New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1898-12-07
Height of the Buildings Made
1t Impossible to Get Water
Where Needed.
LOSS IS FULLY A MILLION
Rogers-Peet, Home Life and
Postal Telegraph Company
the Sufferers.
Desperate Efforts to Save VAL
liable Papers Prove of
Little Avail.

New YORK, Dec. Gin a binding
| rain storm the massive block of build
ings on Broadway, s53 to 259, and in
! cluded between Murray and Warren
streets, was almost destroyed by fire.
Within three hours more than 81 900, 900
worth of property was destroyed.
The fire began in the 5-story brick
building occupied by the mems furnish
ing firm of Rogers, Peet & Co., on the
southwest corner of Broadway and
Warren streets. Adjoining the Rogers
Peet building and south Of it was the
magnificent white building of the Home
Life Insurance company, ID stories, and
next to this was the brown stone build
ing of the Postal Telegraph company,
20 stories, erected at cost of millions
only few years ago. Within a few
minutes after the discovery of the fire
the Rogers-Peet building was roaring
furnace and an alarm had been turned
in which brought
More Than Score of Engines
to the scene. It was but short time
when the flames had eaten through the
wall Of the Home Life and were roaring
high above that lofty structure. Thou
sands Of people had gathered on the
scene and the binding glare of the
flames lit up the lower part of the city.
Even in the downpour the great crowds
OF people grew and the police reserves
were called out from many stations and
kept the people back for blocks. Great
showers Of sparks were carried in all
directions by the gale that blew 60
miles an hour. It was a picturesque
tire. The Home Life Insurance build
ing was occupied by that company and
large number of prominent men in
various lines of business Every effort
was made to
Save the Valuable Papers
stored in some of the offices but many of
these were lost. The Offices Of the rapid
transit commission were on the ninth
floor of this building and it is believed
that all the plans and schemes of work
with which the commission have been
working this many years have been de-
stroyed. In the Postal building as we'll
there were many serious losses of pri-
vate nature and when the flames reached
the operating room Of this structure,
which they did within the three hours
Of the outbreak, the one or two solitary
operators who remained at their posts
were compelled to flee for their lives,
leaving unsent messages at the keys.
The fire burned even more fercely in
the Home Life building
Owing to the Great Height
of this structure and in an incredibly
short time the upper half of thismagnifi-
cent building was in flames. The water
towers in the street were only able to
throw their heavy streams into the
lower part of the structure, and the
fremen, though they worked with great
bravery and untiring energy in the
| binding smoke and heat, could do lit
tie in the face of such a fierce sweep of
flame and gale It was only question
of time when the Postal building, so fa1
as the upper stories were concerned
went the way of the others.
The estimate of the losses by Chief
Bonner was 81 900, 900, with probable
ity of still further loss.