Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-11-23
Re Breaks Out in a Manufacture
ing District and De6es Eff
forts Of Firomen.
Is Not subdued Until Num-
Der of Blocks Are Laid
a i in Ruins.
sroperty Valued at $4,000, ooe
Swept Away-No Lives Lost So
~ Far as Known.
reatest Fire In the British Metropo-
lis Since the Historical Conhasra-
4 ton which Occurred In 1856.

=
& lis Since the Historical Conhagra-
ton Which Occurred In 1856.
81 London, Nov. 2O.-One Of the most
disastrous fires in London's history
since tho great fire of 1866 broke out in
% large block of buildings lying east
ggsrard of Aldersgate street and between
that thoroughfarc and Red Cross street
dust after one o'clock Friday afternoon.
The flames were famed by strong
sYind and were fed by highly inflamma-
BILE stocks of Christmas fancy goods
and flimsy dress materials of all de-
acriptions that filled every floor of the
Hix-story buildings in the old street.
consequently the conflagration gained
headway with surprising rapidity and
syas soon far beyond the possibility of
being checked by the few engines which
were early On the spot. For four hours
and half the flames had their own
way, and it was only after more than
IA hundred engines had worked an hour
Ahat the chief of the fire brigade sent
out the signal that the fire was under
control. At midnight the fire is still
the scene of great excitement. Fifty en-
gines are playing upon the ruins, wag-
ons are hurrying up coal and tons OF
water are pouring int the fiery debris.
Thousands of people are trying to pen
citrate the Gordon maintained by thou
sand policemen, reinforcements for
whom were hurried up when, soon after
six o'clock, an increase in the outbreak
led Commander Wells to make requi-
sition for more engines upon the outly-
lng stations.
Loss over x2O,OOO,OOO.
! The scene must occupy the fire bril-
gade for several days, especially in view
bf the grave danger of the collapse Of
the shells of buildings which fall now
! and again with a loud report. The latest
accounts indicate that nearly q hundred
warehouses have been destroyed, while
The loss will probably exceed e4,oo0,0oo.
Abe historic Church of st. Giles has
been much damaged, the principal dam
age being to the roof, the old windows,
The baptismal font and Millions statue.
It is officially announced that $50
warehouses have been Quilted. Nearly
all the British fire insurance companies
are involved, and fire insurance shares
were practically unsaleable on the stock
Exchange Friday afternoon after the
fire was well under way. Nearly 300
Telephone wires have been cut, thus in
fsrrupting communication with many
pf the big provincial towns. The fire
will cause an enormous advance in the
nA,ta - {csn foof h soh
per cent. Friday evening. Two feather
6rms alone have lost e $4,000 (s76, O0O).
The Burned Area.
q very large force Of firemen and
about 20 engines worked at high pres
sure all night. The district ravaged
by the fire is bounded by Aldersgate
Htreet, Red Cross, Maidenhead court
.nnd Bradford avenue, and includes the
antermediate streets, jewin, Hamsell
We'll and Edmund, and Jewin crescent
u Due to an Explosion.
Hamsell street was the scene of the
outbreak of the fire, which was due tc
an explosion in connection with gas
engine on the premises of Walter Brown
r. Co., mantel manufacturers at No. &c
pm that thoroughfare. Their third fac
tory was crowded with girls when the
fire broke out, and it was instantly the
scene of a semipanic, the frightened
operatives rushing to the roof of the
building and there crossing to Other
Buildings and so effecting their escape
while the flames were pouring out o.
the basement. In less than quarter o.
aQ hour the flames had enveloped tn,
Rdjoining warehouse and thence the,
NOUS paper warehouse which was full,
plight in less than ten minutes.
Witnessed by Tens of Thousands
By this time it was evident to the fire
men that they were face to face with
a great disaster and general alarm wa,
Sent out. Then from all the fire sta
lions, even those quite five miles from
bhe scene of the disaster, engines wer
buried to the spot, and the pole,
gathered about the neighborhood II
great force. This display Of strength o,
EAe part Of the police was required, a
The crowd, swelling in size every mo
kpent, soon amounted to tens of thou
Hands Of people, and the firemen re
1uired every possible freedom of &C
Non, as their fight was one of the great
Ekt difficulty, owing to the narrownes
pf the old, crooked streets which ar
the feature Of that part of London, con
bined with the height of the ware
houses, which cut off the f1remen fror
bill fair chance of combining the GU,
break. The excitement among the OF
lockers, who crowded every possibl
point Of view, was very great, as ma
be Judged from the fact that the fireme
bad to be repeatedly rescued by thel
Comrades by the aid Of fire escapes frol
buildings which had caught fire afte
the firemen had mounted to their ROOT
10 fight the flames in adjoining strut
lures.
Battle with the Flames.
The rescue of operatives by the flr'
men, the hurrying of hosts of clerk
who were trying to save books and va
uable papers from the fire and the rusl
ing here and there of many employe
who were attempting to carry to place
bf safety costly merchandise or othe
Saluables, added to the confusion. TIL
heat was SO intense that several Areme
were obliged to direct their operation
under showers of water poured upo
Ahem. But in spite OF the exertiops Z
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