Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-03-01
FLAMES CAUSE
VERY HEAVY LOSS
DISASTROUS FIRE OCCURS IN
CITY OF ROCHESTER,.
FIRE IN BUSINESS DISTRICT
Three Out Of Five Department Stores
Are Burned-With Other Losses
the Aggregate Reaches Three
Million Dollars

Hochester, N. Y, Feb. 27.-The sun
set Friday night with ten engines pour
ing streams of water on the ruins Of
what was practically the retail dry
goods district of this city, for three out
Of the five department stores were con-
sumed in Fridays disastrous fire, one
of which, the sibley, Lindsay & Curr
company, was by far the largest estab-
lishment of this kind in the city, and
the Oldest.
Loss Is Three Million Dollars.
Insurance men place the loss at 3d.
100000. OF this amount, $75O,000 rep-
resents the loss on buildings and the
remainder the loss on stocks Of goods
and to the occupants of offices. It is
estimated that $500 people are thrown
out OF work, temporarily, at least, be-
cause of the fire.
Progress Of the Fire.
The burned district lies on the north
side Of Main street, between st. Paul
street and Clinton avenue, north, run.
ming from st. Paul street almost the
entire length of the block The fire
started In the store of the Rochester
Dry Goods company and worked west.
taking but one store east of this estate
lishment, that of the Walkover Shoe
company, before it's progress was
checked in that direction. Next west
was the store of Beadle-S herburne
1 company, which was destroyed, then
the Marble block, occupied by the Sib-
ley, Lindsay & Cufr company, also de-
stroyed, and finally the history granite
building, the lower part of which also
was occupied by the Sibley, Lindsay &
Curr company and the upper part by
offices. Only the front wall of the Mar
Die building is standing. The shell OF
the Granite building is intact and the
floors are in place, but the building was
Quilted.
| The Sibley, Lindsay & Curr COM
pany's six-story wholesale building, to.
gether with the stables in the rear, was
destroyed with all its valuable con.
tents. this loss being placed at 1,45O,.
900.
Table Of Losses.
4 Following is a table of the losses:
Granite building, 100000; Marble
building, $4,000; Buell. estate, $4,000;
Cornwell building, 100000; Kirley
building, $4,000; Walkover Shoe com.
pany, 100000; sibley. Lindsay & Cur
company, $250000. The loss on stool
was as follows: sibley, Lindsay &
Curr company, retail $35o,OOO, whole
sale ,$1,250,000;. tenants in Grant,
building, 100000; Beadle & sherburn,
! company. $350,Oo0; Rochester DR.,
Goods company, $150,0O0. The small
er losses foot up to $4,000.
1 The fire was discovered by the nigh
Waterman in the employ of the Roches
ter Dry Goods company. 1t was frs
seen at 1850 o'clock, and the watchma,
says 1t started from fuse which blew
out in the electric elevator connection
Almost simultaneously an explosion oc
Cured in the basement Of Beadle 4
Sherburne's, next door. Smoke an,
flames poured through the elevate
grating in the sidewalk, and in an In
credibly short time the buildings wer
mass of flames.
The fire department did good work
but the apparatus was inadequate. an,
requests for assistance were sent to Buff
falo and Syracuse. Each city responded
sending two engines and men to ma,
them.