The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-27
SWEPT BY FLAMES
ONE OF CINCINNATTS BEST
SQUARES CAUGHT
IN MIGHTY CONFEDERATION.
THE PROPERTY Loss Is CLOSE
UPON $2,OOO,OOO.


For Twelve Long Hours it Ragged.
All of Cincinnati's Firemen and
Those of NeighbOring Places Bat
tied Against It-ThriIIing Incl
dents Marked Its ProGress-SOme
Hairbreadth 'Scapes-List of the
Sufferers and Losses.
Cincinnati, Feb. 26.-NIore than one
half of the best square was destroyed
by fire to-day. The square, bounded by
Vine, Fourth. Walnut and Third
streets including the Pike building
and opera house, was conceded to be
the most solidly constructed portion of
the city. That half north of Baker al
ley, with the exception of the Carlisle
building at the southwestern corner
of Fourth and Walnut streets, is in
ruins, while the American Book Com
panys publication house, the Wood
row printing works, the Zumbriel box
factory, and other concerns on the
south side of Baker alley are also
burned out
The fire was discovered at 1870 a. M,
and it was 1870 p. m, before it was
finally under control, although the en-
tire fire department of this city and
the fire departments of surrounding
towns were constantly pouring dozens
of streams upon the conflagration.
There are a score or more streams still
pouring on the smoking ruins tonight
and they will keep it up all night
While the property loss is the larg-
est in the history of the city by fire,
it is believed there was no loss of life,
although two men who lodged in the
Pike Opera House building are still
missing tonight.
None Were Killed or Burned.
John keenan, and Joseph Schaefer,
who were badly hurt while escaping
from burning buildings, are reported
tonight as resting we'll Several
forces of firemen who were caught on
the roofs of burning buildings had
narrow escapes, but all were rescued
by ladders.
Manager Hunt of the Pike Opera
House secured Robinson's Opera House
to-day, and will finish his bookings for
this season, commencing with Mrs.
Fiske next week. One of the heaviest
losers is the Henrietta Crossman
Company, which was at the Pike this
week, anu tOSL everything, even the
| safe with the receipts from a crowded
house last night. Their future is not
determined, but the company will not
appear again this week.
In some of the thirty law offices that
were burned were documents that can
not be replaced for pending litigation
and property right. The fire was such
that few office safes withstood it,
The total loss tonight is estimated
ut S1 To . x1rI,{ oh iS
distributed among the occupants of
four large office buildings, and other
structures.
Started in Cellar.
The fire was 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 build
ing, and from that time on for several
hours the fire was beyond control.
The Pike building was totally de-
stroyed, including the office of the
United States Express Company, the
Adams Express Company, Whites res
taurant, owned by Maynard & Keer;
George Joffee's grocery, John B. Mart
ms restaurant, Empson's confection-
cry, Henry Strauss cigar store, and
the offices of the Pike Theater Com
pany on the first floor the Pike theater
auditorium and green room, and other
offices on the second floor. and all 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 streets, was
badly damaged.
The building adjoining the Pike
building on the east, owned by the L.
B. Harrison estate, and occupied by
the Robert Clarke Company, publish
the first floor, and others in the upper
stories, were totally destroyed.
The Fosdick building, east of the
Robert Clarke Company and Duhme
Brothers, and occupied by the Norfolk
and Western Railroad, was badly dam
aged, while the Carlisle building, oc-
cupied by the Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company and Smith & Sons. and
the Cincinnati Trust Company on the
first floor. and very many Offices on
the other five floors, were damaged.
Guests Were Called Out.
The front stone walls of the Pike
building and those adjoining structures
owned by Robert Clarke & Co., and
the Duhme Brothers, jewelry store,
and of the Seasongood buildings, with
stood the heat and did not fall The
rear walls of these structures, how
ever, which are of brick, gave way
with the falling floors.
The fire swept across the alley
known as Baker street and burned the
large publishing house of the Ameri-
can Book Company at the corner of
Baker street and other property along
Baker street, and did great damage
to the telephone building, so that all
telephones in the city were cut off for
some time.
All the guests in the burned house
on Vine street just across from the
telephone building. were called out Of
their rooms, as We're those at the Glib
son, the Emery and Stag hotels, which
were in close proximity to the fire. The
Kankakee building, which is diagonal
ly across from the Seasongood build
ing and Pike Opera House. and is
occupied by the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, the Associated Press,
the Big -Four and other offices, was
threatened. and all the wires of the
Western Union for hours We're in dan
ger but this location was spared after
a narrow escape.
There were many narrow escapes.
Night Waterman John Agin and Mat.
Garretson and Harry Richardson, door
4