The Osceola times., 1885-05-16
FIERCE FlAM ES.

Forty-flve Million Feet of Lumber In On.
be Bonfire at Chicago-i Desperai.
Fight by the Fire Department-Losse,
Nearly 81 100000.
CHICAGO, ILL, May 9.-For more than
eight hours yesterday the entire Fire De.
partment of Chicago, two hundred of hel
police and thousand of her citize ms
fought and struggled with one of the
most stubborn connagrations which the
city has seen since the memorable fire of
1871. The scene was the immense
lumber district which outlies the south
western outskirts six miles from the City
Hall and less than a mile from the Stock
yards. Here, lying on either side of the
Chicago River, is, or rather was, a vast
field OF pine lumber, skirting the river
fronts, extending back for several blocks,
piled in stacks from forty to fifty fee t
high, and averaging forty thousand feet
to the stack.
At talf past twelve O'Clock workman
rushed into the Offices of the Chicago
Lumber Company on the west side of the
river, and announced between his gasps
for breath, that there was fire in alley
twenty-eight. An alarm was at once
sounded, but ten minutes later, when the
first engines arrived on the spot, a half
million feet of lumber was in flames. A
second and third alarm was
sounded, and the entire force
OF the street-cleaning department was or.
dered to the scene, but the infiammable
naiRes oeSdRa cUftaaGisl bad. .nIaced the
worse, scow which had been moored in
the river took fire, broke her fastenings,
was swept across the stream, and CON-
muncated the flames TO. the extensive
yards of G. W. Iinckley & Co., Bigelow
Bros, and Adams, Hastings & Co.
Twenty steamers stationed, one behind
the other, on either bank poured CO.
pious streams OF water upon the blaZ-
ing Lumber, but the water was 30 impreg-
mated with grease, and oil from the fac
tories above that 1t fed, rather than
quenched the flames. The wind was
blowing a hurricane, the heat was terri.
BILE, and the immense volumes Of black
smoke blinded and suffocated the fire.
men aud retarded their efforts.
The fire continued to spread in q
southerly direction, until it had covered
a district OF a half moon shape about hall
a mile from one end TO the other and a
quarter of mile deep at the center. All
this territory was ablaZe, and as one pile
after another collapsed and those in the
rear took fire, throwing tongues of fame
high in the air, the scene resembled a
vomiting volcano with vast landscape
of fire stretched out beneath.
The fremen, headed for time by
Mayor Harrison, worked with might and
main, but they were driven back, yard by
| yard, and In many cases SO rapidly had
the retreat to be made that engines and
hose were left behind.
Huge pieces of burning lumber were
carried by the wind a distance OF half a
mile TO Ialstead street, and lodged on
the roofs OF several frame houses, all OF
which were gutted. Scores of families,
some mile distant, removed their house
hold goods to the prairie, while many
| buried their valuables In the ground.
At nine O'Clock last night the fire was
| reported as under control. Several fire.
men were prostrated by heat or injured
| by falling lumber.
| partial list of the sufferers with loss
es estimated, rs as follows:
Chicago Lumber Company, 26,000,000
feet, si5o,000 TO $500, ,000 insurance,
| 100000.
BgcIow Bros, 10, 10000 feet, $780,
| 600; insurance, Sl25,000.
Adams Hastings & Co., 5000, 600 feet,
500, 600; insurance 100000.
G. w Uincklev Co Dlanino mill and
| lumber s26, 900; insurance $4,000.
Five dwelling houses $4,000; Insured
Other estimates placed the total loss as
| 81 800, 900. 1t is noteworthy that this is
the first occasion upon which the entire
fire department has been called out since
1874.