The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-04-30
EEFoETED ExPEEssLr FOR rHE MORNING LEADER
MIG HIT RE OR It
The great fire at Oshkosh.
Destruction of the town.
Loss over Two Million.
Death of Mrs. Conway.
Importation of a mixture of
salt and arsenic.
Gen, Baldy Smith gets an
Office in New York.

Chicago, April GA special dis
patch from Oshkosh gives the follow
ing account of the fire there yesterday.
1t broke out in the saw mill of Nor
gan & Brothers on the north side of
the river. The building was rs dry as
tinder and filed with combustible
material, and in an incredible short
time was enveloped in flames. The
neighboring lumber plies caught and
the fire spread with lightning rapidity
up Sawdust Avenue, sweeping every
thing before it. A dozen saw and
shingle mills with all the lumber
piled around them soon succumbed to
their fury. By this time it was found
impossible to check the work of de-
structiun famed by a brisk wind,
the fire. The demon then spread to
the small frame residences OF the
operators at the mills, which seemed
only To whet the appetite of the fiend.
The families fled in blank dismay be-
fore its approach scarcely finding time
to save few articles of clothing.
They surrendered everything, well
knowing the hopelessness of any at
tempt to save their worldly goods in
the face of such storm of fire. The
firemen for time fought bravely in
the face of terrible odds, to stay the
progress of the fire but were driven
back step by step. One after another
the business buildings on Main street
were licked up by the insatiate fire
From AlgOna to CeOpe street were To-
Gated all of our principal dry goods
stores, banks, hotels and newspaper
Offices, all Of which went down before
the resistless hurricane. Merchants
had time to save but little, for their
facilities for transportation of goods to
place OF safety were limited. A few
succeeded in carrying a few loads of
their most valuable wares away from
the track of the fire, but far greater
number lost their all.
1t is impossible at this hour to even
estimate the losses. Over 200 resi-
dences and over one hundred stores,
hotels and banks, the Opera House, a
valuable structure, costing nearly one
hundred thousand dollars a score of
saw and shingle mills, besides an in
calcuable quantity Of timber were de-
stroyed. The loss, upon the whole,
cannot fall below 81, 600, 900, while it
may reach double that amount. The
scenes in the city battle description.
Everything is confusion worse con-
founded. Hundreds of families are
homeless, and women and childen
are lying about the streets or roaming
around in search of place of shelter
from the chilly night air. The hea-
vens are lit up with the lurid glare of
the fire, which is yet burning fiercely
within the limits to which it has been
confined.
A gang of desperadoes are prowling
about, seeking whom they can plum
der. They have succeeded in inspir-
ing the greatest terror, and the citizens
are organizing among themselves for
mutual protection. The police are
powerless, for their number is small,
aud their discipline in this, the time
of our emergency, is very lax. Fears
of outrage are felt on every hand, but
some of the plunderers may decorate
lamp-post before the day dawns, il
they allow themselves to be caught bv
an indignant populace.