St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-20

the yard. There was no way flre en- |
gine to reach the elevators, except |
along SiXtieth street, past the burning |
building and that was then almost i'm
paSSable, and soon was blocked entirely.
Oh ief Shay saw it and led his men to a
fight for very life to save the elevators.
He knew that even if they did get their
fire engines into the railroad grounds,
they would be of little use, for there
was only small siX-inch water pipe
there, and that was pitiably insufficient.
He telegraphed for the fire boats, for the
charity commissioners two boats and
for the police boat patrol. The patrol
was, as usual, laid up because out
of repairs, but the others responded.
They came down with four or five tugs
belonging to the railroad company, and
put their pumps at work to throw water
on the threatened buildings. Soon
every hose was playing from some win
dow in the roof, the pumping works i'll
the engine house were working to their
utmost and a select company of tiremen
directed operations.
IT WAS ALL IN VAIN.
The tremendous heat from the fire
across the street dried and warped the
woodwork of the big frame building.
Though it was sheatned with CORFU
gated iron and protected by slate, it
SllIlNCltu up llhc 1cdNCS. Illt
states fell from its sides in red-hot
rain, thin blue film of smoke rose
from its roof and sides, then a tiny
wreath of something darker curled from
one of the dormer windows, dull red
light showed behind it. A shout went
up, There she goes" and then came
burst from half dozen windows at
once and the building was on fire. The
covering of slate and iron rolled off in
great cracking cruStS, the flames shot
upward for hundreds of feet, and burn
ing pieces of material slid and flew in
all directions with vicious force. And,
as the flames leaped and roared to
heaven. a flock of pigeons darted from
the caves of the adjoining windows of
the other elevator, and, as if fascinated
by the flames. darted into the great
glowing sea of fire. And hundreds who
viewed the loss of millions in property
only as spectacle, said pitying words
as the little birds were Tapped in flames.
The Rossiter stores still stood dark and
with closed iron shutters. But the
water thrown by the firemen siZzled
| and boiled when it touched them, be-
traying the burning heat within. The
| northwest corner Of the wall SWayed a
moment, then it fell with laundering
crash. The falling wall released hun
| dreds Of tons of stores that rolled out in
| heap and filed SiXtieth street. effect
lively blocking it. Two engines had run
| the blockade of the awful heat and got
III on the railroad tracks. None could
now follow. For that matter, they
would have been useless. Elevator a
was on fire and
| NOTHING COULD SAVE IT.
The huge building, 325 feet long and
over 125 feet high, was ablaZe from end
| IN hn 10 l,n +A, Of
its tall manSard roof. 1t was grand
but awful sight. The refinery and the
RoSsiter stores, still burning fiercely,
lost all interest in this new and wonder
| full sensation. Nothing like it had ever
been seen here before. The heat was
so fierce even at distance of 200 feet
that it was thought provident to clear
the stock yards altogether. The
same precaution was taken with
the sheep house, a long build
ing of three stories that presented
finery. 1t would not have stood for
half an hour had not the wind blown
from it. Thus it was saved. AT the
first intimatiOn of danger to the ele-
vatOr policemen had warned the hose
and nozzle men out of harms way.
They fed, leaving their apparatus, and
none too early. A hundred casks of ale
that had been rescued from an iron
shed on the river before it went to the
bottom, with the pier it stood upon in a
common wreck, were burned where
they lay. No one cared. Nc
one any longer cared for any
alizatiOn had seized upon everybody
near the fire. There was nothing to be
done. The firemen themselves were
poWerleSs, but streams from the fire
boats and two engines were being
thrown against the threatened elevator
now no longer .'A'' but "B," the next
big building in line-but were useless.
1t was o'clock when the second eleva-
tor caught fire. and as the twilight fell
and the night came on, the leaping
flames reached up and upward into the
sky until they broke and fell, and burst
high in air again. The scene had then
i'll the growing darkness the lurid
effects that made spectacle of awful
granduer. The thousands of spectators
were awed to silence. There was
solemnitY about it.
THE LOSSES.
| The second elevator was entirely con,
Sumed and at IL o'clock when the fire
was controlled. half-mile of ruin sent
out furnace heat. The elevator "a
had scarcely 100000 bushels of grain
| NlllOIig OdlS- WI III dl dll NCl dSG ~ Ctnls
bushel. The two elevators with &
capacity of 100000 bushels. had barely
10000 bushels i'll them. worth less thar
100000. Elevator "A" was worth $3.50.
900. 1t was built thirteen years ago
and ''B'' was worth 100000. They
were of brick to the third story. "B'
was built three years after "a" a
large part of the expense was ir
the solid foundation which may
be saved. The New York Central
also owned the building in which
the fire broke out. 1t was leased tC
Fairbanks year ago. 1t was six storie;
high, 200X200 and was of brick. A hnn-
dred thousand dollars may cover the
loss upon that; what are the losses OF
Fairbanks and Rossiter stores is con
lectural. Putting the formers loss a
100000, Rossiter & Co. lose individually
little or nothing. The merchants who
used the store rooms had goods there
chiefly flour, lard, strawboardEand such
worth easily S250,00 The individual:
insure their goods, and at least this los:
was covered. So, it was said. was Fair
banks. The railroad loss is at leas
S1,300,000, also covered by insurance, i
is said. Another estimate OF the loss il
detail is given below:
The Rossiter stores, contents. 5000, OOt
The Wilcox company, stock....... 100000
| Elevator ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. a sou. 90;
| Elevator b.-...-.... ............... I0O,UU'
Dock d, contents.......... .-...... 200, O0t
The TbeN " icox briijing o9900t
Total s.. 855, ,ool
| F1rnnnrtU