, 1881-05-15
CONFEDERATION.
Destruction Of. a Building at
Clark and Twelfth This
Morning.
The Fire Attributed by Several
Persons to Spontaneous
Combustion.
Statement Of Such Particulars as Gould
Be Cleaned at Late Hour.
CHICAGO.

covery Of 4 formidable-looking blazt
in the second story Of the four
story brick pianing-lnill situated al
the corner Of South Clark and Twelfth
streets. When first discovered the fire had
gained such headway that there appeared to
be danger of a general con1lagration in thai
part of the city. Therefore a second alarul
was turned in a few minutes after.
But few of the engines Of the Department
had arrived before the entire structure
seemed wrapped in flames, whose light illu-
minated the city for blocks around. The
boys in blue got rapidly at work,
and within the space Of half
an hour from the time Of the sounding OF the
| first alarm the element was under control,
and all danger Of a spreading was ayerted.
The building with all its contents was
a total loss, the walls Ut the top
stories even having fallen in. Nothing
was rescued. The building, or rather build
ings, were respectively 40xG0 and 3Gx36 feet
i'll dimensions, the larger one-the mill
| proper-bclng four stories III hight, the
+ smaller, used as an engine-room, being of
! two stories and all Of brick, the walls
| one foot thick. The owner Of the building
is Mr.. john Roper, tho wholesale grocer, and
the occupants the firm Of 'Wintermeyer s.
Dempsey. On the first floor OF the mill we're
| the heavy pieces of Neutrality-suspicious. re-
I saver, one large Surfacer. two nlatchers, and
! two planers,-wlich will probably be total
] losses. owing to the damage by fire. water,
and falling walls. On tie second fuor
! was the box factory, containing some
/. hand-too1s and quite 4 stock IF
| material. The two upper floors were
devoted to the manufacture of saslles. doors,
! and blinds, Of which there were many on
! hand, just now many could not be learned.
The engines i'll the enginc-room were
very badly damaged. just what the
cause OF the fire was no one
!: seems to know. The only man on the
premises at the time of the first discovery
was Mr.. Il. King, the night watchman. He
says that he was in the office Of
the building and was not aware
that anything unusual had happened
till he was 1nade aware that the entire second
floor seemed one nlass Of flame. lie ran out
to give the alarm, and could not Immediately
find box. Before he had found one the
bells rang out, some one else having evident
ly noticed the illumination. He had no
idea as to the cause, but attributed the fire to
spontaneous combustion. lie is sure that
tho start was not made in the engine-roonl.
There were no stoves nor lights burn
ing on the second floor, where the fire
btgan, and only an hour before the had gone
over his building and had noticed no sparks
nor any sno1dcring. The men employedin
the place were ut work alt Saturday, and one
of them might have dropped a spark Of some
kind, but he did not see how
that could well be, else he would, in his
rounds, have discovered the fire in its in
cipcncy.
Surrounding the mill is yard containing
4 good deal OF undrcssed lumber.
1t was in tile main uninjured,
though thoroughly soaked with water
On the railroad track, which arc but few
feet to the west of the buildings. stood Soy
erai freight-cars belonging to the Chicago.
Rock Island &, Pacific and the Lake Shore &,
Michigan Southern Railroad Companies.
They were somewhat seorcteG. but were
drawn away before being seriously DAM
aged.
At an early hour this morning TRIBUNE
reporter called upon Mr.. Wintermeyer ut his
lodgings in 4 house Oh Green street, near
Congress. He had not yet heard of
the fire, und was unable to make
any statement until informed that
scarcely M Ivy +. portcn Of the contents ana
firm had, he said, recently put in 4 lot Of
new machinery, and the entire quantity was |!
worth somewhere in tho vicinity Of $1,000. |
The stock contained III the building he ut !
ing he said S5,uoo would not cover
it. provided it was altogether destroyed |
or badly damaged. The firm had {: large /
stock Of Jna'ic-lp goods on hand-in fact, the
upper stores of the. building were fairly
filled with sashes, doors, alid blinds and
Tho loss would be even
more titan $1,000 if the material outside Of
the mill WAS ut all injured. Upon both
and stock there was an insurance
By Mr.. Harrison, insurance agent.
Mr. Wintcrncyer did not know the COM
panles. Ilc building was worth from S.
e12 en2tS to slo'ooo' and is said to have been ILL
The mill is on land which has frequently
been swept clean BY fire, but since the pres
enI occupants took charge of it ii few years
ago It has been visited once only, and then
tie fire originated in the upper portion,
which was su5let to another firm.
y reporter who was 1t tie scene at o 'clnck
This morning found only the corner walls
standing, and the Interior a mass Of glowing
enlbers upon Which the firemen were still
playing. The northeast corner seemed to be
ess damaged :nan the remainder Of the
building, and there may possibly be little
salvage there.
A sidewalk nearly opposit the mill on
1iA! SLtCct OlDhc DcIE<ttlI IL ElUNu ASSEM- |
lied to witness the fire. and several Italians
wing i'll the neighborhood were badly
bruised.
a still alarm to engine company No. Is at
1 O'Clock Friday night was caused by the
explosion Of a Kerosene lamp in Theodore
drug store, at M. $40 Blue ISL
md avenue, The proprietor was in the act
# securing window with some boards
yl,en he accidentally capsized the lamp.
)anage, $40.
Tie alarm from Box 924 at O'Clock yester-
ay afternoon WAS caused by the burning out
t chimney at No, 50 Fremont street,
wned and occupied lis IL dwelling by August
lakan. Damage, tritlng.
AT HAMILTON, ONT. /
Special Dtsp1tch to The Chir4loo Tribune.
HAMILTON, Ont, 14.-Eary this morning
he round-louse Of the Hamilton to North
;estern Railway, in which aru kept the
ngines Ut the company, was totally de-
troyed by fire. Shortly before O'Clock this
forming. one Of the men who was working
! another part of the building heard crack
ng noise near the water-tank. Turning :
ound llo saw that the place was on fire. {
lose was quickly laid and several streams .
lrned OIL, but the pressure Of the water was
cry light, and a stream could not ha |