St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-19
The Situation Frightening
in the Affiict-
ed City.
The Citizens Resuming Bust
ness in the Burned
District.
Temporary Quarters Being Pre-
pared with Great
Rapidity.
Contents Of Safes and Vaults
Found in Good
Condition.
A Base Scandal of a Base News
paper Thoroughly
Exploded.
Revised List of Figures Shows Total
Loss, $627,79o, and Total
Tns,,raooa l1oc shn
Revised List of Figures Shows Total
Loss, $621,790, and Total
Insurance, $33S,540.

WAS crOWueu Will DaoSeugcIS ny Gnc tiiilC IL
left the Minneapolis depot, large proper
ton Of whom got down at Anoka. The two
street cars and all the hacks and 'busses
were rapidly loaded down to the guards. The
GLOBE missionary boarded the bounding
street car. Remembering the old fashioned
times when it cost half dollar to go from
the depot TO the city and return, he dropped
his cheerful nickel in the box and felt con-
tent in view of the crowd
to stand upon the platform with
the driver. And by the way, this street car
lneis very meritorious enterprise. Its line
begins on Second avenue, at the corner of
Madison, turns up Main at the corner of
Second avenue just one block from the
bridge, up Main to Fourth avenue, and out
north on the avenue till 1t strikes the river
above the Washburn saw mill, when it turns
east out to the depot. The enterprise was
projected and constructed by Messrs. Kellogg
& Little, who obtained charter very read
lily from the city council and the cost OF its
construction and equipment which consists
of two fine coaches was $40, 900. With a
spirit exhilarated by the thought OF three
quarter mile ride for five cents, the GLOBE
man leaned against the railing andinspected
the occupants OF his car and the one in front
of him. The crowded mass of humanity
which filled them both, was made up
of insurance adjusters, commercial travellers
and sight-seers. The ride to the business
center, or what once was the busiAe center
of the city, was very pleasant indeed. The
streets were wide and well graded and the
residence portion through which we passed
was well built up with neat pretty residences
(mainly wood which bore the unmistakable
evidence of being the abodes of comfort and
happiness. As the car turned into Main
street the ruins of the once beautiful Anoka
came into view Those who beheld
them for the first time looked
upon them with expressions Of
the most marked surprise and regret. At
the corner Of Second avenue we all stepped
down and stood In the midst of the ruins,
which, unlike those which the lapse Of ages
wrought in the desolated cities of the old
world were born in three short hours of
fiendish flame.
The chief landmark fs the fragmentory
walls of the Opera house block, which was
fine three-story brick, and which, owing to
the heavy center walls and double corner,
still loom up grim and desolate,
its great yawniug windows and
vacant doorways helping to carry out the idea
of its being the wreck of some old feudal
castle preached by the enemy's guns. Be
You'd it as you stand where we left the car
rises tall and gaunt the great round chimney
of the Lincoln mill now heap of shoulder
ing ruins at its base. The only other walls
or even portions of wall are those
of the Taylor block, the front of
which still stands; but standing there
as we did in the center of the burned
district nothing but rubbish met the eye in
all those six blocks swept by Saturdays fire.
Not cleaner and more completely devoid of
any useful substance would be 10 stubble
field over which the fire had swept
The ruins had by this time become gen
orally cooled and the merchants who had
safes in them had succeeded in dragging
them out and a few of them were already
opened. The relic hunters were dispersed
all over the burned district making the
usual collections.
These consisted of vast fragments of melted
glass or crockery of all conceivable forms
shapes, nails partly melted and adhering to-
gether and various other fragments OF metal
all more less reduced by the intense heat.
The first business man met was l.. II. Bruins
whowas just spening his large fire and burglar
proof jewelers. safe in which 81, 900 worth of
his own aud ST. 600 worth of his customers
nla It.a~
out all right taking up n jewel case
he touched the spring and
revealed pair of ladies diamond ear drops
resting upon their crimson velvet bed and
flashing in the sunlight. These said he, are
worth $780, and the case even is unframed
and even my watch movements are unin-
jured. Passing the spot little later sign
nailed upon post in front ofwhere his store
used to be read as follows:
Owing to circumstances over which I had
no control l have moved to the treasurer's
Office in the court house. L. II. Bruins.
\ few steps down the street large
marque tent was observed upon
the roof of which was the following
inscription placed there on Satur-
day evening:
"After rest of eighteen hours have re-
sumed business. Cigars and tobacco whole
sale and retail. T. II. CARROLL"
In another place amid the the smould-
eriug ruins was this sign:
''We still i've Come and see us on the
west side. Frauman, the boss elothier."
In the ruins OF the Taylor block was the
following;
MY building and stock having disap-
peared will open with new stock on West
side. K. TAYLOR"
Mr., Taylor will occupy the rear store room
in the Mcleod x Hilton building West
side.
a sign on the ruins of the First National
bank reads:
Contents Of safe and vault all right Open
for business soon as possible"
P. W. To5in Il Co. having secured
temporary quarters in a dwelling neal
the corner of First avenue and Monroe
street, have opened business with damaged
goods, where they viii remain until better
quarters can be obtained, They were dry
goods house IN the Ticknor block.
Absolutely the first firm to resume busi
ness, il Ne except Tom Carroll, the cigar
man, were II. l.. itcknor ~ Co., druggists
They moved a small barn on to the square
near the former site of Fairbanks clothins
store, and one of the firm
having gone below at
q. m. on Saturday. A stock of drugs arrived
BY team from Minneapolis at 3 a. m Sun.
dav The heaviest loser next to w. D.
washburu and with only $500 insurance on
OF 500. 600 loss, Mr.. Ticknor deserves great
credit for his enterprise aud pluck. The
situation generally among the business meI
is much more favorable than when visited OF
Saturday or Sunday. Then they were par
nl,-znh l,,- The sl,la.lnnness and sareritr ~