New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-04-24

touched them, betraying the burning heat
within. The northwest corner Of tie wall
swayed moment, then it
FELL WITH LAUNDERING CRASH.
The falling wall released hundreds of tons
OF stores that rolled out in heap and filled
Sixtieth street. efectually blocking it. Two
engines had run the blockade of the awful
heat and got in on the railroad tracks. None
could now follow. For that matter they
would have been useless. Elevator GA" was
on ire and nothing could save it. The
huge building, 325 fees fong and over
l25 feet high, was ablaze from END
TO end, from the ground to the top
of its all mansard roof. It was a grand but
awful sight. The refinery and the Rossiter
stores, still burning tiercely. lost all interest
in this new aud wonderful sensation. Moth
Ing like had ever been seen here before The
heat was so fierce even az distance of two
hundred feet that it was thought proyident
to clear the stock yards altogether
The same precaution was taken with the
sheep house, long, three-story building
that presented its gable end to the burning
refinery. 1t would not have stood for an
half hour had not the wind blown from it.
Thus it was saved. At the first intimation
OF danger to tine elevator, policemen warned
the hose and nozzle men out of harms way.
They fled, leaving their apparatus, and none
too early. hundred casks OF ale that had been
rescued from an iron shed on the river be-
fore it went to the bottom with the pier it
stood upon in common wreck, were burned
where they lay. It was z o'clock when the
second elevator caught fire. AS the twilight
fell and the night came on tie leaping
flames reached up and upward into the sky
until they broke and fell, and burst high in
air again.
AN AWE-INsPIRING SCENE.
The scene had then, in the growing dark
ness, the lurid effects that made spectacle
of awful grandeur. The thousands of spec
tators were awed to silence There was So
lemnity about it. The second elevator was
entirely consumed, and at II o'clock, when
the fire was controlled, half mile OF ruins
sent out furnace heat. The elevator "a"
had scarcely 100000 bushels of grain,
chiefly oats, at an average of 40 cents
a bushel. The Two elevators, with a
capacity Of 100000 bushels had barely
100000 bushels in them, worth less than
100000 Elevator A was worth $780,
OOO 1t was built thirteen years ago. B was
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 in
the solid foundation, which may be
saved The New York Central
also owned the building in which
the fire broke out It was leased to Fair
banks a year ago. 1t was six stories high,
2OOx2OQ and was of brick A hundred
thousand dollars may cover the loss upon
that; what are the losses on Fairbanks and
Rossiter's stores ia coniectural. Putting the
formers loss at 100000. Rossiter & Co..
lose individually little or noJhing:
The merchants VINO used the store rooms
had goods there. chiefly flour, lard, straw
board and such, worth easily $25O,O 900. The
individuals insure their goods, and, at least,
this loss was covered; so it was said was
Fairbanks. The railroad loss is at least
$1,000, 900, also covered by insurance, it is
said. Another estimate of the loss in detail
is given below:
The Rosster stores contents. $780, 900: the
Wilcox company. stoc k S45OOOO; elevator A
$780, 900; elevator B, %ff5OOOO; dock D. con-
tents, S2OO, 900; dock A, S35, 900; the Wilcox
building $22O,OO Total, SIS, 355, 900.
The loss TO the property of the New York
Central company is covered by insurance in
the London and Liverpool and Globe COM
pany The Wilcox company's stock was in
sured for 100000