The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-25
NEARLY 4 MILLION.
Milwaukee Sees It Go Up in Flames
and Smoke.
Chapman's Dry Goods House Burned
Out-BiaZes in a Penitentiary
The Wardenss House
Damaged.

MILWAUKEE, Wis, Oct 25-About g
O'Clock TEursdry night the watchman en-
ployed about the dry goods establishment of
!. \. Chapman discovered. smoke in the
hu ling He was unable to find any fire
bus t.,e fire department was called Con
siderable tmo was occupied in locating the
fire, and before it could be found the flames
burst out in the upper stories. The entire
DEL artment was summoned, but the tiremea
eould DO nothing toward saving the buildiny
or stock. The building was owned by \.
Chapman and H. f. Dickinson, and va
valued at about S275, 900
MIR. Chapman had an insurance of about
100000 and Mr.. Dickinson Of about SO, 600
1. A. Chapman & Co.'S stock was valued at
| about $500, 900, and it is understood he had
| an insurance of about 800, 900.
The large carpet and shade establishment
| Of Stark Bros was located in the building
and carried stock valued at about $500
| O0o Stark Bros. were fairly well insured Mr..
Dickinson, with his family, lived i'll his part
| Cf the building, and the loss on furniture,
| etc, is about IS, 600 The insurance is held
| in the leading companies of the world
The news of the fire spread with great rap
tiity and about Is, 900 or 10000 porple gath
cred in very few minutes. The police
| folce Of the city was called to the spot and
succeeded i'll driving the crowd back before
the walls fell. They were of brick, five
stories in height at the south end and fouI
stories on Wisconsin street.
No cause of the origin of the fire car
be discovered A correspondent in
torviewed Mr.. Chapman while the fire
was in progress and that gentleman stated
that every precaution was taken all over the
building to prevent a fire, and he had no ideC
of how it originated He says he regards hi
stock as fairly well insured
During the progress of the fire thieves en-
tered some of the neighboring premises anC
carried off everything of value. The firemer
did good work in saving the adjoining build
ings.
LATER-The losses from Thursday night
fire will amount to fully SSO0,000 Chap
mans loss on his store is fully $500, 900; in
surance, $50, 900; on stock, 800, ,000 insur
ance, SS25, 900. Stark Bros loss is $3.50, 600
insurance 10000 J. E. Dickinson lost $50,
go; insurance, S24, 600. The fir,
throws 400 persons out of EN-
ployment. Chapman is uldecidet
whether he will rebuild and continue hi
business. He says it will take the most ex
perienced men three months to duplicate hi
stock in the open market 1t is generally be
lieved he will procure temporary quarter
and resume business as early as possible, an
the coming year rebuild on the old site.
At noon the vault was opened and the er
tire contents of books, etc, were found in a
perfect condition as when placed there at tn
close of business last evening. Stark Bros
vault is probably in the same condition. 1
the rear portion of Chapman's establishment
was a fire-proof sub-cellar, in which wa
SIS, 600 worth of gents furnishing goods.
is thought the greater portion of this stoc
was not damaged, except slightly by watel