The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-20
FURIOUS FLAMES.
They Enyelop KeatOr's Saw Mill and
Lumber Yards.
The Pillow City Visited by Fearful
COnfiagratiOn Saturday Night.
The Loss Estimated at $500, 000---In-
surance $4,000.
A BIG BLAZE.

One of the largest and most destructive
CONGREGATIONS which has ever visited this
section, took place in Moline, on Satur
day evening, and continued until late in
the night, Illuminating the heavens for
miles around, and furnishing the citizens
of the tri-cities with grand but awful
spectacle 1t was terrible sight for
j. s. Keator & Sons to stand by and see
their property swept away by the unmer-
ciful Fire King without any means of
stopping him in his mad career Men
who had toiled and worked for years
without intermission, were made almost
penniless in few short hours. 1t was
staggering blow, and one from which it is
feared they will not soon recover.
THE ORIGIN
1t was about fifteen minutes to five
O'Clock, Saturday evening, when flames
were discovered issuing Ifrom the boiler
room of Realtors saw mill The alarm
was Immediately sounded but before the
arrival OF the tiremen, the flames had
spread, and the fire had gained foothold
that defied the most strenuous efforts to
extinguish it. Help was summoned from
Rock Island and Davenport, both cities
responding In short order. From this
city was sent the Phoenix, Wide Awake,
Rescue No. 3, and the Sash Factory hose
company. The Fire King hose company,
of Davenport, with their engine, arrived
as quickly as possible. All the fire laddies
worked with will, and many encomiums
were heard expressed for the noble
manner in which they labered, although
they were fighting the flames under a
disadvantage, from the fact that the water
supply was very inadequate. The streams
thrown were very small, and did not do
very effective work, as they were fur
nished through six inch pipe
THE FIRES PROGRESS.
As the fire grew apace the heat was
intense, and it was with great difficulty
that the firemen stood at their posts of
duty. From the saw mill the flames
were communicated to the lumber piles.
which, one by one, fell victim to the
seething whirlwind Of flames The yard
contained over 10000, 900 feet Of the best
quality Of lumber, valued at $50 per
1000 feet. The lumber yard covered
three entire blocks in area, but by nine
o'clock only couple of solitary piles
remained, the only survivors of the awful
catastrophe.
For time great apprehension was
felt, lest the red hot cinders which were
sent flying through the air by the south
west wind would start a second eonfiagra-
ton in Dimock & Gould's yards, in the
next block east. By persistent work,
however, this danger was averted. Water
was thrown on the lumber until it was
thoroughly soaked through, bidding de
fiance to the demon of fire
THE LOSS
1t is hard to estimate the loss The !
mill could not be replaced at less than
800, 900, and as the yard contained ten
or twelve million feet of lumber, the loss
there wSs over $20O,O00 making in all
over 100000 that was burned to the
ground. The loss to the Keator Lumber
company is over 100000 above insur-
ance. And not only is the loss felt by
the Keator company, but by all Moline
About go men are thrown out of en-
ployment, who must look TO other fac
tories for employment.
INSURANCE.
The insurance on this vast amount of
property amounts to only $4,000 of
which amount $4,000 was placed in
companies represented by W. L. Stevens,
as follows
Rnvs1 ENGLAND nm mill no