St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-17
AN()kA
ABNIHILAPED !.
A Sweeping Sea Of Devouring
Flame
Wipes Out Of Existence the
Unfortunate City.
Not a Business Block Left in
the Place.
Six Blocks Burned Over and SO
Buildings Destroyed.
The Great Lincoln Mill Goes
Down in the Ruin.
Washburn's Loss S25O,O0O and
Insurance $144, 1000.
The Total Loss Approximating a Mil
lion, With Only One Quarter
Insurance.
Details of the Disaster and Lists OF
Insurance as Far as At
tainable.
The Total Loss Approximating a Mil
lion, With Only One Quarter
Insurance.
Details Of the Disaster and Lists OF
Insurance as Far as At
tainable.

NeYcr DtIOEe III Tue history VI ILLS o''0S
has such dire calamity fallen upon any city
or town as the one that on Saturday morn
ing spread ruin and desolation over the once
tlourishing city of AnOka. Friday its bust
ness men retired for the night prosperous
and happy, and on Saturday awoke to find
every vestige of the business portion of their
city in ashes, and many Of themselves
bcggars. Never has such sudden transit
ton from comfort and prosperity to dire
distress and ruin been witnessed within the
borders of our commonwealth and it is no
wonder that her business men were found
paralyzed amid the ashes Of their former
business blocks unable to rally at the moment
from the overwhelming calamity that had
fallen upon them. Not one store, not one
place of business remains upon the
site of this late fourishing city.
It's stores, banks, newspaper offices
the great Lincoln Touring mill, the Anoka
Touring mill, the large planning mills, dry
lIilns, lumber sheds, machine shops and
other buildings of the w. D. Washburn
company are all gone entirely, utterly OBJ
liberated, and not so much as one brick left
standing upon another that will ever be fit
for use as a part Of new structure.
Nowonder that the stoutest hearts quailed,
and when in addition to this wholesale de-
struction of property we come to understand
that outside of the w. D. Washburn COM
pany, but a small percentage of the
property destroyed was insured, the feelings
of the sufferers can well be imagined.
Anoka was one of the Oldest cities IN the
state, and ontains to-day about six thous-
and people. 1t is located upon both banks
of the Rum river, about one half mile from
its junction with the Mississippi, and 81
miles by rail from st. Paul on the Northern
Pacific K, r. and Fergus Falls division of the
Manitoba rail road. The eastern side of the
river contained nearly all the business of the
city, and few cities of Minnesota con-
tanned more iineo or substantial buildings than
did Anoia prior to the fire. The fine new
Opera House block of W. D. Washburn upon
Main ana Second avenue Of st. Louis
pressed brick, the fine double store three
story brick upon the opposite diagonal corner
recently built by H. L. Ticknor, and more
than the usual proportion OF fine two story
brick stores gave the city an air of solidty
that was sadly at variance with the havoc
which one sudden breath of the fire king
wrought. Years were required to buld it,
but three short hours worked its utter ruin.
The story of its ruin is soon told. At
about 2 80 Saturday morning fire was dis
covered under the floor of the skating rink,
located in the rear of the postofice, on Sec
ond avenue, and also in the wood house adj
jaceut, belonging to the school building on
the corner of Second avenue and Monroe
street. The alarm was promptly given and
the steamer, hose carts and entire fire de-
partmcnt of the city were soon upon the
ground.
From the very first, however, they were
powerless to suppress the flames or even to
hold them in check. The rink, a mammoth
wooden structure, seemed to be mass of
flame in moment, and the adjacent build
ings caught like gunpowder Soon the en-
tire portion of the business blocks on both
Main and Second avenue were on fire and
rising like monster the remorse-
less, relentless fire fiend towering
high in mir leaped over intervening streets
and threw down all opposing barriers in his
determined effort to get at his prey. Second
avenue and Main street were crossed in
this way at about the same moment, and in
an incredibly short space of time Center
block, containing the fine Opera house
building, First National bank aud
other fine buildings were mass
of seething flame. With Center
block bathed in flame the doom of the MAN.
moth Lincoln roller mill, vast wooden
structure just across the street from the
northwest corner Of the block, was sealed
and soon that too was in the tolls of the raw
euous monster.
The scene at this time WAS full of au awful
sublimity and grandeur that filed the stout
est hearts with awe aud terror. The
horrible roar of the flames, the
crash of falling buildings, the
hoarse shouts of frantic men and the lurld
sheets of fire that flied the air aud lowered
mountain high, lighting mp the scene for
miles around, all formed scene never to be
forgottenff once witnessed.
The department. utterly paralyzed, turned
their attention to checking the spread OF the
flames toward the south-that were creeping
along the river hank-and were finally sue
cessful, aided by southerly wind. The school
house on the corner Of Second avenue and
Muuroe street, being isolated little from
other buildings, was saved though badly
scorched. Across the street the Merchants
hotel aud small dwelling with it. were with
almost hereulean effort also saved Tue
north side of the block bounded by River
street and the square was swept, but here the
limit was also reached and by the time the
department turned its attention to the yards
OF the Washburn Mil eompany's
saw mill, the wind, which was
mainly from the southeast, aided
in the matter and the northern limit
was made about ninety feet from the saw
mill.
Exhausted and overpoweted with their
heroic though almost futile struggle theAnoka
department hailed with JOY the arrival Of
Chief Engineer F. L. Sletson with steamer