Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-10-02
DEADWOOD IN ASHES.
The Business Portion Of the 81 ack Hills De
strOyed by Fire.

The Business Portion Of the 81 ack Hills De-
strOyed by Fire.
In the early morning of Sept. 26, Dead
wood was startled by the cry of fire.
Flames were discovered in a bakery on
Sherman street near the old postofice.
and before the fire company could arrive
were extending In every direction. A
brisk breeze set in and the
RED ToNGUED DEMON
reached out for Chinatown. The widest
excitement prevailed. Business men
realized their perilous position, but de-
pended on their supposed fire
proof cellars, built at the rear of their
stores, to protect their most valuable
goods. These were farce before the fiery
element, and crumbled to earth like
sand. The water works gave out and the
tiremen were left unarmed. The removal
OF goods was commenced, but precipitous
hills on every side barred this escape.
The few brick stores succumbed almost
as easily as the wooden shells. Teams
blOckaded the streets and the
PANIC STRICKEN PEOPLE
rushed to and fro, wild with excitement.
The saving of goods was soon abandoned
and each man for his own life became the
maxim. In less than an hour the flames
had extended over twenty acres. All the
hotels had been burned and onlv
four business houses were left. The
court house, schools. churches and banks
were all burned. The only fre-proofs left
are those of the Northwestern Stage and
Transportation company, Holstein Hill
debrand, Chen, Evans, Kelly and Hard
ing, grocers.
THE CITY WAS SITUATED
in narrow gulch. quarter or half mile
wide, and all the business houses and
most of the dwellings were on one and
two streets, packed closely together. But
few dwellings remain. Many are sleeping
tonight on the hills overlooking the de-
stroyed city, and many have gone to Fort
Meade, where Gen. Sturgis is receiving the
refugees. The loss will not be less than
$4,000, 900, as most of them had received
their winter stock. About fifty firms
have ordered new stocks by telegraph
day, and already where the fire is out the
debris is being cleared away. No less
than 5000 people are left without shelter
and food. The supply of the surround
ing cities will soon be exhausted and
great distress must follow. The fire was
stopped at Chinatown by the blowing up
of buildings.
All along the course
TERRIFIC EXPLOSIONS
OF gunpowder, petroleum, liquor, etc.,
were of frequent occurrence and the
buildings were blown into atoms. The
hook and ladder apparatus and hose car
riage were the first things to burn, leav-
ing but a few feet of worthless hose with
which to battle against the devoring ele-
ment. The new water works were tried
at this fire for the first time, and
were put to their utmost capacity.
with little success in subduing the
flames, on account of the scarcity of
water. The hillsides were almost a
SOLID SHEET OF FLAME,
and water from the boiler ditch could
not be had. Otherwise considerable prop
erty would probably have been saved, as
the ditch ran almost directly through the
worst spot. The widest excitement pre-
vailed on account of the furious force of
the flames, and people thought of but lit
tie besides saving their own lives, hun
dreds escaping with only their night
clothes Every team within miles Of the