The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-11
LOSERS ARE MANY
SECURITY WAREHOUSE FOR THE
SECOND TIME VISITED BY
FIRE.
DAMAGE WAS FULLY 100000.
LARGELY ON HOUSEHOLD GOODS
AND MACHINERY STORED IN
THE BUILDING.
CONDUIT SYSTEM APPROVED
Council Takes Important Action Re-
garding Electric Wires-News
of Minneapolis.

For the second time in it's history the
Security warehouse, situated at 324, 1926
and S2S First street north, has been
visited by a destructive fire, and one
half of the building, that north of the
fire wall, is q mass of smouldering
ruins and the contents a total loss.
At about 4:15 yesterday morning fire
was discovered In the rear portion Of
one Of the upper stories, on the Fourth
avenue side of the building. The
Waterman at once turned in the alarm,
and the department responded to the
early morning blaze. It was a difficult
fire to fight and although the water
tower was brought to bear, with num-
erous smaller streams, the way was so
blocked to the water that little could be
done aside from cooling the walls. The
fire worked down and toward the front,
and from a smouldering furnace, with
flames issuing from the windows, the
fire suddenly burst through the roof
and mounted high in the air above
the heads Of the workers.
The upper floors being closely packed
with household goods, Irvine and other
inf1amable material, the flames burned
fiercely, and it was soon found that all
that could be done would be to confine
the fire to the building, and save the
walls If possible. The streets were
soon a network of hose, and a sea Of
mud, as old Mississippi was hurled
over the doomed building, but it was
fighting against odds. The roof fell in,
and with full vent the fire ragged fiercer
than ever. Then the rear portion of
the Fourth avenue wall fell down to
the middle of the second floor, and the
floors themselves followed suit. In the
rear Of the building, everything was
crushed through into the basement, but
in the front the debris lay piled up to
the second story when the flames and
smoke in that portion had been sub
dued. In the center and rear Of the
building, the fire still ragged, although
confined within the four walls and some
of the companies pulled out and went
home leaving the others to fight the
smouldering ruins. The department
worked well, and at no time was there
any danger of the fire spreading.
The building was used as a ware
house by the following firms, each of
which had offices on the first floor with
their Individual stocks scattered
throughout the building: Aultman-
Miller company, Akron, Ohio, samples;
Aermotoer company, Chicago, whole
stock; Pitts Agricultural Works, Buff
falo, N. Y, one-half Of the Northwest
stock, valued at 100000; Emerson
Manufacturing company, Rockford, ILL.,,
samples; Dowagiac Manufacturing
company, Dowagiac, Mich, samples;
Grand Detour Plow company, Dixon,
ILL.,, samples; Graham Paper company,
st. Louis, large stock; Vanstrum Sup
ply company, Minneapolis, large stock.
Owing to the great number of persons
and concerns who had household goods
and stocks in the burned structure, it
was found extremely difficult to as
certain the individual losses and the
probable total loss. Between 70 and 100
families had their household goods
stored in the warehouse, and a con-
siderab BILE quantity had but recently
been stored for the summer by people
who have gone to the lake. The value
of these goods is unknown except to
owners as only their description and
not their worth was noted by the man
agement of the warehouse. One of the
occupants of the building who is famil-
lar with the nature and value of the
contents said that the loss on the same
could not fall short of $500, 900, but it is
probable that the entire loss including
the building will not be much over that
figure. This loss is largely covered by
insurance, although many of the own
ers of household goods were uninsured.
The heaviest loss sustained by any
of the occupants was that of the Pitts
Agricultural company, of Buffalo. The
agent for the company, Mr.. Brown,
places the loss at between $4,000 and
100000 which Is fully covered by in
surance. The destroyed stock consisted
of threshing machinery, repairs and
samples