The morning news., 1899-12-30

| lmpenu. scarcely fdd tney Tedcneu tHS
elevator shaft, when they were driven
back by the dense cloud of escaping smoke
! TO The door to fresh air and to safety. One
| of them ron to box 1S, at the corner of
Broughton and Whitaker streets, and
turned in the alarm. to which the north
/ ern section of the department promptly
| responded.
The entire building was filled with
smoke, which was bursting frcm al the
windows when the 1iremeu reached The
scene. But nowhere was there a sign of
fame and there seemed to the onlooker,
unfamiliar with the ways of the fire henl
and the best method OF efecting his de-
struction, that it would be a matter Of
but few minutes before the fire would
be under the most perfect control. ami all
apprehension of danger from It's ravages
entirely removed. So. indeed, seemed 10
think the firemen. for they rushed into the
building with the hose from a chemical
engine and tried 70 stiae the blaze " tn
the fumes of the gas. The smoke only be-
came more and more dense. and ii was but
a minute or two before Superintendent
Mcguire became assured that the safety
of the building was not to be found at the
end of the road he and his men were fol-
lowing.
Suddenly there was wild outpcur o,
flame through the shaft of the elevator.
The fire was in the cellar the masses of
cheaper grades of furniture and discarded
odds and ends, tons of excelsior and other
materials for packing, everything that
f,ft -
serve to stop for moment the work of
the fires destruction. had been stored
there. and the under part of the building
was a mass of fame.
With the squirt of flame through the
elevator shaft and lis instantaneous flight
10 the upper stories of the building, the
rope of saving The store and its contents
through the use of the chemicals vanish
ed. Then the real work of fire fighting be-
gan-but it was too late.
A second alarm was turned in and the
southern section of the department was on
the scene in a moment. Streams were turn
ed on the burning building from every side
and the aerial truck was called into re-
QUESTION. From its topmost point a
stream was poured upon and through the
windows on the top floor and for a time
there seemed hope that the fire would
be controlled in this way. AT the same
time streams were directed against the
rear of the building, from the lane at first.
then, as the flames grew fercer, from the
windows and the roof of the odd Fellows
Hall, standing back to back with the store
Of Lindsay & Morgan.
The water but served to add fuel and
intensity to the fire. In wild rage il ran
from floor to floor, from one part of the
building to another, from street to street,
with a myriad of fiery tongues destroying
everything that came in its path. 1t
burst from every window. and, famed by
the strong wind that prevailed at the
time, extended half way across the street.
Buildings across Broughton street were
soon ablaze. and Hogan's dry goods store
began TO be threatened.
Half an hour after the fire etarted there
was little left but the bare walls, and
they threatened to fall al any moment
The flames were still raging wildly, and
drove the crowd that had massed about
the burning building, so far away that the
efforts of the police were not necessary to
keep it back. The men. women and chill
dren, of every class, color and condition,
that composed it kept away from the fire
of their own accord, and had no desire to
get within the radius of it's fierce heat
Stin the flames ragged and still the streams
were played upon them.
Al II o'clock the walls lowered uncer-
paniment of the warning yeils of the
crowd and amid a burst of fame that
sought and seemed to reach the sky fell
with a deafening crash to the ground
This was the Barnard street wall, with
sections of walls adjoining it, that fell
at this time. while portions of the walls
on Broughton street and the lane were
still left standing. With the fall of the
walls the flames appeared to decrease in
intensity and hight. and the chances of
saving the buildings on opposite sides of
Broughton and Barnard street seemed per-
ceptibly to brighten.
OF the store occupied by the firm and
of the stock of goods it contained nothing
was saved. The portions of the outer
walls still left standing are of litue or no
value and every article of furniture in
the building was ruthlessly consumed.
| Everything is a dead and total loss.
When the walls on the Barnard street
side fell there were half-dozen fremen
playing streams on the building So in
tent were some of them on the work that
they did not observe the imminence OF
The danger from the walls and scarce
managed to get away when the fall came.
One of them stood as if fascinated and
| had to be dragged away by main force.
! The building was owned by Mr.. J. D
/ Weed and was insured with Dearing &
/ HUI for Sl7000. 1t was worth probably
/ about $4,000, so that even with the insur.
! ance, the loss is more than perceptible
! Mr.. Weed also carried a rental insurance
/ Of $1,000, also placed with Messrs. Dearing
! & Hull.
I The stock was estimated by Mr. Lind
4 say TO be worth between $4,000 and s55. 600
! with $i5 eco insurance The fnsllra nca Z,