The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-09
ALL FROM A SPARK.
Forty-five Million Feet of
Lumber Burned.
THE NEW RAILROAD TROUBLES
The Confederates and Cleveland
A Perjured Juror-Endorsing
the President.
Big Fire in South Chicago.

CHICAGO, May S-Shortly after noon,
to-day. a spark from a passing locomo-
tive engine set a fire in the heart of the
great pine lumber yard district, which
lies along both sides of the south branch
of Chicago, and near the southwestern
city limits. Bordering upon this dis
trict are wooden built portion of the
city, known as Bridgeport, and the
Union stock yards, with its acres of
wooden sheds and pens, filled with cat
tie, hogs and sheep. A fierce wind was
blowing from the west and the flames
spread with great rapidity. The entire
fire department was called out and be-
gan fighting the flames, but the twenty
or thirty streams of wafer which were
thrown upon them had little or
no effect, as far as staying their
progress was concerned The dry pine
boards and shingles were piled to a
great height, only narrow lanes between
being left for wagons to pass through.
The narrow interstices between the
boards furnished unusual facilities for
the progress of the flames, while they
broke the force of the streams of water
and prevented it from penetrating to
the blazing pine in the centre of the
piles. The news of the fire spread rap
idly to the business centre of the city
and created much alarm, lest the fire
should assume proportions approaching
those of the great conhagration of 1871,
which came from the same direction.
Great brands were carried forward by
the wind, setting fire the new piles, and
several fire steamers and to men man
ming them had narrow escapes
from destruction. Starting up
on the. west side of the river, the
flames ate up all the lumber between
Thirty-ffth and Thirty streets,
an area of about 400 by 1000 feet. 1t
bset- fire to q canal boat moored at the
dock and it hoated across the river
which Is 1S0 feet wide at this point, and
set fire to the lumber on the east bank,
which covered about an equal area. and
this, with one or two planning mills, was
consumed. Brands were carried east
ward and set fire to several small frame
houses occupied by employees in the
lumber district. The fire department,
however, made a stand at this point
and succeeded in preventing the spread
of the flames into the residence district.
The fight continued throughout the af-
| ternoon, and it was nearly o'clock
before the conflagration was
brought under control, having
practically burned itself into
the limits of the immediate district In
which it began. A heavy rain during
most of the afternoon was of material
assistance The entire area burned is
S7O by 1890 feet. The aggregate of lum-
Der destroyed was 100000 feet, val
ued at 100000.
The individual losses and insurance
are as follows: Chicago Lumber Com
pany, %, 100000 feet of lumber, valued
at $500 900; insurance, $500, 900: Bigelow
Bros, 10, 600, 900 feet of lumber, valued
at $175, 900; insurance, $125, 900; Adams,
Hastings & Co., 5000, 900 feet of lumber,
valued at $4,000; insurance, 100000
]. w. Hinckley, planning mill, loss $685.
coo; insurance $4,000; five cottages, OF
an aggregate loss of about SIC, 1000; in
surance about s., 200.