The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-11
MADE A FIERCE FIRE
ST. PAUL FLOUR AND FEED COM
PANY's WAREHOUSE QUICKLY
DESTROYED
BURNED EARLY YESTERDAY
Blaze Started In "A Corner of the
Building Near Some BaIed Hay,
and There Was No Stopping It
The Structure and the Contents
Were Covered With Insurance
Freight House In Danger.

freight House In Danger.
The most destructive and dangerous
fire which the department. has had to
combat for more than a year totally
destroyed the four-story frame ware.
house Of the st. Paul Flour and Feed
company, Fifth and Locust streets, to-
gether with Its contents yesterday morn
ing, entailtng a loss of $4,000. The loss
on the stock, estimated at $1,000, is al
most fully covered by $500 insurance,
while the building, erected twelve years
ago at cost of $4,000, is insured for
$4,000. The building is a total loss, but
there will be some slight salvage on the
stock.
For a time during the fiercest raging
of the fire the 500 freight office, directly
across the street from the burning build.
ing, was threatened with destruction.
The freight depot was filled with valua,
bic consignments and the firemen worked
valiantly to keep the flames from spread
ing to this building. The fact that the
freight building is covered outside with
sheet iron greatly aided their efforts,
and when the fire across the street had
been gotten under control the depot
showed only severe scorching on the
outside about the frame work of the
doors and roof. The damage to this
building is estimated at $780,
YerXa Bros, grocers, had a number of
sleighs stored in the feed company's
building, which were burned. The sleighs
were insured for $5OC.
Owing to the infamable nature of the
contents of the feed company's building
the fire spread rapidly and burned fierce
ly. The blaze started on the inside and
within a comparatively short time the
entire structure was a seething furnace
The fire was so hot that the firemen were
frequently compelled to retreat from a
near attack upon the flames and several
members of the department had their
faces painfully blistered.
The lire was discovered in the north.
west corner of the second story shortly
after o'clock, when men loading a
wagon in the rear of the building no.
ticed smoke issuing from a window AL
most before c. w. Staehle, proprietor
of the st. Paul Flour and Feed company.
who was in the office, on the ground
floor, facing Locust street, could be an
formed of the fire the flames burst fortk
A car load of baled straw was stored in
the part of the building where the fire
started and this burned like powder. By
the time the fire department reached the
scene the fire had burst through the
roof and, famed by a. northeast wind.
spread to every part of the building,
Two additional alarms were turned in
and twelve engines were soon throwing
water on the fire. Covered outside with
sheet iron, the interior of the building,
with its tinder-like contents, resembled
a huge furnace at full blast. Despite
the volumes of water thrown into the
building, the flames could not be checked.
and an hour after the fire started the
roof went down, carrying the walls with
it. From this point the department
had the fire under control, and by noon
the flames were almost out.
The feed company's stock consisted
largely of baled hay and straw, bran,
oats and large quantity Of flour. Man.
ager A. j. Rommer says some of the
flour can be saved. He places the COM
pany S loss at about 1000 The origin
of the fire is a mystery, though Mr..
Staehle thinks it may have started from
spontaneous combustion.
This is the second time the st. Paul
Flour and Feed company has been burn
ed out. Less than two years ago the
company's former place of business, on
the opposite corner of Locust and Fifth,
was almostly completely destroyed by
fire. The building destroyed yesterday
was owned by Noyes Bros. & Cutler.
Following is list of the Insurance.:
Building-Hartford, $500; Fire associa-
ton, $1,000; Aetna, $1,000; Home, N Y,
$1,50O; Norwich Union, $1,000
stock-Milwaukee Mechanics, $500;
MAMMA, $1,000; Farmers, $1,000; Spring
Garden, $1,000; Millers and Manufacture
ers, $1,000; Lion, 81 600.
YerXa's Sleighs-Aetna, $500.