Fort Wayne, IN DeWald Dry Goods Fire, Dec 1899 part 2

WEST WALL FALLS.

While the excitement attending the crash of chinaware at the Kaag store was at its height, there was an appalling experience on Calhoun street, adjoining the west wall of the DeWald & Co. block. Captain George Trautman of engine house No. 5, with one of his hosemen Peter Freiburger, was standing [illegible] street car track pouring a stream of water into the office of the DeWald & Co. in an effort to save the safe and [illegible] if possible.

Captain Trautman's other hosemen were near the corner of the building. Officers Spillner and Collings saw the wall tottering and gave an alarm. Occupants of rooms in building across the street who were watching the fire in exposed windows. Officers Strodes and Borgman, who were watching the crowds along the Nickel Plate [illegible] beheld the tottering wall in time to alarm Captain Trautman and his [illegible]. Trautman and Freiburger [illegible] time in running for their lives. They just escaped a shower of bricks along with Officer Strodel, as they darted [ineligible]. Beneath the mass of ruins which [ineligible] Calhoun street, carrying under [illegible] masses of telephone, telegraph and trolley wires. Portions of the wires dropped into the Wile liquor store [illegible] site and broke the plate glass front window of the Dreier drug store. Officers Collings and Spillner leaped into a stairway just in time to escape the flying debris.

OTHER WALLS TOTTER.

The crash of the west wall weakened the already cracked and endangered south front of the block. Firemen were at work under this wall, but Chief Hilbrecht informed his men that there was no danger, and, trusting to his command and judgement, the firemen accord [illegible] their superior to the very front [illegble] block and for three hours deluged [illegible] burning debris. Later the [illegible] corner of the block began to sway towards the old engine, Charley Zollinger, which has done service at many a fire and was hauled from Columbia street around to the corner to Calhoun street out of harm's way.

SAVING OTHER PROPERTY

No sooner was the fire under control than Chief Hilbrecht issued a general order to his men to save the wat [illegible] harm as little as possible the Rothschild block, on the east, and the Peter's hardware store in the building adjoining.

IT WAS DOOMED.

Hundred's of spectators were at the fire and not one of them believed that the DeWald store or the Kaag block would be saved from total destruction and before 6 o;clock there two magnificent stores were a mass of shouldering ruins. The four floors of both buildings had dropped into the basements, and not a dollar's worth of stock was saved. The salvage in both stores cannot exceed a few hundred dollars, although the ground floor front of the Kaag block, with its stock in the display windows, is [illegible].

BUILDINGS' LOSS $44,000.

The buildings, which are practically worthless, were valued at $44,000. The corner block, owned by the heirs of the late George DeWald, was 110 feet long and thirty feet wide, and was valued at $20,000. The loss is total. The block adjoining, of the same dimensions was recently purchased by Mrs. G. DeWald for $14,000. The loss on this block is total. Mr. M. F. Kaag's block, also of the same dimensions as the DeWald properties, was valued at $1[illegible]. The building is practically worthless except possibly the east wall.

STOCK LOSS $105,000.

The DeWald stock last year inventoried about $150,000, and yesterday the [illegible] was just closing up the inventory of the stock of goods in the wholesale department. Seven car loads of new stock were hauled into the building yesterday. Mr. R.W. T. DeWald, the present owner of the firm, stated that the stock [illegible] fully as large, if not larger, than it was a year ago.

BUSINESS REMARKABLE.

Mr. Robert DeWald, in conversation with a News reporter this morning stated that the firm always endeavored to carry an insurance of about 80 percent, on the stock, and Mr. Williams, the firm's office manager, says that he believes that all of the policies written have been carried heretofore have been renewed as soon as they expired. Mr. Williams had not, however, gone over the list of insurances policies for at least a month.

Mr. DeWald says that the firm had just closed the largest holiday business it had ever enjoyed. The four traveling men representing the wholesale department had been flooding in orders sicne No. 15, and the house was getting in good shape to handle these orders for the spring trade in a few weeks. These orders represented thousands of dollars and indicated that the firm's wholesale trade for the coming year would excel all previous years.

Continued in part 3, below
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!