The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-04-26
PURSUED CLOSE BY FLAMES,

men flung themselves out by scores head
long and behind them burst out the flames
How many We're there no one could tell.
Those who came out were picked up and
carried away by their friends Crying wives
and mothers crowded the police lines shout
ing for their husbands and sons or begging
for news of them. The Fair
banks retiner the old establishment
of the +. ]. Wilcox company, stands upon
the water front between Fifty-Einth and Six
ttc,h streets, occupying half of building
2OOx2O0 feet, that filled out the block. The
refinery was in tho south half, the Rossitc:
stores for general merchandise on the MOI tn
aide. A strong brick wall divided the build
ing in the middle. Upon this brick wall,
during half-hour of desperate effort,
tho frcnen based their hope Of sue
cessful combat The flames beat against it,,
heated 1t red hot; other brick walls und the
roof fell in upon it, but it stood like n rock
Anything save such n fire it would have re-
siHted but flames fed by melted and flowing
lard Gurn ficrcciy, and leap high: They
leaped above and around the sturdy barrier,
and reached across SXticth street aud the
dock slip. Over rthcre stood the fist and the
biggest of tho
of the New York Central railroad. 1t was
Elevator A, the construction OF which cost
TjO0.OOO 1t stood presenting its gable end
to tire flames that were blown toward it
Once that caught ire there would be no saw
ing Elvator B, 500 feet further UP the river,
and no telling where the fire
would stop, for beyond were freight
sheds innumerabic Between the clc-
IT,
avenue were first twenty seven railroad
tracks. which no fire engine could cross, and
next, the Union stock yards, u halt-milo OF
broad enclosure and pens. equally impass-
abe. Even if u way could have been hewn
through the enclosures and tle tracks tho
line of deinarcation between the two was
u stone wall with a sudden descent of
five feet The tracks were that much lower
than the yard. There was no way for fire
engine to reach the elevators. except along
Sixtietn street, past The burning building,
and that was then almost impossible, and
soon was blocked entirely. Chief Shay saw
it aud led his men to fight for very life to
save the elevators He knew that even IL
they did get their fire engines into the rail-
road grounds they would lie Of lutte use, for
there was only small six-inch water pipe
there, and that was pitiably insufficient He
TELEGRApnED FOR THE FIRE BOATS,
for the charity commissioner Two boats,
aud for the police boa. patrol The patrol
was. as usual, laid up because out OF repair,
but the others responded They came down
with four or five tugs belonging to the rail-
road company, and put their pumps at work
to throw water on the threatened Buildings
Soon every hose was playing from
some window i'll the roof, the pump
ing works in the engine house
were working to their utmost and select
company of tremen directed operations 1t
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 sheathed with corrugated
iron and protected by slate. it shrvellcd up
like withercd leaves, the slate fell from its
sides in a red-hot rain, thin blue film of
smoke rose from its roof and sides, then
tiny wreath of sonncth hing darker curIed from
one of the dormer windows, a dull red light
showed behind it. A shout went up, sThere
she goes" and then came burst from half
dozen windows at once, and the building
was on fire The covering of state and iron
rolled off in great cracking erYsts. the
flames shot upward for hundreds sof feet,
and burning pieces of material slid and flew
in oll directions with vicious force. The
Rossiter stores still stood dark and with
closed iron shutters But the water thrown
by tho firemen sizzed and boiled when it
touched them, betraylng the burning heat
within. The northwest corner of tho wall
swayed moment, then it
FELL WITH A THUSDERING CRASH
The falling wall released hundreds Of tons
of stores that rolled out in a neap and filed
sixtieth street. effectually blocking it. Two
engines had run the blockade of the awful
he ut and got in on the railroad tracks. None
could now follow. For that matter they
would have been useless. Elevator "A" was
on lire and nothing could save it, The
hug. building. 325 fees fong and over
l25 feet high. was abluze from end
to end. from the ground to the top
of its tall munsard roof. 1t was grand but
awful sight The refinery and the Iossiter
s'ores still burning tiercely. lost all interest
in this new and wonderful sensation. Moth
Ing like had ever been seen here ietorc. The
heat was so fierce even at IL distance of two
hundred feet that it was thought proyidcnt
To clear the stock yards altogether.
J hc same precaution was taken with the
sheep house, u long, three-st0ry building
that presented its gable end to the burning
refinery. 1t would not have stood for an
laif hour had not the wind blown from 1t.
Thus it was saved. At the first iutimation
Of danger to tnceIevator, policemen warned
the hose and nozzle men out of harms way.
They fled leaving their apparatus, and none
too early, A hundred casks of ale that had been