Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1904-02-27
MILLIONS ARE LOST
IN ROCHESTER FIRE
Buffalo And Syracuse Called
On For Assistance.
ESTIMATED LOSS FIVE MILLIONS.
Fire Is Raging In Business Section.
Dynamite Used to Check Advance
of Enthusiastically Any Wind Is
Rlowins-office Buildings Quilted.

Rochester, N. Y, Feb. ga great
fire is raging here.
Main street east, in the heart of the
business district, is in flames.
Buffalo and Syracuse have been ap
pealed to for help. Dynamite now is
being used to check the spread OF
the flames.
Among the buildings already gone
are granite building, high office
structure, Sibley, Lindsay, Curra &
Co., Sheburne & Co., and many others
The commissioner of public safety
at o'clock estimated the probable
loss at 100000.
The chief of the fire department
at 8:45 O'Clock said he believed the
fire could be kept within the block
extending from st. Paul to North
streets, unless the wind should changs
and set fire to the buildings on the
north side of Main street In this
event large part of the residential
section would have to go.
The fire is reported to have started
Goods company. A fuse connected
with the electrical motor that runs
the elevator blew out and the next
moment the flames were rushing up
the elevator shaft In few minutes
thereafter the building was wrapped
in flames.
The great fire that started in the
heart Of the business district of this
city today is still raging fiercely. The
weather is ideal for fighting a fire, as
there is scarcely no wind blowing.
Had there been even a moderately
high wind, the fremen say nothing
could have prevented repetition OF
the Baltimore fire. AS it is, the fire.
men are battling under extreme diff.
culties, as water mains are not work.
ing as they should.
The extreme cold this winter has
frozen up many of the mains and for
the past two weeks firemen have been
engaged in thawing out the pipes. On
account of this lack of proper appa
ratus this work has been slow.
At Z O'Clock Chief Little and Com
missioner OF Public Safety Gilman
telegraphed to Buffalo and Syracuse
fer assistance. At 8:45 the engines
from Buffalo had not yet arrived. The
assistance from Syracuse is on it's way
At 9 o'clock the fire was burning
t1ercely, although the fire department
was sanguine that the fire would be
prevented from spreading.
The fire started so early this morn
ing that very few people were on the
street, but by o'clock there were
large crowds around the blazing build
ing.
Dynamite was used to check the
spread of the flames, and was follow.
ed by the thunderous falling of walls
Commissioner of Public Safety was
on the scene shortly after the fire was
discovered. Commissioner Gilman es
timated the loss at 8 o'clock at be,
TWEEN five and six millions The huge
granite building belonging to SibIey
Lindsay & Curra Co., the upper stories
OF which were occupied by hundreds
of professional men, lawyers, doctors
dentists and business men, was Quilted
from the basement to the tenth story.
The entire tenth floor of the granite
building was taken up with the offices
OF the Vacuum Oil company, a branch
of the Standard OIL company. AT S:AsI
o'clock there was a tremendous expIo
sion in the burned buildings. Since
6 o'clock the trolley current has been
entirely cut off and the maze Of wires
in the fire section has been crushed
to the ground
Granite building will be total loss
Along st. Paul street to the west
there is another large dry goods store
the Burke, Fitzsimmons & Co. The
efforts of the fire department are cen
tered on the west wall of the granite
building to prevent it falling and
spreading the fire on the west side OF
st. Paul street. Should the fire once
spread to the west side, the entire bus
mess section would be at the mercy OF
the flames. On the corner diametric
ally opposite the granite building is
the chamber of commerce building. II
stories In height. The building oc
cupied by the Rochester Dry Goods
company, just east of the granite build
ing, is totally destroyed, and the walls
have fallen.
Assistant Fire Chief Injured.
At 9:15 Assistant Fire Chief Jaynes
was severely injured by fall His
head was cut open.
The fire is reported to have started
in the basement of the Rochester Dry
Goods company at A.; 80 o'clock The
fire spread to the Walkover Shoe com.
pany, just east of the Rochester Dry
Goods company, and this building was
entirely Quilted. The fire is under
control in this section. The fire has
spread to the rear of the granite build
ing on Division street The Cox build
ing, which fronts ST. Paul street on
the corner of Division street, is on
fire, and is doomed. There have been
several explosions in this building.
Syracuse Firemen Arrive.
At 10:07 this morning the Syracuse
fire fighters arrived, having been de-
layed on account of the severe cold
which is delaying traffic on all the
railroads in this part Of the state. The
Syracuse firemen Immediately reported
to Chief Little
Buffalo Firemen on Scene.
Several engines from the Buffalo
IRE department arrived at II o'clock
At that hour the fire was still burning