The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-01-12

FRANK, located Ill lllS SdSSlllS bioSh'
at 1O6 South Market street on the pub
lie square, was almost totally destroyed
by a fire which ragged in the old block
Monday night about 10 o'clock. AL
though the entire loss to the stock has
not been computed as to details, the
general loss to Mr.. Frank, or his trus-
tees, will reach over $25, 900. Mr.. Frank
was not in this city at the time of the
fire, being at Columbus, but word was
sent to him of the misfortune. The fire
was one of the largest that has visited
this city in many years, excepting the
Christmas morning fire at the street car
barns, and the energetic manner in
which the brave firemen battled with
the flames for over an hour and a half
resulted in getting the fire under con-
troll and preventing their communica-
ton to adjoining buildings.
A few minutes before 10 o'clock pc
destrians passing up East Tuscarawas
street above Piedmont street heard the
cracking of glass and smeled smoke,
and upon investigation it was discov-
cred that the smoke was issuing from
the rear of the Cassidy block. Gary e.
Slutz, a messenger boy employed at
the Postal telegraph office also saw the
fire and he telephoned to the central
engine house. but just a few minutes
later a general alarm was turned in
from box So on the public square, sent
In by Officer Joseph Ryan, who was
patrOlling his beat on East Tuscarawas
street, and who also was among the
first TO discover the fire. In few min
utes afterward the apparatus from the
central engine house arrived, and later
on that from the various other engine
houses and attachments were quickly
made to plugs within a few squares
about the building, and streams Of
water We're played upon the building
from all sides. The centrals when they
arrived on the scene, Immediately put
the chemical engine at work and dis
charged two tanks of the fluid upon the |
flames, but this did not suffice to ex-
the flames which were momen- |
tarily growing larger. No. . engine |
tackled the blaze from the
rear and did much good work. Finally |
about eight streams of large fire hose
were located at places of advantage, !
about the building, and by constant ap- |
plication of water wherever the flames |
seemed to be the most furious, the fire. |
men succeeded in getting the blaze un-
der their control.
The aerial ladder had been brought |
over from the central engine house and |
this was raised and the firemen were |
enabled to ascend to the roof of the |
building and play a stream from that
part of the building down upon the |
floors below. 1t was Just II 80 o'clock |
when the fire was sounded out but the |
firemen were unable to return to the |
respective engine houses until 1890
o'clock.
Hundreds of citizens gathered about |
the building within few minutes after
the alarm had been sounded, and it was
at one time believed that the buildings
alongside of the block would also be-
come ignited from the flames. AS it
was, the stores adjoining the shoe store
wherein the fire occurred, were pretty
well smoked while some suffered dam
ages through the dripping of water
from the walls and ceiling. The shoe
store had been closed for the night, and
it is asserted that no one was, in the
building at the time that the fire occur
red, the clerks having retired to their
homes.
AS to the cause of the fire there Is no
one who saw the flames start. How
ever, it appears that the fire may have
started from a stove which stood in the
Tuscarawas street part of the store,
and from being overheated 1t may have
ignited the woodwork close to which 1t
stood.
Fire Chief John Leininger, who was
present during the fire, made an exam
ination Of the rear of the building, to
which portion the flames were mostly
confined on the three floors, and he
stated that the stove theory was prob
ably the right one. 1t is believed that
after communicating with the wood
work in the lower room, the flames as
cended the elevator shaft in the south
east corner of the room and the fire
communicated to the second and third
floors, devouring stock and other ma
terial on each floor. The firemen state
that the blaze had burned a hole
through the roof above the elevator
shaft near where the hatchwaY is To-
Gated. A great deal of the fire was con-
fined TO a partition In the northeast
corner of the rooms and portion of the
wall had to be torn out in order that
the flames could be extinguished.
A News-Democrat reporter inter-
viewed a number OF the clerks em-
ployed in the store. during the fire. and
they stated that when they had left