The Minneapolis journal., 1903-02-26
A FIERCE FIGHT WITH FIRE
Story OF the confiasratlon That Has Ragged
In Cincinnati.

In Cincinnati.
is Cincinnati Feb. 26-This city has been
visited by the most destructive fire in
its history. Estimates of the loss are
from s1,oo0,0o0 to $4,000, 900. About 80
this morning flames were discovered in the
cellar of George Joffee's grocery 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
afterwards shot up through the roof of
the six-story stone front building and
from that time on for several hours the
fire 4was beyond control.
Some OF The Burned Buildings.
q The Pike building was totally destroyed.
including the offices Of the United States
Express company, the Adams Express
company, Whites restaurant, owned by
Maynard e. Kerr, George Joffee's grocery,
John B. Martins restaurant, Empson's
confectionery, Henry Strauss cigar store
and the offices of the Pike Theater COM
pany on the first floor, the Pike theater
auditorium and other offices on the second
floor and all of the offices on the third,
fourth and fifth floors. The Seasongood
building adjoining the Pike building on the
west at the corner Of Vine and Fourth
was badly damaged.
The building adjoining the Pike building
on the east, owned by L. B. Harrison's es-
company, publishers, and Duhme Bros.
jewelers., on the first floor and others i'll
the upper stories was totally destroyed.
The Fosdick building east Of the Robert
Clarke company, and, Duhme Bros, and
occupied by the Norfolk & Western rail-
road and others, was badly damaged,
while the Carlisle building. occupied by
the Southern Pacific Railway company
Fl. Smith & Sons. and the Cincinnati
Trust company, on the first floor, and very
many offices on the other five floors were
slightly damaged.
The front stone walls of the Pike build
ing and those of the adjoining structures
| owned by Robert Clarke company and the
Duhme Bros jewelry store, and OF the
Seasongood buildings, did not fall The
rear walls Of these structures, which are
| Of brick, gave way with the falling floors.
The fire swept across the alley known al
Baker street and burned the large pub
! fishing house Of the American Book oom-
pany at the corner Of Baker street and
other property along Baker street.
The fire did great damage to the teie~
phone building and an telephones in tho
city were cut or for some time.
| Hotel Guests Called Out.
! 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,
l. "
4 were in close proximity to the fire. The
Kankakee building which is diagonally
across the street from the Seasongood
building and Pike opera-house and Is oc-
cupfed by the Western Unton,s the Associe
/ ated 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. There was
scarcely any wind blowing and this prs
vented the fire from spreading in any dis
1 rection except southwark to Baker street,
! Not only the entire FIRE department but
/ also the police and other departments
were on hand expecting a general catas-s
i trophe. Mayor Fleischbaum was pres-
ent and nearly all Of the business men
whose places are in the central part Of the
/ city were called out OF bed to protect
| their property. It was not until after
i daylight that the fire was gotten under
1 control and the danger Of a general con-
| Migration was believed to be. over
| AS it is well known that there were
/ about twenty people asleep in the Pike
building there were at first reports that
4 several lives had ben lost, but none OF
these reports has been confirmed. There
were many narrow escapes. Night Watch
3 | man John Agin and Mat Garretson, and
4 Harry Richardson, doorkeeper, saved six
lives by entering the building and fore
1 ing their way through the smoke and res
! cuing lodgers. Five men were sound
asleep In rear room Of the Pike building
when they were rescued by having their
door broken In. They were John Muivern,
B. w. Zeigler, II. c. Storey. ]. F. McDon-
aid and w. C. Ackher. All escaped in
i their night clothes. Agin, Richardson and
Garretson proceeded through the building.
/ giving the alarm to all until they had to
i be helped out of the structure themselves.
4 Captain j. G. Glannan, head Of a we'll
known detective bureau, who was asleep
on the third floor, was awakened and es-
i capped in his night clothes. He lost all
& the records of his office. Nothing was
Ii saved from the upper floors nor from the
rooms OF the theater company.
3. VIII Jones' Escape
The escape OF Will Jones, the Wen
known Cincinnati actor, just before the