Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1903-02-28
LOSS $5,OOO,OOOI
CINCINNATI EXPERIENCES THE
MOST DESTRUCTIVE FIRE
IN FER HISTORY.
FLAMES RAGE FOR HOURS

Start in the Pike Opera House and
Totally &c troy That Building and
an Adjoining One and Seriously
Damage Several others-No Loss
of Life Occurs but Many Persons
Are Rescued With Difficulty.
Cincinnati, Feb. 27.-This city has
been viS4teu by the most destructive
tie in it's history. About 80 a. m.
flames were discovered in the cellar
CT George Jeffee's grocery store in
the Pike building on Fourth street
between Vine and Walnut An hour
later there was an explosion, supposed
to come from liquors in storage, and
the flames soon afterward shot up
through the roof of the six-story
ktone front building, and from that
time on for several hours the fire was
beyond control. The Pike building
was totally destroyed, including the
offices of the United States Express
company, the Adams Express com
pany, Whites restaurant, George Jof-
fees grocery, John B. Marti's restau-
rant, Empsons confectionery, Henry
Strauss cigar store and the Offices
CT the Pike Theater company on the
first floor, the Pike Theater audito-
alum and CHER offices on the second
tUor and all CT the Offices on the third,
fourth and fifth floors. The Season
good building, adjoining the Pike
building on the west, was badly dam
aged.
The building adjoining the Pike
building On the east, owned by L. B.
Harrison estate and occupied by the
Robert Clarke company, publishers,
and DuhL4c Bros, jewelers., on the
first floor and others in the upper
stories, was totally destroyed.
The Fosdick building, the next
building east, occupied by the Nor
folk and Western railroad and others,
was badly damaged, while the Car
isle building, occupied by the South
ern Pacific Railway company and
Smith & Sons and the Cincinnati
Trust company on the first floor and
very many Offices on the other five
floors, was slightly damaged.
Flames Continue to Spread.
The fire swept across the alley
known as Baker street and burned
the large publishing house of the
American Book company and other
property along Baker street. The fire
did great damage to the Telephone
building and all telephones in the
city were cut off for some time.
All the guests in the Burnett House
On Vine street, just across the street
from the Telephone building, were
called out of their rooms, as were
those at the Gibson, the Emery and
the Stag hotels, which were in close
proximity to the fire. The Kankakee
building, which is diagonally across
the street from the Seasongood build
Ing and Pike Opera House, and occu-
pied by the Western Union, the Asso-
eiated Press, the Big Four and other
offices, was threatened and all the
wires of the Western Union for hours
were in danger, but this location was
spared. Not only the entire fire de-
partment, but also the police and
other departments were on hand, ex-
pecting a general catastrophe. Mayor
F1eischmann was present and nearly
all of the business men whose places
of business are in the central part of |
the city were called out Of bed to pro-
tect their property. 1t was not until
after daylight that the fire was got
ten under control and the danger of |
a general confagration over.
AS it is known that about twenty
people sleep in the Pike building
there were at first reports that several
lives had been lost, but none of these |
reports have been confirmed. There
were many narrow escapes. Night !
Watchmen John Agin and Mat Garrett
son and Harry Richardson, doorkeep-
er, saved six lives by entering the
building and forcing their way through
the smoke and rescuing dodgers.
Loss Is Over 100000.
AS there are over 400 different
losers it is impossible at this writing
to give accurately the total loss, but
it is estimated at over $4,000, 900. John
keenan,, night watchmen of the Amer
lean Book company, was caught by
falling walls and fatally injured.
The girls in the Telephone Ex-
change building, across an alley from
the burning Pike building, were badly
frightened as the dark clouds of
smoke rolled about the building. The
exchange rooms are on the top foo.
OF the six-story building and the night
force consists Of eight exchange girls
and the night manager, George Cap
pes. The girls pluckily stuck to their
posts from 1870 to $3.50 a. M, when
the flames were blazing in their win
dows, so they were ordered out. La
ter they returned to "their calls" and
when the large day force of girls
came on duty they fearlessly went to
the sixth floor for duty, although the /
fire ragged all around them.
The Pike theater building was to-
tally destroyed by fire in 1856 and it
narrowly escaped total destruction on
March 80, 1902, when there was Sun
day matinee in progress, but no lives
were lost in any of the fires.