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Show A SIRE AT ST. PAUL. A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF PROP-ERTY PROP-ERTY IN ASHES. The Rapid Spread of the Flames and the ' Xatense Cold Weather Made the Work of tiio Fire Laddies Unusually 5 Difficult The Losses. it" " ST. PaYl, Nov. 18. St. Paul last night suffered one of the most disastrous fires in fc46orJr" building-s damaged being ivof ilt f Griggs, Copper & Co., wholesale Sol andFarwell, Ozemun, Kirk & Co., sr. EmJ&ied by theT.T2i?45 a brick and wil-ucture five stories in height and Lrntage on Third street of 300 feet, and 'sdway of 200 feet. Griggs, Copper fc . occupied two-thirds of the building. The flames first made their appearance at 11:44. o'clock, in the fourth floor of Grifirs, Cooper & Co.'s buildings. Within less than five minutes the fire department was on hand in force but a general alarm had to be turned in soon afterwards because of the rapidity with which the flames spread. Blinding volumes of smoke filled the streets surrounding, surround-ing, the cold weather and the inability of the firemen to get at the lire, rendered their work very bard. In half an hour from the time the alarm wast sent in, the flames leaped through the roof and communicated to the adjoining buildings where they made rapid progress. The firemen turned their attention to saving the floors below and by hard work for a time succeeded in confining the most of the damage dam-age to this floor. It is thought the loss in this department aionc will reach fully $300,000. The flames crept downward in the hardware hard-ware building through the elevator shaft and one by one the other floors succumbed. suc-cumbed. The fire in Greggs, Cooper & Co.'s building at this time turned downward to the ground floor. The fire departmtn fought valiantly against terrible odds, but at 3:30 the wails fell. The flames set fire to a frame building used by the Northern Pacific Pa-cific News company. Soon the walls of the Farwell, Ozemun & Kirk building fell outward. Several attempts at-tempts were made to save the stock in the more exposed portions of the buildings but without avail, and complete destruction of both 6tock and building is inevitable. The building belonged to Ed C. Shepard. It was estimated to be worth $200,000. The losses are estimated as follows: Far-well, Far-well, Ozemun fc Kirk, $400,000, with insurance $3(50,000; Griffgs. Cooper & Co., on building and stock, loss $55,000, fuUy insured. in-sured. Total loss $050,000. The flames were under eontrol at half past 4 this morning, but fast consuming what remained re-mained of the stock. No definite information informa-tion is obtainable as to the cause of the lire, but it is thought to have originated in some unknown manner in the packing room on the fourth floor. Both firms will continue business without interruption. Their books and accounts were saved. |