The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-20
JEWELRY MAKES A HOT FIRE
LARGEST STORE IN AMERIcA
DESTROYED.
Fire In st. Louis Which Cuts Of
Santa Claus From One Bass OF
Supplies-Narrow Escapes.

st. Louis, Dec ia fire started in
the basement of the building occupied
by the Mermod & Jaccard Jewelry
company at the corner OF Locust and
Broadway early this morning, and in
an almost Incredible short time the
tive-stcry building was completely gut
ted The total loss will reach $685., 1000,
fully covered by insurance.
The fire had been burning some time
before it was discovered at 4:40 o'clock
and at .. m. the south wall and all
the floors began falling, making one
of the fiereest and quickest fires in the
annals of the city. Next to the boiler
room in the basement was a room used
for packing. It is thought that the
fire started in the boiler room, COM
municating to the packing room and
shooting up the elevator shaft, quickly
spread over the building. W. a. hut
ledge, the engineer, and his family,
lived on the fourth floor. They barely
escaped with their lives. The firemen
dragged them unconscious from their
beds and carried them down the fire
escape. Five minutes later the floors
fell Several other tenants in the build
ing had narrow escapes, but there were
no fatalities.
The Mermod & Jaccard Jewelry COM
pany was one of the largest in the
world and being Christmas season, car
ried an immense stock. One-half Of the
stock had been placed in the two large
vaults and saved, but the rest, as we'll
as the building and it's fixtures, was
totally destroyed.
The Model Cloak company, in the
northeast corner of the building, was
wiped out, sustaining a loss of $4,000,
on which there is an insurance of
three-fourths.
At this hour, I o'clock, the stockhold-
ers of Mermod & Jaccard are holding
meeting and considering arrange
ments for opening up in temporary
quarters
The Mermod-Jaccard company occu-
pied but two floors and basement of
the structure On the fifth f.oor was
the repair shop. q large amount Of the
repair work had been finished and
most of It was saved by the salvage
corps The corps also saved a dozen
or more grandfather clocks ranging in
value from $500 to $500 each, and
many old Vienna vases and valuable
pieces of pottery.
The silverware, melted by the heat,
viii be found under the debris of fall
len timber. On the first floor, left out
of the vaults, were clocks, silverware,
china, art pottery, cut glassware and
other articles all of which will be a
total loss. There were over 40 ten
ants in the building whose losses range
from $500 to $4,000, partially insured
The first carried insurance amount
ing to $4,000 which, if the stock in
the vaults is found intact, Will amply
cover the loss sustained.
The building was owned by the estate
of the late Luther N. Kennett. but un-
der lease to the ACKNOWLEDGMENT com
pany. The firm estimates the value OF
the building at S1250O0, upon which
there was an insurance of S105, 600.
Late tonight the burned-out firm de.
4 cided to continue in business, and to-
morrow viii take possession of the
/ store and stock Of another leading Jew.
/ eler Of this city. which they have
/ bought. The firm that goes out OF
! business is that OF a. Kurtzborn &
/ Sons