The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-01-09
$l7l,OO0 LOSS
In BIG FIRE ON
JEFFERSON-AVE.
HOughton-JacObsOn CO.. Albert
Rothschild and Mrs. S. E.
LOvett Chief Sufferers
BLAZE BREAKS OUT
IN EARLY MORNING
Firemen Have Tough Job Fight
ing Flames on Account
of the Cold
LOSS is HEAVY IN
EARLf-MoRNlNG BLAZE

Fire which broke out in The base
ment OF the building at the north
west corner of Jefferson-ave. and
Wayne-st., occupied by the Houghton-
Jacobson Printing Co, at 3:15 o'clock,
Thursday morning. caused a loss to
property estimated at $17t 900 before
IL was put under control at o'clock.
Ftremen had tough time of II in
combating the blaze which licked up
she tve-story brick structure and
threatened to destroy the buildings ad-
Joining on the west and occupied by
Albert Rothschild, Wholesale tobac-
conist, and Osborne, Boynton & Os-
borne, dealers In glass and chinaware.
IL was one OF the coolest nights OF the
year. The exterior OF the building
which burned was coated with ice, and
the lower floors flooded with water.
Ben Jacobson, head Of the firm and
principal owner of the property, said
to The Times, Thursday. that the Ire
was caused by some apparent defect
in the electric lighting connections, in
the basement, as the fire originated
just below the switchboard The base
ment OF the building, which the Hough.
ton-Jacobson Co. rented from the own
err Mrs. Sarah r. Lovett, was used for
storing paper. For three days trucks
loaded with paper had deposited their
cargo in the basement and the fIrm
had a big stock on hand. The first
floor Of the building was used as
press room, the second as compos-
ing room, the third as a bindery and
the fourth for general purposes.
Mr.. jacobson estimated the net loss OF
his stock and equipment at $4,000.
with $4,000 insurance.
Albert Rothschild conducts a whole
sale tobacco business In the building
Immediately adjoining under the old
firm name OF Rothschild & Bros. The
building, No. II Jefferson-avc., was
stocked with fine tobacco and the tor
rents OF water pouring through from
the Observation-Disclosures building ruined
IL. Rothschild estimated his loss al
$4,000, covered by insurance.
The firm OF Osborne, Boynton q Os-
borne, Wholesale china dealers, ad-
Joining Rothschilds store suffered
loss OF $1,000 by water flooding the
basement
u. c. Bennett, foreman OF the print
ing department OF the Houghton-Jacob-
son CO., said that it was fully 20 min
utes from the time that the alarm was
turned in until the fire department
had water playing on the blaze.
1T wasn't thought very serious at
FIRST and only chemical apparatus
came over" he said. AT o'clock
however, the department had 80
streams of water pouring on the fire"
Ten men were at work on the first
floor OF the building when the blaze
broke out.
THE first We noticed was the blaze
shooting up the conduit for electric
cables" said Fred Baker, one Of those
al work I'VE ran below and found
the entire basement in flames. The
FIRE spread out over the first floor and
shot up the elevator shaft to the upper
floors. We grabbed our coats and
got out"
Morris Smargon, one of the printers
was In slippers to ease his feet and
dashed out with the others. He stood
around in the cold until the fire was
nut out when he went back into the
building and rescued his shoes.
In the building were seven cylinder
presses. eight "jobbers' two cutting
machines, 80 motors, four stitchers,
four folders and other equipment. Men
who worked in the building that
Jacobsons loss would be $3.50 900. but
that was just twice the figure put
on 1t.
The firm employed 100 men and had
Just finished printing and binding 600
copies of the revised city ordinances,
Job which has been in progress for
several months. The book contained
100 pages and the printing and bind
ing were to cost the city $4,000 The
hooks were TO be delivered at the city
hall. Thursday morning, but were de-
stroyed.
The pages for 10000 telephone
books were destroyed. These publlca-
tions were also put OFT from the es.
tablishment: The Business Mems
Magazine. The Horses hoers' Journal,
The Indicator. an insurance paper;
The Veterinarian and The Motorman
and Conductor. Jacobson said that
his plant would be running again in
week and that publication Of these pa.
pers would not be Delayed.
The building had 50-foot frontage
on Jefferson-ave., and extended back
! 10C feet on Wayne-st. The walls and
two lower floors remained standing
.bird annr a nd rOOf navad In