St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-08
GONE UP IN SMOKE.
The Fire Fiend Takes Possession
Of Ten Acres Of Cleve-
land, 0.
Property to the Value of Two Millions
of Dollars Destroyed.
The Cause shrouded in Mystery, But as Usual
Said to be Incendiarism.

grafton is raging on the flats. The entire
fire department is in service, and kilograms
were rent to Akron, Youngstown, Paines-
vile, Erie, Sandusky and Toledo for assist
ance. The origin of the fire is unknown.
Incendiarism is expected by some, but the
most probable theory is that sparks from
tug set fire early in the evening to pile of
shavings, from which the flames spread I'M
til Woods Perry q Co.'S. extensive lumber
yard was ablaze. The fire continued to ex-
tend, defying all efforts of the flremen. The
lnmber yards of Potter, Birdsall 81 Co., aud
G. G.. King 81 Co. were also consumed,
and the Variety Iron works were des-
troyed. SANKEY'S candle factory
was burned, and a part of
Sherwin ,Arlliams & Co.'S. varnish works, and
at 10 O'Clock the confagration threatens to
become still more extensive. About ten
acres Of lumber and frame buildings were
aflame at one time, and huge clouds of
smoke, thickly studded with blazing cinders,
were blown by the changing wind for miles,
causing intense excitement, lest the myriads
OF sparks should kindle fires in every direc-
ton, and perhaps lay waste large part of
the city.
An alarm was turned in at 80 o'clock by
the night watchman, Joe Simmons, and his
story throws no light on the cause OF the fire.
Said he. Il had just completed my rounds
and arrived at the mill. l went, as usual, all
over the ground, on both sides of Carter street,
and along the river, and made sure there
was no fire or anything else wrong in the
yard. l went through the mill, and after
that was going to set down outside the door
when l saw a bright flame shoot up in the
air right in the middle of the lumber piles
between our yard and Mr.. Kings. II was
in our No 1 alley, and the momentI opened
the door 1 ran for box Ii, under the New
York, Pennsylvania & Ohio bridge, on Car
ter street. Then l came back and the en-
gines were here in few minutes
At 80 fire was confined to an area of 200
feet square, and in the midst of this the
flames were savagely burning and sending
out q myriad of sparks and light pine
torches. Slowly the fire gained on the fire
men, the sparks being carried over their
heads by the wind, which had began to rise.
It would set fire to a small spot in the center
of pile of lumber, and because of its height
and the fierceness of the flames, nothing
could be done until the flames reached the
end OF the pile, when a stream would be di-
reoted that way. The lanes or alleys were
so narrow that it was impossible to
getta stream to play on any but the edges of
the different sections of the lumber. The
spot where the fire started was built up of
green lumber, and put in from Michigan
pine woods, and thought 1t would not be ex-
pected to burn well, the heat was so intense
that the element continued beyond the
power of the department to control.
By S O'Clock it was in alleys three and
four, and as the area of burning wood be-
came larger the men were forced to spread
out and had less effect over the work that
could be done. At this time some of the
firemen were in the alleys completely sur
rounded by fire, and to keep from burning
the stream of water was directed against
them. Nearly every man was thus wet down,
and only thus could they secure comfort.
At 8 80 O'Clock Carter street became i'm
passable. The heat prevented any one from
going by the building, and only in some
places could the firemen stand. The owners
of the Variety Iron works had been on the
roof of their large brick building for half an
hour past, throwing water and guarding it
in the hope that the fire might be kept within
bounds and they escape without loss. They
succeeded in putting out the flames in sew
eral places, which had caught from
sparks. Until the region of their building
became red hot they were successful, but at
s O'Clock the lumber in the yards of G. G..
King caught from the east end of Woods,
Perry 81 Co.'S. yard, and soon the 1000, 600
feet in that yard was in a blaze. The heat
along the side of the central way soon be-
came too intense for comfort, and despite
the brisk west wind which had sprung up
the flames crept up in the south
erly direction and very quickly
reached the street The Variety Iron
works now caught on the roof, and these
flames were subdued after a short fight At
the same time the wooden building, good
sized shed belonging to Wood, Perry & Co.,
west of this, had also caught on the front
side, from the heat of the burning lumber
just opposite, and attention was directed to
that. Then the firemen were called back to
the Iron works building, and at o'clock
both of these buildings were burning
and the fire was under such
Roadway that the engines which could be kept
in the streets we're unable to cope with it.
Much cause of delay was found in the water
1t was dirty and the engines would get
I
which had been throwing a stream on the
southwest side of the yard, near the railroad,
was forced to suspend work for repairs.
AT O'Clock the shops and buildings from
Scranton avenue to the Wood, Perry g. Co.
planning MILL on Carter street, was on fire,
aud it looked as though nothing could save
them. The tiny spark was famed in
minute into leaping flame and undid years
of toll, care and capital judiciously applied.
The fire started in the midst of the lumber,
and on all sides there was plenty of the same
dry fuel. The center of the flames,
| boiling like witches cauldron,
leaped yards through the air
and clasping in eager arms every
! thing that came in their reach, shouted,
Kissed and reVeled while high piles of lum-
Der, strong houses and thick walls of brick
were crushed and crumbled into ashes. The
flames shot hundred feet into the air. and
myriads of sparks as large as bushel basket
lowered and fioated amid the glare and
smoke. The awful glare penetrated to the
furthermost parts of the city and
the community turned out almost
en- masse to witness the awful
spectacle. They collected on housetops,
clogged the thoroughfares leading to the
flats, and covered the brows of the hills like
swarming bees. In the very heart of the
connagration were the men whose property
was burning up, the toiling iremen, police
men and large crowd of adventurous loaf
ers. All but the latter fought the fire with
courage and determination, but the immense
furnace roared and Missed complacentyl,
hooking them, and reached out gradually and
surely sucking into its vertex everything
possible to reach. The sparks pulled up like
chat from a tanning machine, and fell like
a shower of rain Some were not SHARKS