This substantial and prosperous house, which was established fifteen years ago is justly regarded as one of the "real dry goods house" of the country. Their spacious and elegant premises, and imposing iron front and brick structure, five stories and basement, covering an area of 123 x 120 feet, is one of the finest business edifices in the city or the west. Here is stored, in generous profusion, everything in the line of staple and fancy dry goods, including, in addition to the finest products of American mills, heavy importations of Irish and Scotch linens and other goods, hosiery, gloves, etc.. from Saxony, and all kinds of English and European dry goods of the best and finest grades. The individual members of the firm are Messrs. James L. Edson, George F. Moore, Ransom Gillis, Charles Buncher, and Stephen Baldwin, the latter a special partner. All the members of the firm are merchants of thorough training and valuable business experience. Messrs. James I. Edson and Charles Buncher attend to the office and financial department: and Messrs. George F. Moore and Ransom Gillis are the buyers of the housee and there is scarcely a day passes in which they are not visited by one or more representatives of European houses. About one hundred clerks and assistants are employed in the house and twelve experienced traveling salesmen represent the firm in its trade territory comprising the entire State of Michigan, Northern Ohio and Indiana, as well as a considerable outside trade. The firm has most ample resources and every facility for the successful prose cution of its business, which is very heavy and covers its territory completely. Vast as the trade of the house is, every detail is conducted upon a perfect system which ensures accuracy in its transactions, promptness in filling orders and satisfactory relations with its customers. A corect knowledge of the wants of the trade, sound judgment in the management of their business, and honorable methods in all their dealings have secured for the house a merited and gratifying success and given it a standing among the leading dry goods firms of the country.

The falling of James McKay followed in a few minutes. When he appeared at the window, he made no sign that he was staring death in the face. For a few moments he looked over the people, who appeared at a dizzy distance below, as though wondering what he might do to save his life. There were shouts from below, but he evidently could not hear what was being said. The roar of the flames drowned all noises that came from the street. After this moment of hesitation he got out of the window and slid down until he was holding on with only one of his hands to the sill. He hung for several seconds before he released his hold. He struck on the casement of the second window, and partly turned over. This threw him so far out from the window that part of his body struck on the electric wires below, which partly turned him over again. He struck on the sidewalk within a few feet of the building. Policemen, firemen and spectators quickly ran to him and he was carried to the ambulance. He was unconscious when picked up, and it was thought that life was extinct. He lived, however, for a couple of hours after being removed to Emergency Hospital.

The awful spectacle of McKay's and Dunning's fall was hardly over when the spectators saw another man creeping toward the upper window nearest the corner., He was evidently on his hands and knees, blinded and suffocated in the dense smoke. He reached the sill, laid one arm upon it, and, as he endeavored to shield his face from the fierce heat with his hand, tried to drag himself to open air just beyond. He was too far spent. A sudden burst of flame closed around him, and the people below saw his head drop, his arm drag slowly back, and his body sink from view in the flames within. Meantime a general alarm had been turned in, and nearly all the companies in the department responded. The corner of Jefferson Avenue and Bates Street was a scene of intense excitement, and the avenue extending up to Randolph Street was filled with fire apparatus dashing hither and thither, firemen laying lines of hose, and thousands of spctators crowding their way to the ropes, which had been stretched by the police. By the time that COmpany No. 1 was on the scene the upper story was a mass of flames, and they were spreading with incredible rapidity.

The smoke rolled in huge volumes and at times almost completely enveloped the surrounding buildings and the firemen. The big extension ladder was raised, and the firemen dragged a line of hose up and tried to play on the roaring furnace, but the heat and smoke soon drove them down, and the truck itself had to be removed a few minutes afterward, the flames scorching it, The water towere was placed in position, but it seemed an almost interminable time before the big stream of water was turned on. A strong wind began to blow from the west, sweeping the fire eastward. It seemed impossible to stop the conflagration short of Randolph Street, but the firemen swarmed on adjoining buildings and poured torrents of water on the hot, smoking roofs. The floors of the Edson Moore Building began falling in a short time after the fire started and at 1:20 half of the Bates Street wall collapsed. A moment later there were two loud reports and the entire interior of the building collapsed. This undoubtedly prevented the spread of the flames, and at 1:50 the fire was practically under control. After the fire was gotten under control and the excitement had somewhat subsided, rumors of still greater loss of life became current. The firm immediately opened a reggister at an adjacent store, and the rumors became certainnnnities as employes who registered told stories of their narrow escapes, and spoke positively of the men they knew were on the top floor when the fire broke out.

