The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-21
Handsome Dry Goods Store on
Broad Street Destroyed.
70 LOSE EMPLOYMENT
They Are saIes-Ladies, Who
Watched With fearful Eyes.
FIRM WILL START UP AT ONCE
The Proprletors Not the Least Discouraged.
VIII Get Another House. and Employees
VIII Be Retaiued-lt Was Msgnif-
ieent Spectacle Seen By MANY
1bousands-Fire Bugs Be-
Jieyrd TO Be Operating.
FIRM WILL START UP AT ONCE

Richmond was visited last evening by
The third disastrous fire of this !car-on
month and half old.
The store of Mcssrs. Cordes & Mosby,
Nos. I3, IL, II West Broad Street. deal
crs in fancy dry goods and notions, with
sll stock, was totally destroyed. The
stores OF Harvey s. Co., florists, No. II
West Broad Street. and 6. II. Darhanian,
confectioncr. were crushed by falling
walls.
The alarm was turned in at 6:a2. 1t
was 'phoned to headquarters. The next
alarm came five minutes later, and was
40 less than the three skies, sounded for
The first time since January list.
The store was destroyed in forty-fivc
minutes. Every article carried by the
1um was of necessity the most inllam-
mable. being dress goods, ladies' cloth
ing. and fancy articles of every descrp-
lion.
The fire was kept by the Department
IN the walls in which it started, but the
Two adjoining buildings were damaged by
falling walls. They are old structures and
at best are not valuable. Both are built
of wood.
PROBABLY WORK OF I'IRE-GUGS.
The fire was under control by 7:3J. It's
oiigin is unknown, but it is thought TO
have been from electric wires III the elc-
-ctor. Later developments throH sns-
teIon that it was the work Of inccn-a
@iaIics.
TWO other mysterious fires. were started
Broad Street before the liIs. t,;3 " y
uaything like out. One was in the rear
.l the Miller & Rhoads' store. Va cll-
man H1ixter saw n man steaithily NOV
ing from the nogShead of paper in the
i, al, Of the Cohen store. 1t was not until
The blaze was seen Springing up from the
logshcad that he realized what the man
might be there for. BY that lime the 'ei-
iow had mingled with the crowd This
0ut 9 o'clock.
At 9:4n the fire in the rear of the Miller
( Rhoads store was discovered and the
aiarln turned in. This time a box of.
al,er had caught. Neither tir& Could lave
l,.on r+a~'eA " snarks from tho first,
since the box and barrel were coz"
Iu prevent that very thing
The fire at the Cordes and Mosby store
was not out until 11:4N Chief Fuller led
Tho fight against ii, and his lads dio me
work. James River turned in on the
building would not have saved it. There
was nothing TO be done but protect the
Tar as POSSIBLE.
A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE.
1nrom q scenic standpoint the fire was
the finest seen in Richmond for many
wears 1t ranks as such far above the
Meyer fire, because that occurred in the
6avtiIne. The blaze reached l9o 1eet
above the street, coming from the SKY
light as from a mammoth chimney.
Thousands of people viewed the awful
T. a q
time when many were on their way home
or had Just gotten there II was supper
time. but suppci-s were forgotten. Every
77odv in the middle section Of the city
Who could walk the slippery streets went
Strange TO say, not a person was hurt,
so far as could be learned. It was re-
ported that Mr. John i. Rowe, the book
lJecpcr FOR Cordes and Mosby, mad been
caught IN the building, but his appear
ance on the street soon after allaycd all
fears.
The destruction OF the :Ftoro throws
seventy persons out OF employment.
Most OF these are salcsladicS.
The firm OF Cordes and Mosby viii con-
1inue In business and Will get n. store at
the earliest date possible. Something
VIII be done in that direction to-day.
The gentlemen composing the firm are
Messrs. August It. Cordes aud .iunius B.
Mosby. Both Sdld last lu5At th%t tlSH
would get another store at once ii pos
,,Ible. and that they would keep their en-
7ployes until they began business anew.
There was no shade OF doubt about lam
Euage or manner as they said this Their
voices had the ring OF certainty and de-
termination IN them.
The value of the stock OF Ccrdes and
Mcsby was SllOota. The fixtures We're
valued at S10.oeo The insurance on the
lDp Lar
The building Was owned by Mr.. Isaac
D. Cardoza- 1t was completed three and
half years ago Al a cost Of 4 little
more than s2oonn 1t was built especially
for Nfessrs. Cordes and Moshy. The IN
.surance on the building was Sla.019.
The insurance on the crushed stlruc-
;4lrcs will cover the loss they sustained.
The police did good work Keeping back
tho crowds.