Omaha daily bee., 1884-09-08
The Forest City" Visited By a Ter.
TiblG CONFIRMATION.
The FLATS" Swept with Destruc-
tive Flames,
Sending Up Spark spangled Col
umns of Smoke.
The Fire at One Time Beyond
Control.
The Aggregate Loss Estimated
at So, 5000, 900,
ing Cities and Tcrribie Struggl.
ing with the Flames-bast
,uuIseports Favorable.

CLEVELAND, o., September "A great
contlagration is raging in the flats. The fire
department is in service and kilograms have
been sent to Akron, Youngstown, Paines.
Vile, Sandusky and Toledo for assistance.
The origin of the fire is unknown. lncendiar.
SIN is suspected by some but the most prob.
able theory is that sparks from a tug set a fire
early in the evening to a pile of shavings from
which flames spread until Woods, Perry X
Co.'S extensive lumber yard was in u
tend, defying all the efforts of
the tiremen. The lumber yards of Potter, Bird
Il Co., and c.. G.. King & Co., were also con
sumed. The Variety iron works are destroy.
ed. Stanley's candle factory is burned, and
Sherwin, Williams & Cos varnish works. Now
come more extensive. About ten acres of
lumber and frame buildings Were in flames Mt
one time, and
HUGE LIQUIDS or SMOKE
studded with blazing cindeIs were blown by
the changing wind for IN les, causing intense
excitement least the myriads of sparks should
kindle fires in every direction, and and per-
haps Law waste a large part of the city.
At 1880 the fire was confined to an area of
two hundred square feet, aud in the midst of
this the flames were savagely burning and
sending cut
MYRIADs OF SPARKS
and light pine torches. Slowly the fire gained
on the tiremen; sparks carried over their heads
by the wind, which had begun to rise, would
set fire to n small spot in the center of "A pile
of lumber, and because of its height and the
tierceness of the tlam es; nothing could be done
until the flames reached the end of the pile,
when a stream would be directed that way.
Lanes or alleys were so narrow that it was
impossible to get a stream to play on any bnt
the edges of the different sections of the lum.
Der. The spot
WHERE THE FIRE STARTED WAS ~:
built up of green lumber and put in from the
Michigan pine woods and though it would
not be expected to burn well the heat was 30
intense that the element continued beyond
the power of the fire department to control.
by s o'clock it was in alleys Nos. 3
and 4 and the men were forced to spread out
and less effective work could be done. At this
time some of the fireman were in the alleys
almost completely s...=.",a
SURROUNDED by FIRE.
and tokeep them from burning n stream of wat.
er was directed against them. Nearly every
man was thus wet down and only thus could
they secure comfort. At $3.50 o'clock Carter
street became impossible. The heat pre-
vented any one from going by the building,
and only in some places could the fremen
stand. AT nine o'clock the fire was under
such Roadway that the engines which could
be kept in the street were unable to cope
with it. Much cause of delay was found in
the water. lt was dirty, and the
ENGINES WOULD GET CLoGGED.
In this manner one of the engines which had
been throwing n stream on the southeast side
of the yard, near the railroad, was forced to
suspend work for a time, for repairs.
Several shops and building on Scranton
avenue to Woods, Perry & Co.'S. planing mill,
on Carter street, were on fire and it looked as
though nothing could save them, Huge piles
of lumber, strong houses, and thick walls of
brick were crushed and
CRUMBLED NTO ASHES.
The flames shot hundreds of feet into the
air and myriads of sparks as large as Il bushcl
basket lowered and fioated amid the glare and
smoke, seeming to be amid stars. The awful
glare penetrated to the Furthermore part of the
city, and the community turned out
en- masse to witness the awful spec.
tacle. They collected on the house tops
choked all thoroughfares leading to the flats
and covered the brow of the hills like swan.
ing bees. In the very heart of the contlagra.
ton were the men whose property was burr.
ing up, the tOiling ti'emen, the policemen
and a large number Of adventurous loafeIs.
| All but the latter fought the fire with courage
and determination but
THE IMMENSE FURNACE
rOareA and Missed Complacently, hooking
JlI'liI bbi i'abllii 'ib bihIuAhl ~ nhIoi1'
sucking into its vortex everything possible
to reach. The sparks pulled up like chaiI
from n tanning machine, and fell like ashowtr
of rain-sOmc were not sparks but great
brands, the terrible heat bearing them slowly
up like balloons and the wind carrying them
miles away.
When the fire was approaching the Occu-
pants of Potter, Birdsall IL Co. Il office, it was
decided to move out. John Mcbride and
wife lived in the upper rooms and Mr.. Nc.
Bride has been so i'll that he was
UNABLE TO MOVE.
The police officers and other willing lands
carried MIR. McBride outside, and he was re-
moved across the railroad track to
a place of safety. WAGONS were
brought up and tho household goods
+ ken to a friends house near by.
The large safe in Woods, Perry q Co.'S, office
was rolled out by the combined strength OF
twenty men with heavy crowbars, and that
heavy piece of furniture was soon rolled up the
Sidewalk to the bridge. The office of the
Cleveland board of lumber dealers, between
Woods, Perry Il Co., and Potter x Birdsell'
was likewise cleaned out, and by the time the
fam 4 reached the three Offices there wa'
nothing Of value in them to bum, and the
structures themselves were reduced to ashes il
an Incredibly short space Of time.
II LOSS
is estimated at from 50, 200, 900 to 81, 800, 900
II is impossible TO give the individual hgurcl
tonight. Woods Perry IL Go. had no insur
ancc; their policies lately ran out. The los
= on ~Stanley's candle factory IL about So 900
. Potter Birdsall x Co.'S lumber yard is gone
/ Wit "a loss OF $780, 600. Howell coal coLnpa
/ ny sheds burned; loss not given. About fit.
freight cars belonging to different road
which were standing in Woods, Perry IL Coz
yard, we're burned. Eynon d Sons machine
shop was destroyed, loss three Thousand. Tn
New York, Pennsylvania ohio freight house
were saved. The lire extended along tho IiyC
from Scranton avenue to the Bee line track
Z and back TO the bonded ware houses. Every
thing within that districi was consumed. a
one o'clock IL has crossed the Bee line tract
. and is eating up the lumber yard
= OF Hubbell q WestOyer and Caywood 4
Hutchins.
AT ONE O'clock
the fire was practically under control. TIL
relief engines arrived from Akron and Fri
, and others are expected. The entire militi
= Of the city is ordered to be in readiness
y necessary to do police duty, but it has no
yet been ordered out. No serious ace
dents are yet reported. Wood, Perry
Co.'S loss is a quarter Of a million; House
= Dayidson's loss, fifty thousand, both the
lplaling mills being destroyed. Hubbell
!. W estn yer's lumber yard is going, loss fort
thousand. King q Co. lumber yard is d'
IstIoyed, loss one hundred thousand. The VI
- -.-.- - .--l4 1... a-k unconstitutional Lob