Edward L. Ebert was one of the freight receivers working on the fifth floor of the building at the time the alarm was given. When he saw he had to run for his l ife there was still on this floor, to his personal knowledge, Patrick Markey, Edward Genther, Daniel Baker, Henry Rider and Edward Viot. Ebert says that he had hardly reached the floor below when the roof fell in, and he is certain that the men could not have followed him down. The only other manner in which they could have escaped would have been by jumping. They could not have jumped without attracting attention. Ebert also says a very few moments after he got down he saw Genther at one of the windows on the firth door. He disappeared without making any sign and he supposed that he was going to find a way to get down. That was the last seen of him. Eddie Leach, an elevator boy, also tells a story that leads to the conclusion that these men perished. When he learned that the whole upper part of the building was on fire, he ran his elevator to the top of the building to see if any of the men wanted to come down. He says that he saw the men mentioned by Ebert. He told them that they had better come down with him and cried that there was no other means of getting down. He was very much excited and cannot remember what they said. But they would not come, as they feared that the elevator would give way. Ebert was in this part, and refused to go. The boy went down, leaving th emen to get down the best way they could. Shortly after he got down he saw Ebert, but they did not see any of the others. He says it as impossible for them to get down after Ebert had come down. He could see th estairways and says that they were impassable.

None of the missing men has registered. Not one of them has been seen since the fire started. There were no fire escapes on the front or side of the building. There were fire escapes in the alley, but they were of no use to the imprisoned men. Eddie Paychek of 137 Beech Street was one of the imprisoned men in the upper stories, and he had a thrilling escape, A few minutes after the fire broke out a rope was thrown from the upper store. It nearly reached the ground. In an instant later Paychek's form was seen on the ledge of the window. Then he lowered himself as far as he could below the windowsill and grabbed the rope. The crowd below set up a cheer, and he was apparently safe. Rapidly, hand over hand, as if fearing that he would slide too fast, he neared the ground. A cry of alarm broke from the crowd as a jet of flame came from the window above where the rope was fastened. Paychek, it seemed, only stopped for a moment to look up. The entire window was filled with fire, and there seemed to be no chance that the rope could last long enough for the man to reach the ground. He ceased to let himself down carefully and slid as fast as he could withou breaking his hold. Then a tongue of fire burst from the third story. It wrapped itself around the lifeline, and in a minute th eman was seen to fall, with the remnants of the rope with him. Happily, at this time he was only about twenty or twenty-five feet from the ground, and he picked himself up and was soon lost sight of in the crowd. He was in his shirt sleeves, and his hair and brows were singed by the flames.

During the progress of the fire, William urgess, pipeman of Engine Company No. 1, was severely cut by tin falling from the building. No attempt has yet been made to search the ruins for the bodies of the missing men. The fire was such an intensely hot one that the bodies of the unfortunates have probably been completely cremated. It is not known positively yet how the fire started, but it is believed to have been caused by an explosion. Harry L. Pierson of the firm of Pierson & Hough, 212 Jefferson Avenue, says that the fire was caused by an explosion on the fifth floor. He heard the concussion a few minutes before the alarm was sounded. William Brown, the druggist, also heard the explosion and saw windows fall from the fifth floor. The building occupied by Edson, Moore & Co. was owned by the estate of the Francis Alms and was valued at $112,000. There is $50,000 insurance on it. Edson, Moore & Co. estimate their loss at $5000,000 on which there is an insurance of about $425,000.

The adjacent property suffered considerable loss. The building on the east side of Edson, Moore was damaged to the extent of $5,000, fully covered by insurance. It was occupied by Friedenborg & Speck, dealers in the Tailors' trimmings, who place their loss at $35,000, insurance $25,000, and by the Merchants Hotel. The hotel loss is $6,000 and is insured. Pierson & Hough, dealers in saddlery and hardware at 210 and 212 jefferson Ave. sustained slight damage by water. The buildings in the rear of the burned dry goods house, 48 to 54 Bates St. owned by the Bagley estate, were damaged about $5,000. The occupants, however suffer heavy loss from water. The DetroitLithograph Company places its loss at $20,000, insurance $10,000, and John J. Bagley & Co., tobacco manufacturers, loss $25,000, which is nearly covered by insurance. Kutenauer, Rosenfeld & Co., 194 to 202 Jefferson Ave. dealers in gentlemen's furnishing, also suffered considerable loss from water.
New York Times 24 November 1893