Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-11-29
Fredericksen & Co., Of Chicago, Cheat
their Patrons Out of About
q Million Dollars.
They Sold Land Which Did not Be-
long to Them, Took Mort
cages on the Land,
Then Sold the Mortgages to Capital
lists, Who Will Suffer as Well
as the Poor Settler.
A Terrible Confaagration.

LYNN, Mass, Nov. 28-Lynn, the city of
shoes, was visited this afternoon by the
greatest fire IN its history, and with two
exceptions the cOnfagration is the
most disastrous that has ever visited New
England. The exceptions are the great
Boston fire of 1870. which destroyed $780,
100000 worth Of property, and the Portland
fire of 1886, which caused loss of between
$10,000OOO and $12,OOOOOO. To-day's fire
started at l1:15 this morning and ragged
over eight hours, devastating over square
mile of tile business section of the city and
caused loss estimated at about 81 lO,OOO,OOO
In fact, the greater part of Ward 4 is wiped
out, as regards the important shoe manu-
featuring blocks and prominent places of
business. The fire started in Mowers
wooden building on Almont street. over
the boiler, and burned with such rapidity
that the fire department OF the city was
powerless to cope with it. This large
wooden building was soon doomed and
the flames leaped across the
narrow passage way and communi-
Gated with a six-story brick block known as
Mowers block, When the fire in these two
buildings got we'll under way it was evil
dent that q terrible conflagration would
result. Almost simultaneously the four
story wooden shoe factory of Bennett &
Barnard, on Central avenue and a four
story wooden building on Almont street
caught fire and after short time hnrri-
cane OF flames was in progress which
blanched the cheeks Of all spect .tors. For
eight hours the flames had full sway, the
efforts Of the firemen and citizens seem
ingly being of no avail, although, of course
theyidid valuable work. Aid arrived from
Boston, Salem, Marblehead and surround
ing towns, but their united efforts seemed
to have little effect on the flames. Scenes
repeated in all their horrors. Mothers
fleeing with babes in their arms, express
wagons loading at business and dwelling
houses and transferring goods to places of
safety, in many cases second removal being
necessary on account of the spreading
flames. After tho fire hadlbeen in progress
two hours everybody declared it would
not stop until it reached the ocean. So ii
looked and SO it proved to be the case.
-Four daily newspapers are burned out,
the Item, Bee. Press and News, three OF
which are issued in the afternoon and one
in the morning; three National banks, the
Central, Security and First National to-
gether with the Lynn institution for saw
ings, located in the First National block,
are all wiped out; twelve of the finest shoe
blocks in the city are in ruins, and also
twenty-five stores. At this writing it is
impossible to state how many dwelling
houses are burned. They were mostly &C
cupied by the poor class in the vicinity of
Beach street and the Wharves. It is i'm
possible to give any estimate of insurance
but conservative estimates place the loss
on property at $10,OOO.OO0 There were
many narrow escapes but no fatalities are
reported. a high brick fire wall ON B. F.
Spinney's block served as a barrier to fur
ther progress Of the flames up Union street
after that handsome structure
was gutted. The First Methodist
and First Universalist churches and sew
eral school houses have been thrown open
to accommodate the burned out families.
Mayor Newhall called special meeting of
the aldermen to take action and appoint
relief committees. S. N. Breed & Co., the
largest lumber dealers in Essex county,
lose everything, including their handsome
brick structure on the corner Of Beach and
Broad streets. They estimate their loss at
$200,OOO; insurance about $l25 600. They
will open for business In the morning,
Dynamite and powder were used at fro-
quent intervals to blow up wooden build
ings, but with little effect The fire finally
burned itself out and at 80 was cOnsid-
cred under control. Both companies OF
Massachusetts militia were called out and
put on patrol duty. Several Of the shoe
manufacturers burned out have country
factlries and will continue their business
for the present, 5';f iS