Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-04-09
FIRE AT KNOXVILLE.
LARGEST CoNFLAGRATroN IN THE
HISTORY or THE CITY.
LOSS FROM $i,OOO,OOO TO Si,5OO,OOO.
One Person known TO Have Pcrished
In the Fiames-0thcrs ns Yet I'm
accounted For--Burned BuiIdipgs
10 ne Replaced.


cluding some Of the largest wholesale
and retail business-houses in the South.
were destroyed. The loss is variously
estimated al from 100000 to Sl.5Oo,0oo.
with about co per cent. OF insurance.
The loss OF life Is very uncertain. as
the register OF the Hotel Knox. in which
afty.six people were sleeping. was
burned. The proprietor Of the hotel says
that ne had five or six guests who have
not vet put in an appearance. a. +.
Weeks. OF Locke. y. Y, drummer for a
Rochester stamping company, is known
90 have perished in the flames. r. W.
I{onllins. n 81 Louis drummer, was last
seen In the burning building in a suffo-
eating condition. W. IL. Keephart. ex-
secretary Of the Chamber Of Commerce.
saved tho life Of John Boyle. an old
farmer. by dragging him to a window
and letting him out on the roof of an
other building. K6ephart jumped one
story and was injured. When the fire.
mon thought all the inmates Of the
hotel had escaped, a woman. with an
infant IN her arms rushed TO a rear
window and screamed for help. net
was quickly stretched and the woman
was asked 10 drop the child out, but,
os the smoke almost choked her. she told
them that il one had TO die both would
die The woman was finally rescued by
the frcmen.
From the hotel building. which was
fve-stOries high. the fire spread east and
west 4 stiff wind made the flames very
ugly. and the Fire Department was in
ADEQUATE. In the wholesale hardware
house Of W. W. Woodruff & CO. ex-
rlosions Of dynamite occurred and
scores Of people were hurt by flying
bricks and glass. II became necessary,
at last. TO have the walls Of one build
ing blown down by cannon, 10 stop the
mad career Of the flames. a mountain
howitzer of the Knoxville Legion was
called into play, and load Of canister
did the work.
AID FROM CHATTANOOGA.
The city authorities, realizing that the
Fire Department was unable to master
the flames. telegraphed TO Chattanooga
for assistance. The Southern railway
made up a special train, and brought
the Chattanooga apparatus to Knox
vile, 10 miles, in 1l5 minutes. one stop
was made for water, the actual running
time being sixty miles an hour. When
the engine arrived here the fire was
about under control, yet the Chattanooga
boys did some work.
4 cabinct-maker named p c. Dyer fell
frfUbf
A man named Robinson. from Pulaski,
Tenn. is supposed TO be another victim.
lie was registered in the hotel. and mas
not shown up. 4 large force of men is
at work clearing away the debris to-nignt
and searching for bodies. The street-car
lines are completely tied up. and all the
electric companies have suffered.
one Knoxville architect received orders
To-day for plans for eleven buildings, to
take the places of buildings burned. All
the buildings are to be replaced at once.
The losses and insurance as given out
tonight are as follows:
MONEY LOSSES.
AIcNulty Grocery Company, loss, $1,000;
insurance 5000.
McNulty building, loss, si5,oOo insu-
rance. $1,000.
Hotel Knox. furniture and fixtures,
loss. $1,000; insurance, 5000.
Daniel BriscOe Brothers & Co., dry
goods stock, loss, 100000; insurance, Sll5,-
600.
Daniel Brothers Company, building,
loss, $40 90. insurance, $4,000.
r. j. King & Co.. insurance office, loss
=. 800. insurance, S,VOV.
McNulty x McGhee building, loss, Sl5.-
90: insurance, not given.
;. B. Newman & CO., printers. loss, Si5'-
GO; insurance, $1,000.
". W. Woodruff & Co, hardware build
ing. loss $4,000. insurance. $1,000.
cullen Newman, queensware, loss
5000. insurance. $4,000.
j. G. Cullen, building, $4,000; insurance
not known.
insurance $4,000.
NJ. d. Arnold, building. loss. $4,000; In
surance, $4,000.
". L. Ross & CO.. groceries, loss, $4,000;
insurance. $4,000.
NJ. L. Ross. building, loss, $1,000; in
surance. $4,000
W. w Woodruff & Co. hardware, loss,
$4,000. insurance. $4,000.
". W. Woodruff. building, loss, $4,000;
insurance. $1,000.
Murphy & Robinson, hats, loss, $4,000;
insurance. $4,000.
A. =. Iahr, dry goods, loss, $1,000; in
surance, $4,000.
r. 5. Payne building, loss, S3OOOO in
surance. $1,000.
Sterchi Brothers, furniture loss, $4,000;
insurance. $1,000
c. c. McGhee. building loss, $4,000; in
surance, nothing.
Sanford. Chamberlain & Alberts, drugs
loss. $1,000. insurance, $4,000
Sanford Chamberlain * Alberts, build
ing. loss. $4,000; insurance, 5000.
McNiilland & Meek. building, loss, $1,000
Insurance, nothing.
Cusick stables, building, loss, N00OO
Insurance, nothing.
Warehouse loss. 81 600; insurance, A,VJo
City stables. contents, loss, $1,000; m
surance 1900.
City stables. building. loss. 5000; in
surance. nothing
T.. L. Mcmillan, building, vacant. loss,
sl5OO insurance. $1,000.
LOSSES OK PLATE GLASS.
The following losses 10 plate-glass were
caused by intense heat and water, the
buildings not being burned: Mester New
conner Company, S,0o0-insurance S.WO
H. r. Arnstein & Co, S.VO-insurance
smple others. aggregating from 5000 70
200. fully insured.
IN Is more than probable that j. c. N
Boyle. the old gentleman hurt in the hotel
wll die He inhaled flames The last
man to leave the burning hotel saws that
be is positive that five or six persons
were burned He ran over three or four
men In the Railways. who were suffo-
Gated.
j. NJ. Dean, OF Kansas City, who jump
Cd from The burning building. tells
thrilling story OF his escape. He started
out with only his night-robe on. and haa
H. l..r.. 81 hDll.rl. ha rpa chnl the street.