Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-06-20
NEARLY TWO MILLIONS.
Terrific Fire at bloomington, Ills.
Yesterday Morning-Court House
Burned-Vwo Firemen Missing.

~Burned-Two Firemen Missing.
BLOOMINGTON, Ills, June 19.-Five
blocks of the best business buildings,
located in the heart of this city, were
destroyed by fire which started at 1890
o'clock this morning. The Mclean
county court house, valued at $500, 900,
is a total loss, but the records were
saved.
Nearly fifty firms were burned out.
1t is estimated that the losses will
foot UP between 81, 500, 90 and 50, 0O0,-
900.
Two leading hotels, the Windsor and
Phoenix, were burned, but all the
guests escaped.
At $3.50 O'Clock the combined fire
departments of this city, Pretoria and
Springfield had brought the flames to
a %standstill in the block west of the
court house.
Only one life was lost, and that in
directly. The fire started in the Model
Laundry, on Monroe street, in the
block northeast of the court house. 1t
spread rapidly along the north and
east sides of court house square.
Help was requested from Pretoria
and Springfield. Before this arrived
the fire al eating its way to the east
and dynamite was used to check it's
progress.
Robert L. Schmitt, aged 10, heard
the terrific explosions and fell lead
from heart failure.
The block where the fire started was
soon entirely destroyed with the ex-
ception of the government building
and post Office, and which escaped I'M
damaged. Besides the old Durley
Theatre, the following firms were To-
Gated in the block:
Brand G. Co., furniture; Vimont &
Koehn, dry goods; Cooper & Jackman,
glassware; Pixley & Co., clothing;
Thompson & Sons, furniture; Model
Laundy; S. B. Coon Company; Miller G.
Sons, hardware; Schneider Shoe Store.
The Windsor hotel block next went be-
fore the flames. Loss on the hotel
amounts to $50, 900, and on Wilcox's
dry goods store, SIS, 900. Griesheim's
eve story building at Main and JEFF
ferson streets, caught fire at 2 o'clock
and with entire block lying east of the
court house was destroyed. The
ground floor was occupied by Cries
helms clothing house. The destruc-
ton with loss on building cost $780,
coo. The upper floors were occupied
by 300 or 400 professional men, who
lost all their books and Office fixtures.
Parritt's jewelry establishment, Cole
Bros new building and dry goods
stock, the Corn Belt Bank, Reed Bros,
hardware; Klopp. halter: State Ma
tional Bank, and the Eagle office build
ing were wiped out in turn.
Burning embers from the Griesheim
building set fire to the court house.
The big building burned slowly, and
while hundreds OF citizens were as
sisting in removing the records the
clock in the dome tolled four times.
Nothing was left but the walls of the
building, which was erected at a cost
of $500, 900 twenty years ago.
Assistance had arrived from outside
points, and when the fire was COM
m~unicated 70 the block west of the
court house the combined fire depart
ments made a last stand TO check their
spread. The block was Quilted. how
ever, and several business houses lost
their stocks. But the fremen were
successful and checked the flames az
ter eight hours hard work.
No figures are Obtainable as to the
amount Of insurance