The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-24
MILLIONS IN FLAMES
HEART OF f. MoNTREAL's BUSINESS
DISTRICT BURNS.
FIRE is STILL RAGING.
FOR SEVERAL HOURS WAS BEYOND
CONTROL or FIREMEN.

All Were Old and Antiquated.
This. with InfiammabIe stock,
Narrow streets and the Cold, HIM
pcred the Firemen-The Loss Esti-
mated at From S2,500,0OO to S3.-
OOO, 900.
Montreal, Jan. "a, 1 a. m.-One of the
most disastrous fires from which this city
has ever suffered began at o'clock last
night, and Notwithstanding the efforts of
the entire fire department, the progress
of the flames was not checked until /
o'clock this morning. BY that time it
had destroyed property valued at between
$2,JOOO 900 and $3,OOOOOO, and was still burn
ing though the appearance was that the
firemen have at last got 1t under control.
Included in the property burned is the
splendid Board OF Trade building. which
cost over half a million dollars, with over
hundred tenants and a half dozen
large firms and two scores of smaller con
Germs The weather was cold and the
hremen were greatly hsmpered in this
respect.
outside of the Board Of Trade building
there was not a modern structure burned.
The narrow streets. antiquated build
ings and the inhammable nature of the
stocks they contained made a combination
which the department was powerless to
overcome.
The fire practically burned until It
came to an open space. which gave the
fireman an opportunity for effective work
For time It looked as IL the flames
would spread along Commissioners street
to the grand office building in course Of
erection there.
Numerous crowds Of people jammed the
narrow streets and the police could not
control them. Women tainted and their
clothes were torn and few were slight
y injured in rushes for safety
The following are estimates of the
| principal losses;
Board of Trade $4,000. insurance. $780,
COO; tenants 100000; NJ. Sake g. Co,
wholesale clothiers $4,000; II. A. Nelson
| & Sons Company, fancy goods, Sl50,00li
| Beardmore & Co, tanners, 800, 900; Sill
verman Boulter & Co., hats, caps. etc,
s125,0O0; CorsiIne a. Co, furs, s300,000i G.
| Seybold Sons a. Co., $4,000; Redmond
Greenless g. Co.. hats and furs, $4,000:
| II. Levi, woolens, etc, 10000; G. A..
| Chouiiiau & Co, commission merchants,
! 81. 900; B. Levin q Co., furs $4,000; Gill
mour Brothers g. Co., commission mer-
chants, $4,000; LaPorte, Martin & Co.
$4,000; ]. Cohen a. Co., wholesale cloth
ieTs, $4,000.
The Beginning of the blaze.
The fire started at sos o'clock in the
premises of VI. SAKE & Sons. wholesale
clothiers, on the corner of Lemoine and
st. Peter streets. The streets were de-
serted and the fire apparently had a good
.headway before the first alarm was sent
in. The firemen, on arriving found the
building, a three-story structure, "a mass
of flames, the fire having apparently
started in the basement and rushed up
the elevator shaft in the rear of the
store.
Second and third alarms were sent in
| Immediately on the arrival OF the division
chief, but before the nearest reinforce
ments reached the scene, the flames had
leaped across st. Peter street. which is
very narrow at this point and attacked
the big five-story stone building occupied
by II. A. Nelson e. Sons Company, fancy
goods, etc.
Here it spread as rapidly as 1t had in
the SAKE building In almost an instant
1t seemed as if the entire building was
roaring furnace.
The warehouse of Beardmore e. Com
pany. tanners adjoining Nelson's to the
south. was next attacked and from there
the flames communicated to the establish-
ment Of Silverman, Bouter & Co, whole
sale hatters and furriers. Here another
inhammable stock added zest to the
flames. Meanwhile the flames had con-
tinued down st. Peter street to St. Paul
street, licking up the premises of j.
Bourdeau g. Company, hats. caps. etc
st. Peter street for an entire block was
a mass OF flames on either side
In the meantime a great fight was being
made to save the big Board of Trade
building erected eight years ago at
cost OF 5000, 600 and adjoining the Nelson
building on the north side. For long
time the efforts of the brigade were sue
cessful. plentiful supply Of water keep
ing the exposed portions cool. But the
flames had extended along the north side
OF st. Paul street, going west from Sill
verman Boulter & Co.'S. licking up halr
dozen concerns IN its way, until it
reached the big wholesale fur establish
ment of James Corisline & Co This
building extended all the way from st.
Paul street to the Board of Trade build
ing, and the flames appeared to go
through it like tinder box.
The Trade Building Doomed.
when the rear wall Of this building was
reached, IL was seen that the Board of
OF flame sprang out and up, and seized
hold of the big building in dozen differ
ent places, driving the firemep back
The newer and more modern structure
burned more slowly than those which al
ready had fallen prey to the flames but
the firemen could not stay the march Jf
the devouring element.
BY this time every piece OF fire fighting
apparatus the city possessed was i'm use.
Two water towers which had failed to
keep the blaze out OF the Board of Trade
building, were shifted around to st. Paul
street, but here again they were too late.
The fire dashed across the narrow street
and attacked the premises of Thomas
Davidson q Co., manufacturing tin
smiths then spreading both east and
west.
From the north side of st. Paul street
the flames leaped across the street aud
destroyed the premises of Thomas Dav-
idson & Co, II. Levy. dry goods, and
half a dozen other smaller concerns.
on Lemoine street the extensive whole
sale grocery firm of LaPorte. Martin e.
Cos rtore took fire After the firemen
had abandoned all hope Of saving the
Board OF Trade building they concen-
trated their efforts mainly on this build
ing, for the spread OF the flames In this
direction would mean the loss OF the
entire wholesale dry goods section.
AZ 1880 o'clock 4 looked as IL the