The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-04-20
FIRE DESTROYS
HUNTER STORE
Crossed Electric Light Wires Cause
100000 Blaze-Traver-B Bird Co.
Loses Heavily, Too.

crowds were beginning TO thin out IN
the downtown streets. TUESDAY eve
ming, after the usual rush. hre OF
such fierceness that II brought many
CT those who had started on ;neE
/ homeward Journey scurryin5 back,
Erck. out In the basement OF Hunte +;
4 Hunters department store. Ms.
l77-lsl Woodward-ave. For more
than four hours the fire ragged, until
II had burned itself out. leaving toe
, interior OF the seven-story building a
charred and blackened mass.
The total loss. including damage II
peighboling property. will reach S4Oc.'
| 0OC. fairly we'll covered by insurance.
Thomas Hunter. head OF Hunter a.
Hunter. estimates his loss at 100000.
Oh which there is 100000 insurance.
OF the building. which Is owned Nv
the Fowler estate, but the walls re-
main. and the loss will be In the
ghborhood OF 100000, with $4,000
insurance.
The Traver- Bird Co. clothiers. and
X ri. Fyfe a. Co. shoe merchants.
whose stores flank the burned struc-
tire ON the south and north, respec-
lively. sustained damage from smoke
and water estimated at $4,000 and
So 1000. well insured. Employees OF
Fyfe 4 Co saved much OF the stock
In the basement by removing II ~
| shelves, and kept the basement com
L.rativoly free from water by letting
il ont through sewer traps almos' rs
fast as II poured In.
II was only by strenuous WORK That
the fiemen were able to keep the
flames finrn- spreading beyon1- iho
| Hunter a. Hunter establishment. Sew
eral times. the flames threatened to
! leap beyond their narrow confines
at bay.
Fire 10 Spectacular.
| The fire was one OF the most spect
acular in The city history. Less than
half hour after II was discovered, the
! iiaMes burst through the roof and shot
! high In the air. at the same time
/ bursting forth from every window ~
eat h OF the several floors.
When the blaze was discovered b.
passerby. about 6:l2 o'clock. the
avenue vas comparatively deserted
I
smoke was To be seen pouring frorl
/ the topmost windows. but present.!
he windows lighted up on every floor
as the flames climbed up the stairway
and the new elevator shafts on the
north side Of the building, and the
gare. together with the changing o1
the fire engines, caused an immense
crowd to gather within a few minutes
/ Five minutes after the alarm was
given the street. which was almost
empty before, WAS choked with spec
tators, and the policemen first on TIE
scene experienced no little difficult!
! in keeping them within bounds. After
/ rein7orceinents arrlved and ropes were
put up, the police handled the situation
very ably.
Crossed Wires Caused Fire.
The statement Of Night Watchmar
John Moiles, OF No. 434 ST. Aubin-ave.
establishes. almost without doubt
that the fire resulted from crossed
electric wires, due TO some mistake b.
! electricians who were working In the
basement of the building. Tuesday.
Moiles modestly refuses to be made
hero. He admits that he went &C
| the top of the smoke and iame-filled
! building In the elevator, TO bring
down ten young women working Oh
! the third and firth floors, but he says
! the floors were empty as he passed
them crying Fire" Returning to the
ground floor he saw all of the younl
men coming down the stairway. ant
they made their way out OF the front
door.
Somebody's mistake In wiring the
J basement was responsible for tina
| fire" said Moiles. with great positive
ness. When tried to turn on tn,
! arc lights on the main floor, thel
wouldn't work right. | called the a
tention of Engineer Theodore Fortier
/ OF No. 400 Concord-ave., to the wa!
| the lights behaved and he went tC
the switchboard, on the main floor
ana tried the different switches foi
! the arc lights. Sometimes. one switch
would turn on three arc lights. where
only one should have lighted. Again
all OF the buttons could be turned
and none OF the arcs would light.
"Fortier said They've got thing
mixed somewhere in that wiring
they'll Ak everything all right in thu
morning, says Moiles.
Moies told a graphic story of tht
start of the fire, showing the rapidit.
OF It's spread.
Two new electric elevators. twice
as big as the old ones, which are
! located on the south side of the build
ing. toward the front, were being in
stalled on the north side. also well to
ward the front The shafts rose from
the stock room, I'm the basement, anc
there was space between the shaft:
and the sidewalk line II was in tha'
space that the fire started.
The motors for the new elevator
were stored In the stock room but
had not been connected up The cleo
tricians were working on wires sup
plying light to the unfinished sixth
and seventh floors Moiles believes
that they crossed two live wires
somewhere
There was no fire In the basement
as the power for the two old hydraulic
elevators. one passenger and ONT
| freight. was furnished by the Contra
! Heating Co. The other of the tive
old passenger elevators was control
led by electricity.
Finds Basement AbIaze.
Less than fifteen minutes before
the fire was discovered. Mr.. Pierce. In
| charge OF the stock room. came up
stairs and told Waterman Moiles thai
everything was all right In the base
ment. all OF the lights being out, ex
cept one in the rear.
Then he went home. At 100 O'Clock