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A $1,000,000 Blaze

A $1,000,000 Blaze image
Parent Issue
Day
6
Month
August
Year
1891
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

WORK OF TUK KIIÍK FIKST. Chicago, Aug. 4. - Siegel, Cooper & Co.'s immense dry goods and notions establishment at State and Adams street was totally destroyed by fire this morning. Half a raillion dollars' wortli of usorted stock was entirely consuraed and nothing but bare walls are left where a magnificent trade palace stood. Unfortunately the fire could not be prevented from spreading, and at 8:30 o'clock a number of other flrras had suffered much damage. "The Leader" dry goods store on the opposite corner caught fire several times, and Mr. Pineus, the manager, thought that the damaffe by fire, smoke and water would reach from 8100,000 to $150,000. Xext door south of Siegel, Cooper & Co.'s is J. W. Berry's large confectionery house, and his loss was $1,000 by water. The flames communicated to the rear of J. H. Wal kef &. Co.'s dry goods store at the corner of Wabash avenue and Adams street. Here fire, smoke and water caused a loss of 828,000. Then the occupants of F. R. Hilger's building at 307 and 209 Wabash avenue suffered as follows: C. Hennecke, pottery, 340,000; J. A. liryant, pianos, S7.0Ó0; women's exchange, $500; I. W. Baird, pictures, 610,000. Charles Brown, who has a European hotel at 37 and 39 Adams street, lost about $1,000 from water and smoke. Siegel, Cooper & Co. occupied six stores on State street, extending south from the corner. The building, valued at 8100,000. was four stories high and was half a block deep on Adams street, extending to the alley whieh separatas it from J. H. Walker & Co. The fire was iirst discovered by Qfficer M. SuUivan, who ttirned in tlio first alarm. When Offlcer Sullivan first saw the blaze it shot out into State street from the first floov and Beemed to ernanate from what is knowu as the exchange room. No one seemed to be able to teil what caused the blaze. Once started the flames had full sweep. Inside were great light shafts and a number of elevators through which the blaze swept with the force of a sitial 1 cyclone. There was any amount of material for it to feed on. From small wooden toys to costly Persian rugs the stock offered splendid opportunities for the tongue of fiame. Up the elevator shafs went the blazes, and out through the roof and into the murky atmosphere they shot. A heavy pall of smoke hung in the raincharged air, and this cloud was seen for miles by the thousands of people hurxying down town to their work. Eight hunch' -d employés, from messenger boys and cash girls to managers of departments, soon stood around the corners and mixed with the hundreds attracted to the scène by the fire. In the building at the time the fire broke out ere some twenty-five employeSjAH escaped without injury exccpt Manager W'ixon, who dropped from the fourth story to a balcony oá the third story and was bruised and shaken. One of the bookkeepers who was sorting over some of the record books said that from $15,000 to KO.OOO was burned up in the llames, or at least the money was in the store safe and had probably been burned inside the safe.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register