The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-27
RIBBONS BLAZE MERRILY.
Fire and Water Destroy the Stock Of
the KTOuSkOlf Millinery Co.


Fire Unknown.
Summer hats, feathers, ribbons and
other millinery finery will probably be
offered at a bargain for some time TO
come, as the result of a fire which de-
stroyed the better portion and damaged
the rest of the stock of the Krouskof
Millinery Company, No. ISL Broughton
street last night.
The fire was discovered a few minutes
before II O'Clock, when Chief Puder, just
after having made few Saturday night
purchases, was walking along Broughton
street on his way home. Somebody
shouted "Firew The chief at once turned
in an alarm from box No. ID, at Broughton
and Whitaker streets. The department
was out in jiffy. Probably some of the
remarks of Chief Hale, of Kansas City,
with regard to fires were still ringing in
the ears Of the firemen, for they were at
work almost before the alarm had ceased
striking.
When the department reached the box,
smoke was issuing from the two upper
stories of the building on Broughton
street, occupied by the Krouskof Mil
linery Company. The stream from the
chemical engine was taken into the build
ing and the fire was located on the second
floor in the back part of the building
near large hatchway which communi-
Gates with the ground floor.
THE FIRE DRENCHED OUT.
It had made too much Roadway to be
put out entirely by the chemical,
V and three or four streams of water were
put into the building through the front
windows. Water was thrown into both
stories, and in this way the fire was kept
from spreading. 1t was literally
drenched, and for while veritable
river of water poured out the front door
into Broughton street
The fire was soon drowned out and the
smoke cleared away enough to allow the
firemen to enter the building. After this
every spark Of it was put out, and within
less than an hours time, the drenched
and burned stock was all there was
left of it. Straw hats were bent into
hundreds of shapes, presenting many
new designs for summer styles. Colors
were blended and ran into each other in
silks and ribbons in such a manner as to
give them a dampened rainbow hue, and
Easter bonnets were dispatched far moro
rapidly than an advancing season carries
them away.
THE CROWDS IN THE WAY.
The fremen had some trouble with the
crowd at first, but this was soon over
come. The difficulty was in the absence
of sufficient police to keep back the crowd
that insisted on surging right up to
the door of the building. Re
peated calls for more police finally
brought them to the rescue, and
when the fire was about out the crowd
was out Of the way. One offender was
carried into the barracks for crossing the
dead line, but the fire was under control,
and he could not have done much dam
age then if he had passed.
One side of the Krouskof building is
Collat Bros house, with a double wall
of + feet thickness between the two, and
on The other is the house of Foye & Nor
risou Both of these buildings were filed
with smoke, though the thick wall on
Collat's side prevented so much of
it entering there as was found in
Foye & Morrison's place when it was
opened. After the fire had been burning
some time an insurance man, with a mem
Der Of the latter firm, entered the build
ing and raised the windows. This led to
some words between him and the
fremen with regard to an insur-
ance man going into one of the
buildings while the department was
in charge. While looking for the chief
one of the firemen made a remark which
offended him and he replied sharply. A
few more words led to the passage of
blows, when they were interfered with
and the names of both placed on the
docket.
FIREMAN's NARROW ESCAPE.
During the fire, while several men
were on ladder playing several streams
in the windows Of the top story, George
Gonuors. one of the tiremen, was over
come by the smoke and tainted dead
away on the ladder. 1t was all
the two iremen who were near
him could do to hold him on the
ladder until a rope could be procured,
and he was lowered to the ground After
being taken down he soon recovered, and
was able TO be about again.
NEARLY A TOTAL LOSS.
An examination of the stock after the
fire showed that it was almost total
loss. Only a small portion of it on the
second floor was burned, and this was
just where the fire started, near the
hatchway in the the rear of the
building, the loss being principally
by water. The place was filed
with ribbons, feathers and silks, and con-
tanned one of the most valuable portions
of the stock. There is no accounting how
fire should start here. Mr. Hrouskoff
said he had no idea how it started, unless
it was through the carelessness of
the porter, who closed up the I'D
stairs apartments just before the
store was closed for the night. The doors
of the store had not been closed i've
minutes when the alarm was turned in.
How it could have gotten headway and
spread 50 quickly after the closing of the
store, without having been discovered by
those inside just before closing, is a
mystery.
THE BUILDING FLOODED.
The upper floor contained the stock q,
straw goods, hats Of various shapes and