, 1874-07-18
THE OSHKOSH FIRE.
Full Particulars Of the Terrible
Conflagrntlon.
Incendiarism Strongly Suspected, and a
Florce Attempt 1tale to Lynch
Supposed Incondlnry.
Complete Statement Of Losses by In
surance Companies.


Fires Elsewhere.
From tbs 0shkosh {Wts.) Northscsstsrz, july 1b.
Tho 14th day ot Jnly, 1874, will fotcyor be d
day in tho annals Of our city'H his
tory,-momorablo for ttB hopes and foars, Its
It's blank ruin aud utter aoaolason.
TIE ORIGIN.
Tho fro broke out about O'Clock p. M, tn
1ittlo barn or stable In tho rear OF Cornelius
0rcCabc's row Of buildings on Mntn stroot, noar
Church. Tho barn was situated directly In tho
rear Of the store occupied by I. J. Hollo ~ a
floral emporium. Tho Wind waa blowing por-
feet hurricane, aud troo-tons woro bondlng end
bowling under the stifroning broeze.. III fact.
tho wind had rayod 80 Violently I'LL tho afsor-
noon that ulost nf tho mills had to Slut down
for foar Of a oon1agration. Tho who'd blow
from tho southwest nt the time. That firc
should break out in this part Of t9a city
barn whore tho tiro ignltod was una!l QUO. prob
ably 1a120 feet and 40 foct high It had
beeu uhod heretofore by O. II. Curtis for bis
horse but since Mr. Curtis sold out his grocery
store has boon nnocouptoa: Ihcre whs qnhh-
60 like tindor-box when once gnltod. Ono of
tlIe steamers arrived, mud Hot ut the Church
street reservoir, running . hose back Of tho
building Oil tho west side of MRtu Btroot to tho
towarus tho 1aluos, tho burn waB entirely en-
yelopod In flames, but had water beon thrown at
that moneut tho fro could have been CARLY ex-
tugliBhel. Fifty men stood around the barn,
who could hayo rendered material ala, out no
utcs the ppen1cn stood there pointing tho noz-
xto at the flames, but not drop Of water came.
What WAS tho matter is NOS stated. out ptonA-
bly, for want Of steam. Us tue asealners very
likely had let their hrcs 10 out upon turning
hprnn fror f1uytfAs match. fHntOrY,
TIE ePhEAD;
aud the pipomon began to withdraw while the
flames begun to lick around the corner into Tue
block, latoly occupied bolow by Charley Curtis,
and tho sooond story occupied b{ the United
BtAtos Internal Revenue Collectors olhco. Iho
vioent wind tlattenod tue hamos against tue
brick wall, aud spread tlam cut IN elthof o'foo,
ton until tile lear end OF Houe's no"er aao seoa
store Was on fire, and In moment attornarus
@. McCabo's grocery next door waa also 10
lamos. by this timo tho atosmera had got 70
work from the Church street roBerVoit, but with
the poorest succoRs. Two liuea OF hose Horo
in order to get moro to tho front Of Tie nfe ana,
NTH tho requisite. amount OF Water, tue ire
could have bean checked here without the nusn,
ing Of another 1nildlng. Matef, wafer, "asers
bo Ind.
Tho streams that woFo got to the front OF tho
buildings woFo n'oagro md almost useless. w5tle
for timo tho pipes wore l!andlod very wildly.
owing to disadvantages nhdof "nsch Inc nfomen
wore aboring. H., 49,
For time i wa1 hoped to keep the hro TO
uindWaru Of Schnnick's brick block and mako
these brick walls barr!cade to its further prog
ress but tho nan1os hnd licked around tho cor
nors iuto the front asa rear windows, and already
the inside was on fire. 1t was with tho utmost
difficulty TINT tue books nnd stamps IN the COL
iootor's Office we're saved, all she papers, b'anks