The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1866-05-11
THE GREAT FIRE AT DETROIT.
Appalling Loss of Life and Property
From the Detroit Free Press Of Friday.


From the Detroit Free Press of Friday.
A few days more than six months ago
it was our painful duty TO chronicle the
loss By fire Of the Central railroad freight
depot, in this city. To-day we announce
another and comparatively more terrible
loss, in the entire destruction of the de-
pots and offices of the Detroit & Milwau
kee and Michigan Southern roads. At the
Central only the freight department suf
fered here everything was swept away.
Freight depots and Offices, passenger de-
pots, waiting>rooms, ticket offices, tee
graph Offices. docks and buildings of every
description, besides and immense amount
of freight, lie, this morning, in one black
smouIdering ruin. With these, too, is a
large amount of freigh. cars loaded with
merchandise, a complete train of passenger
cars made up for Grand Haven and Mil
waukee, and a number of others standing
on the side tracks. but few bsing saved,
aud those in tie least exposed situations
Scarcely anything was saved from the off,
ces, the flames spreading with such fear
iul rapidly that the employees, III some
instances, were barely able to escape with
their lives.
TIE ALARM.
The alarm was frs: given about 10
o'clock by the heavy whistle Of a steam
boat sounding fire fire fire which was
Immediately followed by the bells of the
city, and the lurid flames at the same time
shooting high into the air ; lighted the
streets for squares around, aud brought
the steamers to the spot.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
We learn from reliable source that
the FIRE originated in the Detroit and Mil
waukee freight depot, through barrel
containing oil, paptha or benzine. which
was being rolled out, and was seeo to be
leaking slightly. An attendant came
near with light. which be carelessly
passed above ard near the barrel to ascer-
tain the nature Of its contents, when the
escaping gas iguited and in an instant the
work of destruction was begun.
RArIDITY OF TIE SPREADING FLAMES.
SO rapidly did the terrible element
spread that almost the entire length Of the
freight depot along the dock was on fire
before the engines were fairly on the
ground and at work, and from the first it
was seen that the most I'll at could be done
was to eonfine the fire to the depot build
ings, and this was done with the greatest
difficulty aud most heroic exer;ions on the
part of the fremen.
BURNING OF THE PASSENGER TRAIN.
The night express on the Detroit and
Milwaukee road had been "made up" and
was waiting in the depot for an engine
There were two passenger coaches, sleep
ing car and baggage car inside the build
ing. The sleeping Ger was partly occupied
by passengers, some of whom had retired
TO their berths, When the startling alarm
that the depot was on fire was given,
the widest CONSERVATION prevailed on
board the train A man rushed through
the cars arousiog the sleepers, all Of whom
made rush FOR the doors, pushing and
jamming, shrieking and cursing, the slron-
ger overcoming the weaker and tramplng
them under foot Those in the sleeping
car pushed forward to the forward coach,
where they were met by those in the lat
ter goirg the opposite way.
Dense volumes of smoke rolled through
the avenues, and with their demon sister
FIRE presented frightful picture of impen-
ding doom TO the frantic crowd struggling
for egress through the narrow aperture
for escape. Many rushed to their assist
ance, and as fast as one or more emerged
they were forcibly thrown from the plat
form to make way for those following
close behind. The flames came cracking
on, and soon the rear end of the sleepiug
car took fire while several passengers were
yet inside, begging aud imploriug for aid
The windows were smashed in and one or
two rescued through the opening thus
made, but the rapidity with which the
flames advanced drove away all further as.
sistance, and it is feared that several per
ished. 1t is almost certain that one old
man, infirm Nth years and sickness, and
another, which Heaven forgive, was in q
state of beasty intoxication, persisted in
the flames: Whether there were others
lost cannot as vet be ascerlained, as 10 the
lrigh. and confusion and hurry to escape
but little attention was paid tc one an
other. So rapid was the progress Of the
FIRE that some of the latter ones in the
sleeping cars escaped only partially clothed
They were completely stupefied and Devil
dereG with the suddenness Of the outburst
BURNING OF THE wINsoR.
In addition TO this, the steamer Win
sor which lay along side the dock, is
burned to the waters edge, aud lies on the
Canada shore, near Sandwich point, where
she was towed to prevent communicating
the flames to other boats or docks down
along which she foated blazing pile Of
the most inhammatory material. She
drfted within six or eight feet of Brady s
dock and warehouse, which narrowly es.
capped taking fire; when, after almost su.
perhuman exertions, IN the face Of the in.
tense heat, line wes fastened to her and
she was towed away By the steamer De-
troi'. She is probably a total loss.
LOSS OF LIFE.
! The absolute certainty that from six to
twelve human beings lost their lives or
tie occasion is the most deplorable feature
of the catastrophe. In addition to those
already mentioned, eye witnesses state
TIA: they saw seYera' j1mr from the Win