New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-20
BLOOMINGTON'S BIG FIRE.
FIVE BLOCKS BURNED-LosS BETWEEN
S1,5Ooooo AND 100000.

Bloomington, ILL.,. June 1e-Five blocks Of the
best business buildings in the heart Of this
city were destroyed by are which started at
1890 o'clock this morning. The Mclean County
Courthouse. valued at 100000. was burned out
but the records were saved.
Nearly fifty firms were burned out 1t is esti-
mated that the losses will foot up between
$1,5O0.OOO and 100000 Two leading hotels.
the Windsor and Phoenix, were burned. but all
the guests escaped At $50 o'clock the COM
bined Fire Departments of this city, Peoria and
Springfield had brought the flares to a stand
still in the block west OF the Courthouse.
Only one life was lost and that indirectly
The fire started in the Model Laundry in Mon
roe-st.. in the block northeast of the Court
house 1t spread rapidly along the north and
east sides of Courthouse Square. Help was re-
quested from Peoria and Springfield. Before this
arrived the fire eating it's way to the east,
and dynamite used to check its progress.
Robert L. Schmitt. nineteen years old heard the
terrific explosions and fell dead from heart
failure.
The block where the fire started was soon en-
tirely destroyed, with the exception of the
Government Building and postofice. which
escaped unchanged. Besides the old Durley
Theatre. the following firms were in the block:
Brand & Co., furniture; Vimont & Koehn, dry
Co. clothing; Thompson & Sons. furniture; the
Model Laundry. the B. S. Green Company and
Miller & Sons. hardware
The flames then jumped across Main-st. to the
Minerva Block, which was destroyed 1t was
tenanted by the following firms: The No Name
Store, Niehaus's restaurant Hebig's music
store, the Mclean County Coal Company, Sense
ney's coal office Guthrie's cigar store. the PhG-
nix Hotel, Garver's drug store. Cobents drug
store r. c. Rogers, wall paper; c. W. Klemm
drygoods, loss 500 900; Stephen Smith Sons
Bolle's tailor shop and the Standardization
Store Company.
The Windsor Hotel Block next went before
the flames. The loss the hotel amounts to
$4,000, and WilcOx's drygoods establish
ment to $4,000. CSriesheim's story build
ing at Main and Jefferson SITS. then caught fire,
and, with the entire block lying east of the
courthouse, was destroyed. The ground floor
the loss was 100000. The upper floors were
occupied by many professional men, who lost all
their books and office fixtures. Parritts Broth
erS jewelry establishment, Cole Brothers new
Bank, Reed Brothers, hardware; Klopp, halter.
State National Bank and THE Eagle" office
building were wiped out in turn Burning
elnbers from the Griesheim building set fire to
the courthouse. The big building burned slowly,
and while hundreds of citizens assisting in
removing the records the clock in the dome
tolled four times. Nothing was left save the
walls OF the building, which was erected at a
cost of 100000 twenty years ago.
Assistance had arrived from outside points,
and when the fire was communicated to the
block west of the courthouse the combined fire
departments made last stand to check its
spread The block burned out, however,
and several business houses lost their stocks.
But the fremen were successful, and checked
the flames after eight hours hard work.
No figures are obtainable as to the amount of
insurance