The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-05

By Thousands of Bystanders Who
Thought City Was Burning Up.
st. Louis. No, Feb. 4.-Property to
the estimated value of s1,5O0,OO was
burned today, the greater part of four
blocks of build ngs and their contents,
between Third and Sixth streets and
Franklin avenue and Morgan street. in
the heart Of the retail section, being
destroyed. One fireman was killed,
nine other members Of the fire depart
mcnt were injured more or less seri-
Ousiy, and five or six citizens slightly
burt None of the injured will die, as
lar as known tonight.
The loss on both buildings and stocks
of goods is approximately 81 SOC, 600.
Definite figures are exceedingly hard to
obtain. There were six retail concerns
which were heavy losers. The balance
Of the loss is divided in varying pro-
portions among a score or more of
small shop-keePers or firms. Only two
concerns suffered loss of over 300. 600
Penny & Gentles and Schaper Bros.
The buildings in which the two con-
Germs were housed were owned by the
Mary X Knox estate, and were erected
at a cost of 1856. 600 Penny & Gentles'
loss, which was covered entirely by in
STRANGE, is estimated at S135 900. Scha-
per Bros loss is estimated at 500 900.
These two concerns occupied about half
the block on the west side Of Broadway
south from the corner of Franklin ave
nue.. and the buildings were entirely
destroyed.
The rest of the block, on the west
side OF the street. is taken up by the
buildings occupied by the Famous dry
goods. store. whose less was COMPARE
lively slight
Other Losses.
On Franklin, just back of Penny &
Geaties, the building occupied BIZ the
Fuch Millinery & Cloak company SUI
fered a loss on the stock Of $4,000.
The store occupied by u. Crawford
& Co, at Broadway and Franklin ave
nues, was entirely burned, with a loss
on buildings and stock of $4,000. The
Peoples House Furnishing company,
at 8l4 North Broadway, was completely
wrecked; loss, $40, 1000.
At Sl2 North Broadway. Derr Bros.
store, filed with a stock of ; and 10
cent goods, sustained a S33, 600 loss on
buildings and stock
The fire swept through the block
from Broadway to Fourth street, and
burned all the buildings from S27 to 500
Fourth street.
These buildings were old three and
four-story structures, some occupied as
tenements above and stores below.
while others were vacant Here the
st. Louis Dressed Beef & Provision
company, Herboth Mercantile company.
the SchisleT-COTneH Seed company and
three small stores suffered an aggre-
gate lOsss of $50 600, while the losses on
buildings amount to fully S45, 900.
Smaller Firms.
Among the firms and individuals that
suffered heavily from the fire are the
following, whose places of business
were on the east side of Fourth and
west side of Third streets:
A. Nasse, wholesale grocer; Plant
Seed company, Krenning Glass COM
pany, Bassetts plumbing establish
ment, McLain & AlcOrn Commission
company, Bueller- Block Commission
company, Nelson Distiling company,
Hake & Sons Commission company,
George A. Benton. produce. Bauer
Flour company, Shaw & Richmond,
produce
Their losses aggregate thousands Of
dollars, and are partly covered by in
sUrance
Late tonight John Cummings, pri-
vate Waterman Of Penny & Gentles.
was arrested and is being held at the
Four Courts, pending an investigation
into the origin of the fire lie was taken
into custody as the result of a state
ment by a woman roOming opposite, to
the effect that she had seen a man an
ar-fr, h..
lighting matches in the store previous
to the fire. Cummings denied having
had anything to do with it. and states
that he was at home when the fire
broke out.
The dead and injured are:
Dead-Charles ". Mebus, fireman.
Injured-Chief SwingIey, face bills
tered by heat.
John Judge, foreman engine com
pany, bruised about less, internal in
juTies.
John Hanmore driver engine com
pany, leg broken. hand and cheek
bruised.
Mike Hanlon. truckman. back cut
and bruised.
James a. Adams, truckman, cut on
hand
John Karp, pip man. Internal in
juries, sc ious.
Harry Bridge, foreman engine com
pany. shocked by electric wire.
Assistant Chief Gus Thierry, shocked
and burned by live wire.
A J. O'Reilly, supervisor city light
ing. blown into street by conclusion
of falling walls.
James J. Schwe.ger. fireman, hands
cut
George ". Durand, spectator, hip
dislOcated.
August Reeber. pipeman, leg broken.
Began in a Dry Goods House.
The fire broke out at o'clock this
morning in the fve-story brick building
at Broadway and Franklin avenue. oc-
cupied by the dry goods firm of Penny
& Gentles and in few minutes en-
veloped the entire structure Sparks
and brands were blown in every direc-
ton by a strong northwest wind. and
the desJructior Of adjoining property
was threatened. A general alarm was
turned in and soon every engine in the
city was at the scene or on the way
there.
On the south Of Penny & Gentle's the
flames communicated with the build
ings occupied by Schaper Bros. dry
goods. and the Famous dry goods store.