Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-07
Five Large Buildings and Two Smaller
Ones Consumed.
Loss ESTIMATED At ABOUT 100000
Blaze Started in the Opera House
Early This Morning.
JULIA RTHUR'S LOSSES

DETROIT Mich. October Five large
buildings and two smaller ones. with all
their contents were destroyed this morning
by a fire which swept through block situ-
ated in the center of the business portion
of Detroit and bounded by the Campus
cIartius. Woodward, Gratiot and Monroe
avenues. The total loss is estimated at
sGOOO0 to 100000
The blaze started shortly before 1 o'clock
on the stage of the Detroit Opera House.
The origin of the fire is not determined.
1t was not noticed until the flames leaped
out at the rear of the theater following
blowing out of a rear wall by the ex-
plosion of a calcium light. The opera house
faced the Campus Martius and was OBJ
lquely across from the city hall. Its rear
end was closely surrounded by the rear OF
other buildings fronting respectively on
Woodward. Gratiot and Monroe avenues,
and the original location of the fire was
Inaccessible when the firemen first arrived.
Within a few minutes however, the flames
had communicated to the front and roof of
.the theater. and the fremen began several
hours fight against the spread of the
flames.
Opera House Burned Quickly.
The opera house burned at a terrific rate,
the interior being a solid mass of flame
Meanwhile the ten-story building occupied
the Henry H. Leonard r CoHi-
pany got afire in the upper stories. Though
ii was supposed to be treproof. the flames
swept through its infiammable contents
from the rear to the Gratiot avenue front,
until within two hours nothing remained
hut the steel framework of the building.
The buildings next adjoining the opera
house were the large jewelry establishment
of Wright. Kay & Co. and the four-story
building fronting on the Campus Martus
rlia.t hNr rhsa ~
Michel Table Supply Co. By strenuous
efforts the jewelry house was saved. al
though the Building caught fire repeatedly.
but the Michel building Was gutted and
all its contents burned.
At ) o'clock it was supposed that the fire
VIC uld probably be controlled within its
then limits, but aided by an increasing
northwest wind. it swept along both on the
Monroe avenue and Gratiot avenue sides of
the block. From Michells ii communi-
Gated with the large six-story building ad-
joining. occupied by c. H. Werner's crock
cry house and by the Grand Union Tea
Company, causing perhaps the hottest
blaze OF the confiagration. and leaving
nothing remaining at > o'clock but the
frCnt walls. .-r-i.
on the Gratiot avenue side the flames
spread east from the Leonard building to
building occupied by the Central Storage
Company and Vaughan 4 Tanner, which
also consumed. with its contents A
side wall of the latter building fell upon
the roof of two-story structure occupied
by the Partisan laundry, which was badly
wrecked and. partly consumed. On the
Monroe avenue side, small shoe store
was crus he'd to fragments by the fall Of the
east wall of the Werner building. At botn
these points was where the progress of the
flames was checked
julia Arfhur's Heavy Loss.
The early morning hour and the rapiu
sweep of the fires prevented saving OF any
contents TO speak Of Among the losses
that of the Julia Arthur Dramatic
Company, which was playing its first en-
gagement in "a Lady of Quality" All of
its handsome costumes and stage settings
Were destroyed. Miss Arthur was pros
trated over this serious blow to her enter
Prise The front portion of the theater
building was occupied by the Central Saw
ingS Bank and kinnucan's tailoring estab-
hshment. the upper stories front by various
offices
The Grand Trunk repair shops located
on the dock at the foot of Dequindre street
nearly three-quarters of Il mile distant.
caught fire from Il blazing brand and was
destroyed. with quantity of lumber and
Material Several other fires started in ad-
dition to numerous small ones near the
scene of the big fire, but none resulted in
great damage.
William Moore janitor of the Ouera
House building. and wife. who were sleep
irg on the fifth floor, narrowly escaped
with their lives. Lieut.. John W. Hopkins
ii. WEIGH suffered "A serious tail. caused by
the jerking down of ladder on which they
were ascending the front of the Michel
buildE g. Benefits spine is seriously in
jured- Il was 5:;iU O'Clock before The fire
was fully under control.
LOSSES and Insurance
The Detroit Opera House was owned BIZ
the Clark estate Its value is estimated
at $so.ooo. II was quite fully insured C.
j. Whitney, lessee Of the building and
manager, loses about $4,000, partially in
sured- The Julia Arthur Company's loss is
ever $1,000. with si0.Voo insurance The
Michel building was owned by Geo H.
Barbour. Its value was S2o.GpO fully in
sured- The Michel stock was worth SO
rp. AID was q, per cent insured The
Leonard building stock and building is es-
timated at slvc.nc0 and was fully insured
The principal other losses, most of which
are fairly insured, are as follows: Central
Savings Bank. S11HO: Hugh Connolly.
3-weler. Slo.eJO: Vaughan & Tanner $50
un, c. III. Werner. $45.00: Traugott
Schmidt estate. owner of Werner building.
S>'"p; Grand Union Tea Company S2JOoO:
Partisan Laundry, s15.Ulp: Central Storage
Company. $D60: Grand Trunk repair
shops, $4,000; BrosSy's dye shops, 81 800:
opera house musicians. si.VO; other minor
losses <J.uD