The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-19
GuIIED BY EIR[.
(Continued from Second Page.)

The fire, being in the center of the city and causing such a great light, at tracted thousands of people to the
 scene, and they stood about the burn ing structure with seeming total disre-
 gard of the zero weather. There was large supply of the city eiittyy's s finest on hand and they kept the spectators well back from the building and the firemen were
 thus unimpeded by the crowds. The building and the street looked | like the ruins of an ice palace surround ed by a frozen river. Just as fast as the water was poured on the fire 1t froze The front of the building was
 covered with ice: the telegraph wires
 were covered and hung with thousands of icicles, while the streets and side l walks were one even coating of ice All the live wires were cut as quickly
 as possible and the currents cut off. all though several of the firemen had nar- row escapes from being shocked before this could be done.
 The firemen were coated with ice and many were nearly frozen. The fire
 commissioners did everything that was possible for the mems comfort, assisted by surrounding storekeepers. The com-
 missioners contracted with all the res taurant keepers to provide hot coffee and sandwiches for the men. Child s restaurant, the Biltmore and the Ton tine hotel, as well as a number of the neighbors, rendered very valuable as drinks for the men.
 During the course of the fire all troll | ley traffic on Church street was tied up, and late last night the tracks were all covered with ice several inches thick l The hose was also frozen and great dif- | ficulty was encountered in getting it up.
 It was impossible to do anything with much of the hose last night and it was 1 left in the streets.
 | No idea of the loss could be had from l the various tenants last night. MT Cos l grove stated that his stock was practi- cally totally destroyed by water, and
 MT. Hyman made the same statement. | MT Cosgrove stated that he thought l that his stock was damaged in the neighborhood of $150o0. This store is practically covered by insurance, it be- | ing insured by MT. Bretzfelder and MT. | AcNeil
 l MT. Hyman when seen said that he had no idea how much his stock was worth. He said that the inventory was l taken once year and that they com menced to take it yesterday. He
 thought that it would amount to over | $15,000 however. AHe did not know how
 much insurance he carried, but said that some of it had been written up by ] MT Bretzfelder and the rest with Mr. | NcNeil.
 MT. McNeil stated that he had writ l ten up Mir. Cosgrove. Mir. Hyman and l MT. Ziegler for $11 ,000 in all.
 MT. Bretzfelder stated that he carried l S2,500 insurance for MT. Cosgrove and MT. Hyman.
 Walter Thompson, who carried the insurance on most of the tenants, was
 out of town last night, so that no au. thentic facts could be learned from hin
 in reference to the other losses.
 Attorney Spier, who is one of the off. cers of the Mishkan Israel temple. hao : the valuable papers of that synagogue in his safe, but it is thought that they are all right.
 A number of safes fell through the burning timbers to the ground floor
 during the fire and it is thought that
 when they are opened considerable val.
 uable property will be found in them.