Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-01-31
NEARLY $3,OO0,O0O
Loss of Property by a Great Fire
at Montreal
A Conna grafton i'm the business Dis
trict that Destroyed Dozen
stores and Warehouse Fire
men Badly Handicapped
In Their Work.

I'm Their Work.
Montreal, Jan. 24.-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 prop
erty valued at between S2,500,OOO and
$4,000, 900 and was still burning.
Included in the property burned is
the splendid board of trade building
which cost over 100000, with over
100 tenants. and half a dozen large
firms and two scores of smaller con
Germs.
The narrow streets, antiquated
buildings and the infiammabIe nature
of the stocks they contained made a
combination which the department
was powerless to overcome. The
fire practically burned until it came
to open space, which gave the fire.
men an opportunity for effective
work.
The fire started at sos p. IN. in
the premises of SAKE & Sons, whole
sale clothiers, on the corner of Le-
moine and St. Peter streets. The
streets in the locality were deserted
at the time and the fire apparently
had a good headway before the first
alarm was sent in. The tiremen on
arriving found the building, three
story stone structure, mass of
flames.
Second and third alarms We're sent
in. but before reinforcements reached
the scene. the flames had leaped
across st. Peter street, which is very
narrow, and attacked the fve-story
stone building occupied by H. A, Nell
son & Sons, fancy goods. Here 1t
spread as rapidly as it had in the
SAKE building. In almost an instant
the building was a roaring furnace.
The warehouse of Beardmore e.
Co., tanners, adjoining Nelson's to
the south. was next attacked and
from there the flames communicated
to the establishment of Silverman,
Boulter & Co., wholesale hatters and
furriers. Here another indammable
stock added zest to the flames. In
the meantime the flames had con-
tinued down ST. Peter street on the
side on which it started to the cor
ner of st. Paul street, licking up the
premises of ]. Bourdeau & Co., hats,
caps, etc. St. Peter street for an en-
tire block was a mass OF flames or
either side.
In the meantime a great fight was
being made to save the board of
trade building, erected eight years
ago at cost of S600000, and adjon-
ing the Nelson building on The north
side.
For long time the efforts of the
brigade were successful. a plentiful
supply of water keeping the exposed
portions cool But the flames had
extended along the north side Of st.
Paul street, gong west from Silver
man, Boulter d Co.'S, licking up half
a dozen concerns on its way, until it
reached the big wholesale fur estab-
lishpent of James Coristine & Co.
This building extended all the way
from st. Paul street to the board of
trade building. and the flames ap-
peared to go through it like a finder
box.
When the rear wall of this building
was reached it was seen that the
Solid sheets of flames sprang out and
up and seized hold of the big build
ing in a dozen different places, driy-
ing the firemen back.
BY this time every piece of fire
fighting apparatus the city possesses
was in use. Two water towers, which
had failed to keep the blaze from the
board of trade buising, were shifted
around to st. Paul street, but here
again they were too late.
From the north side of St. Paul
street the flames leaped across the
street and destroyed the premises Of
Thomas Davidson d Co., H. Levy, drv
goods, and half dozen other small
Ter concerns.
On Lemoine the extensive whole
sale grocery house of Laporte, Mar
tin d Co. took fire. After the fire
men had abandoned all hope of saw
ing the board of trade building, they
concentrated their efforts mainly on
this building, for the spread of the
flames in this district would mean
the loss of the entire wholesale dry
goods section. The building was
saved.
Caug' in Detroit.