Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-10
Especial Telegram to the GIobe.l

Special Telegram to the dIoDe.l
MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, Jan. 9.-The most
disastrous confagation which has visited
the East side for many months occarred
last night in the burning of the North Star
Touring mills near the large Pillsbury mill
on South Main street. Officer Ryan was
one of the first to discover the FIRE, and
turned in the alarm at about 8 O'Clock,
calling out the department from the East
side AS soon as the nature of the prop
erty on fire became known, however, a
general alarm was turned in, calling out
the entire department.
Everything seemed to be in
nearly perfect working order and
in comparatively short time
the whole mill was flooded with water.
Touring mill is extraordinarily combusti-
BILE, conseq uently water seemed to avail
little. Learning that Touring mill was
on fire, the people in whose memory the
horrors of the mill disaster of five years
ago was still fresh, ran excitedly to the
scene filed with the dread of repetition of
the explosion of that time and by 10
o'clock large crowd had congregated.
Fortunately no explosion occurred save
perhaps little one which sent a blue
flame from a second story window
across the street, but which did no
serious damage, however, further than
tending to increase the fames within the
building.
At midnight nothing but portion of
the outside walls remained of the original
structure. All within was mass of smol-
dering ruins, and the department reeled
up its hose and returned to their respect
i've stations.
The mill was owned by Fl. J. 6. Cros-
well, and GLOBE reporter found the gen
tleman at his residence at the corner of
east, ignorant of the obstruction of his
property. He had heard the
alarm, and taken observations,
but concluded the fire was further
to the left of his mill, hence gave himself
no uneasiness. The intelligence fell like
a bomb-shell into his home. Mr.. Croswel
has owned the mill for thirteen years. Two
years ago he had it rernodeled from the
old stone system to that of roller gradual
reduction, employing the Stevens patent
machinery. The -four manufactured was a
superior grade and known as "Croswelrs
Best" ''Golden Light" ''North STAR" etc.
He estimates his loss upon the building
and machinery at $4,000, and his stock of
wheat and -four at $4,000
and thought his insurance was only
about $4,000. His books being in the
safe in the burned Office he was unable to
give definite statement respecting the
latter, but said it was all in companies
represented by Gale & Co., and E. B.
Ames. A visit to one of the book-keepers
of Gale & Co. developed the fact that the
insurance would aggregate about $4,000,
but owing to the lateness of the hour and
the great risk in locking them up, he
could not inform the reporter as to the
respective companies in which
the insurance had been placed,
but stated that they were all frst-olass
companies.
The origin of the fire is unknown. When
discovered it was just gettings under good
headway in the rear of the mill. In that
portion of the mill Mr.. Crosweu explained
ne had recently put small boiler for the
purpose of steaming his wheat, and it is
quite likely that the fire caught from the
furnace which heated the boiler.