen s. Co.,
wholesale grocers. loss S50.00O insurance
$4,000. loss to building 1000, insurance
$4,000; France block, loss $40. 600, insur-
ance $4,000; Ransom. Garrett & Brew
ster, loss and damage $4,000 fully in
sured. loss on building $4,000. insured.
The other losses aggregate S25, 900.
Allen Laird and Oliver Knapp, fremen,
fell from a ladder into the burning build
ing and both were badly hurt. Chief
Kane was also badly burned. and young
man named Hunter fell two stories into
the cellar and had TWO ribs broken. CAL
vim Wyatt was struck by flying bricks and
seriously injured.