Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-26
LURID FLAMES.
Il THREATENING FIRE IN UPPER
TOWN YESTERDAY.
TWilcken s. Rocmer's Shops and Lumber
Yard Burn. From $12, 900 to $15-
OOO-NarrOw Escape of. Adjoining Prop
~erty-Geod Work by the Fire Laddi.s.

'AO0D 1AA0 A1AOG
ever started in this city. At the beginning
of the confagration, and even all the way
through to the end of the burning, the
wind blew with considerable violence from
the northwest to the southwest, threaten
ing to carry the flames. through a consid-
cradle territory covered with frame bull
dings. The work of the fremen was of
such a character though that the flames
were confined to the spot where
they commenced, and very much
to the surprise of everybody
two or three acres of frame dwellings were
saved from destruction.
SOME OF THE PARTICULARS.
The flames started in Wiickein & Roemers
lumber yard next west of the Ramsey
street engine house. Here these gentle
men had piled up large quantities of lum-
Der, much of which was very dry. Some of
it was piled against the rear wall of the
engine house. The carpenter shop of these
gentlemen faced on Ramsey street, and it
was in the second story of this building
that the fire was first discovered. AS to
precisely how it took, no one can tell. The
workmea stated that they were preparing
glue up in the secand story, and the sup
position is that the beginning of the fire
was in some way connected with that. The
building IN which the fire started was old,
dry and in excellent condition for burn
ing. The result was that it burned with
great rapidly. If it had been built of pa
per it could not lave burned much more
rapidly than it did. Of course, the flames
were communicated to everything around,
and rolled once and took hold
of a frame barn belonging to Hiram
Stillwall. This little fellow they swallowed
up So quickly that it was gone before it
knew it. In the meantime the whole yard
was in flames. The fire ran around among
the boards and got a good firm hold, so
that it looked as though it could not be
choked of. For an hour afterward while
the flames we're seething and rolling around
in the yard, not an insurance agent in st.
Paul would have given twenty-five cents
apiece for the frame dwellings south and
east Of The fire. It looked as though it was
right upon them and would sweep them
out of existence in a few minutes. These
buildings were emptied as fast as possible.
There was time enough to get out every
thing. Ladders were placed to the Sc cond
story windows and dressing cases,
mirrors, bedding, clothing and all vari-
cites of household utensils, suitable for
the upper stories were brought out, and
as surprising as it may SEEM, all were
handled with care and brought safely to
the ground. Probably within an hour
after the fire started, at least ten buildings
nearest the fire were emptled of their con-
tents, and others were ready to be emptied
as soon as it was conclusively determined
that those situated nearest TO the fire would
be destroyed.
GOOD WORK BY THE FIREMEN.
The fremen got in between the build
ings spoken of and with a number of
streams fought the fire with good judg-
ment and unfaltering energy. 1t was n
of the most steady, calm, unyielding and
determined fights the "~devouring element"
ever had in st. Paul. Where they stood it
was so hot that it would require the efforts
of the celebrated Brooklyn divine to de-
scribe adequately. The fremen improvised
the best protection they could. An old
board, a door, most anything they
could get hold of was used
to protect them from the fierce
heat. They hung to it though
and at last after several hours of a desper-
ate struggle had the satisfaction of seeing
the flames SO far under control that every
body was satisfied they would go no fur
Their. After this the attention of the fire.
men was directed to handling the fire in
the lumber. Any one who has once
seen a fire we'll and
comfortably located in a pile of boards
knows pretty we'll what kind of a fire it
makes. and it was several hours before the
fremen could get the fire into such a con-
dition that they felt safe with it. They
were compelled to pull Town one pile of
boards after another, and move
the lumber bodily to another
locality. In the rear of the engine house
there is a hole i'll the wall about eight
inches in diameter. The flames burned
close III to this hole and would nave been
inside the engine house but for the fact
that the firemen barricaded it and then
kept a stream of water from the
small hose in the engine house
playing into the opening. In this way
they kept the flames out of the building.
1t took pretty much all the afternoon to
get the fire in such a condition that it
would be safe to leave it.
The safe was hauled out of the ruins and
rolled and pulled across the street where it
was at last landed in q place of security.
THE LOSSES.
The loss is a heavy one for Messsrs.
Wi:cken 81 Roemer as their insurance was
very light compared with the amount OF
stock they had on hand. Their insurance
was as follows:
In companies represented by Weed d
Lawrence, 1915 in the Hamburg-Bremer
of Germany, on lumber, and $7S7,5O in the
Franklin of Philadelphia on carpenter
shop and contents, lumber, etc.
The only other insurance they had was
a policy of $7S7, so in the Howard of New
York, represented by Watson & Rice. Ths
firm estimate heir loss all the way from
$4,000 to 81, ,00o, upon which as above
stated, there was an insurance of ONLY
$3.50.
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