The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1900-02-09
-FOUR BLOCKS BURNT
Property Worth $I,5oo,ooo
Destroyed in st. Louis.
ONE KILLED, SEVERAL INJURED
In the Heart of the Retail Section Of
the City-Losses Were Distrib-
uted Among Many.

St. Louis, Mo-, Feb. 6.-Property TO
the estimated value of 81, 800, 900 was
burned today, the greater part of four
blocks of buildings 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
ment were injured more or less seri-
ously, and five or six citizens We're
hurt slightly. None OF the injured
will die, as far as known tonight.
The loss on both buildings and
stocks of goods is approximately
81, 100000. Definite figures are ex-
ceedingly hard to obtain. There were
six retail concerns which were heavy
losers. The remainder of the loss is
divided in varying proportions among a
score or more of small shopkeepers or
firms. Only two concerns suffered loss
of over $100, ,000-Penny g. Gentles and
Schaper Bros. The buildings in which
the two concerns were housed were
owned by the Mary X. Knox estate,
and we're erected at a cost OF $l65, 900.
Penny g. Gentles' loss, which is COW
cred entirely by insurance, is estimated
at $l35, 900. Schaper Bros. loss is es-
timated at 100000. These two con-
Germs occupied about half the block on
the west side of Broadway, south from
the corner of Franklin avenue, and the
buildings were entirely destroyed.
The rest of the block on the west side
of the street is taken up by the build
ings occupied by the Famous dry goods
store, whose loss was comparatively
slight.
On Franklin, just back of Penny &
Gentles, the building occupied by the
Fuch Millinery & Cloak Company
suffered loss on the stock of $40, 600
The store occupied by d. Crawford s&
Co., at Broadway and Franklin avenue
was entirely burned, with loss on
buildings and stock of $4,000. The
Peoples Housefurnishing Company, al
S14 North Broadway, was completely
wrecked; loss $4,000. At Sl2 North
Broadway, Deere Bros store, filled
with stock of 8 and l0-cent goods,
sustained $3S, 900 loss on buildings
and stock.
The fire swept through the block
from Broadway to Fourth street and
burned all the buildings from 827 t'
500 North Fourth street. These build
ings we're cd three and four story
structures, some occupied as tenement
above and stores below, while other
were vacant. Here the st. Loul
Dressed Beef & Provisions Company
Herboth Mercantile Company, th'
Schisler- Cornelia Seed Company, ant
three small stores, suffered an aggre
gate loss of $65, 900, while the losse
on buildings amounted to fully $40,
900.
Among the firms and individuals
that suffered heavily from the fire arr
the following, whose places of business
were on the east side of Fourth ant
west side of Third streets:
A. Nasse, wholesale grocer; Plan
Seed Company; Krenning Glass Com
pany; Bassett's plumbing establish
ment; McLain & Alcorn Commission
Company; Bueller Block Commission
Company; Nelson Distilling Company
Hake & Sons Commission Company
George A. Benton, produce; Baue
Flower Company; Shaw & Richmond
produce. Their losses aggregate thous
ands of dollars and are partly covere'
by insurance.
Late tonight John Cummings, pri
vate watchman of Penny & Gentles
was arrested and is being held, pending
an investigation into the origin of tn
fire. He was taken into custody as tn
result of statement by woman room
ing opposite, to the effect that she ha
seen man answering the watchman'
description, lighting matches in tn
store previous to the fire. Cumming
denied having had anything to do will
it, and states that he was at hom
when the fire broke out.
hal In