St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-04

OMAHA. Neb.. Feb. 8. 3.-Another such
q fire as that which destroyed the Bos-
ton store and threatened the business
center of Omaha this evening was
probably never fought by tiremen.
AT 6:45 tiny spark was noticed falling
in one of the show windows
of the Boston store and at
$50 the entire building was in a
blaze. The building stood at the
corner of Sixteenth and Douglass
streets. IN the very center of the retail
district. 1t had three large show win
dowS on the Sixteenth street front and
five on the Douglass street side. These
were all draped with fabrics of the most
intiammable nature, and the fire went
through them with a speed most appall-
ing. 1t was hardly moment from the
time the first spark was noticed
until the flames burst through the
windows. Inside the store was crowded
with clerks and customers, it being the
custom Of the firm TO keep open on Sat
urday night for special sales. In the
basement was the notion department,
and on the second floor was the milli-
merry and cloak department, while the
third floor was occupied by night
school.
CONSERVATION
relgned among the people in the store
when the flames were seen and mad
rush for the exits began. Men, women
and children crowded for the streets,
the sales girls and cash girls leaving
their wraps and other personal belong
ings to the flames. So far as can be
learned at midnight everybody
escaped. But number of the
girls who were employed in the
millinery and cloak departments were
badly scorched and blistered, several
losing all the hair from their heads. On
the west stood st. Magdalen'S church.
1t was quickly on fire, and like the
Boston store, burDed like tar
barrel. On the south. across Douglass
street, was the Y. NJ. c. A. building
and row of three-story flats. On the
ground floor of the association
building is Thompson u Baldens dry
goods store. They suffered a consider
able loss. The upper floors of the flats
were cleared out. West of st. Magda-
lens church was the Patterson block,
completed about four months ago, and
only partly occupied. 1t was also dam
aged to a considerable extent.
The intense heat from the Boston
store building kept the fremen out OF
that portion of Douglass street for half
an hour, and this gave the flames
chance to get across the street.
SO RAPIDLY
did the Boston burn that the cashier
abandoned the cash in the drawer and
the boOkkeeperS had to leave the books
on which they were working. The
safe door was open, but no one
dared tempt death by trying to
close it. The escape of the
inmates from the blazing tinder box
was all but miraculous. Inspector Hart
man, of the local underwriters associa-
ton, apprOXlmateS the loss at $3.50, 900.
Other estimates place it as low as S270.-
600. Their loss is estimated at $500. 600
Gu stock and SS5,000 on building.
They carried on their stock $780,
900, and Gil the building $4,000.
Rhohrobog d Co., who conducted the
night school and business college, place
their loss at IS. 000 with s., 900 insurance.
st. MagdaIene's church was insured for
$500. The Thompson d Belden
loss is chiefly from water. Their stock
was completely soaked. What they
will lose cannot be told until the adius-
ters complete their work. The firm
carries Sl00,0O0 on stock and 5000 on
fixtures. Other losses will be slight,
divided among many persons, aggregat-
ing about S1,0U0, with little OF no insur-
ance.