Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-11-21
An Area of Seventy Acres
Burned Over.
Loss from $4,000, 900 t
$1,000 o,ooo.
Detailed Account Of the Origin and Ex.
tent or the Gonflagratfon.

Directly as the flames began to spread
through the story beneath this roof,
and before an engine or hose carriage
was on the ground, great volumes Of
flame suddenly burst out from the real
of tho lower stories of the building. and
in less than 20 minutes the whole
broad facade, extending fully one hun.
dred feet along Livingstone street, was
one sheet of flame, as was also at the
same time the Summer street front, the
heat being SO intense as to force the
tiremen away from that immediate
vicinity.
By this time a strong wind had
sprung up, the flames began to sweep
over Summer and Kingston streets, and
despite all the exertions of the firemen
in every branch of the department, the
fire was communicated to buildings on
the opposite corner of Kingston and
Summer streets, as we'll as the great
block on the corner of Summer and
Otis streets, and in less than half an
hour the flames were bursting up and
down the broad sides of the fine struc-
lures. By this time the wind had in
creased to nearly gale, and the flames
having entire mastery of everything,
swept from story to story, from roof to
roof, from block to block, and from
corner to corner, driving the 1remen
from every vantage ground they could
secure, and rendering all their exer-
tions useless
Wherever the flames reached they
rapidly consumed everything of COM
bustible character. The large block on
on the corner of Summer and Kingston
streets, in which the fire first started,
was occupied on the first and upper
floors by Tbbitts, Baldwin & Davis.
dry-goods jobbers. A. K. Young &
Co., occupied the third and fourth
stories as a mandatory for stays and
corsets, employing about 200 men.
The second floor was occupied by
Damon, Temple & Co., furnishing
goods, etc.
Notwithstanding this great building
was in almost an incredibly short space
of time completely leveled to the
ground, it's destruction had not pro.
gressed far before the flames and sparks
which arose from it had lodged upon
all the buildings around about. Thus
the fire spread almost instantly in
three directions, first to the adjoining
block on Summer street, then across
Summer street to the opposite side of
the block, and then 10 Kingston street.
In the first named direction the adjoin-
ing building was occupied by Leland &
Wheelock, gents furnishing goods,
and Sawyer, Mansfield & Co., import
ers of dry goods. The next are Eager,
Bartlett & Co., woolen goous; o. B.
North & Son, hats, caps and firs 3:
next Farley; Amsden & Co., dry goods
jobbers; and Rhodes & Ripley, whole
sale clothing. The latter firm owned
the building.
The structure at the opposite point
of starting was OF granite, four stories
and q half high, occupied largely by
Mayflin, Mullen & Elms, dealers in
trimmings, who used the entire lower
floor. Harding Bros. & Go. and Carter
& Co. occupied the upper floor. From
this building across the square dag
onally was stone block occupied BY
Smith, Rice & Corton, and Geo. NJ.
Glazier, dealers in corsets and knit
goods. On the corner of Otis and
Summer streets stood the Everett
Block, an imposing granite structure
owned by the Everett estate. It in.
cluded Nos. 50, "a, Sc, SO, 60, g. and
GA Summer street, and was occupied
by D. Lyons & Co., Neil Brothers and
Dreyfus, Phillips & Shumann, G. G..
King and Co., and Mari Brothers,
dealers in clothing, furnishing goods,
fancy goods, trimmings, etc. The
upper floors were used mostly as Offices
and occupied by various parties.
Now the fire began to creep steadily
up both sides of Summer street, crawl
ing along from roof to roof opposite
the Everett block. The buildings, az
they were engulfed in rapid succession,
were as follows: Bricks, 100 feet front,
occupied by A. Folsom & Sons, fool
cloth, oil and oil cloths. and George
81. Butler, hair goods, and Eugene
Chapin, commission merchant. The
granite block, Morse, Hammond & Co.,
hosiery and gloves, Stiles, Belts & Som
ers, wholesale clothing; s. Klons 4
Co., hats, caps >and furs, Struckel
Bros, hat and cap manufacturers, Wv
man & Arklay, imported goods and
iuens, Ewing, Wise & Fuller, linen.
and white goods, Kothwell, Suther
Potter & Co., clothing; Mitchell
Green & Stevens, clothing
At this time, about 10 o'clock, flames
burst from the top of the buildings OF
Arch street, dozen doors removed
from Summer street. Almost befor,
the existence of flames in this quarter
was known, they had spread dow
through the building, and were bursting
in a perfect torrent from all the win
dows IN front of the fancy goods stor.
Hawley, Folsom & Martin. The fir,
spread to each side, enveloping tn,
stores of Thos. Kelley and Co., d
NJ. Hogden, clothing, March Bros.
Peirce and Co. Mercer, Beal and Hack
all of which were quickly blazing. A
| 10 o'clock the whole roof of the Everett
Block was sheet of fame, sendinf
high into the air a column of fire
smoke and lurid sparks. This gained
perfect control of the Everett Block.
The fire stretched it's arms across mar
row Arch street, and moved rapidly to
wa1ds Washington street, taking in tn,
establishments of Geo. H. Lane, Bret
4 Co., wholesale clothing. and Messen
ger & Co., dry goods; Edgerton & Gil
mans dining-rooms; Chaffee l. Whit
ney, sewing silk Lee, Tweedy & Co.
dry goods Lewis, Brown & Co.
gloves Moreau & Co., commission
merchants Seavey, Foster & Bowman
agents of Canton silk mills Kittle
Jones, commission merchants Br,ce
Task & Co., thread and trimmings
Porter Bros, commission merchants
Nicholas Il Sons, imitation hair. A
the opposite end of Summer street
near the junction of Bedford stree
Among the buildings destroyed wer
the following: Heyer Bros, import
ers of fancy goods; Gilbert, Lovejo
& Co., dealer in woolens, No. %; JON
Cotter, hosiery, gloves, ETC., No. 10
Winthrop Squase, *l,e>Nery centre g
the great wholesale trade of the city
embracing some of the most costly mel
camille buildings ever erected in thi
country, and occupied by such grcu
firms as Jas. NJ. Beele and Co., Stew
! art and Co., Anderson, Heath and Go