Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-05-15

A Chicago dispatch of the Sth SAYS:
Seventy families were rendered home
less by a fire which swept the suburban
village of Moreland this afternoon. The
fire started in the Presbyterian Church,
and burned altogether thirty-eight
buildings.
Included in the buildings DESTROYED
are many of the village stores. 1t is es-
timated that the ruins cover twenty
five acres of ground. The burned dis
trlct is that portion of the vii
a g lying east of Forty-eighth
Street, recently annexed to Chicago.
The Presbyterian Church, which first
burned, stood on the corner of Park
Avenue and F~orty-seventh Street. It
was a frame building and made a tre-
menduous blaze, and the sparks were
thrown long distances by the strong
southwest wind. The first building
ignited by these sparks was the frame
residence occupied by the village post
master, Peter Hughes, and located atthe
southeast corner of Forty-eighth and
Lake Streets. From this point the fire
spread in both directions, crossing the
street and burning the two village halls.
and destroying all east on Lake Street
as far as the dwellings and stores ex-
tended Ia an unbroken line in that
direction. The fire also burned south
from the Hughes residence, destroying
in succession a long row of pretty frame
houses owned by L. Arnold.
A strong wind and the lack of water
and fire extlnguishing apparatus are
mainly responsible for the catastrophe.
The families burned out were mostly in
poor circumstances. Many will be
fOrand RI @-% eli -.-1L - Al
prairie guarding the property which
they had saved.
The citizens were powerless to check
the flames. They stood back. awe
stricken at the terrible sight. There
was no water and no engine to throw it
had there been n.y.. All the panic
stricken people could do was to stand
and look at the flames as they rapidly
spread from building to building, lick
ing at the frame structures as though
they were SO many boxes of kindling-
wood saturated with kerosene oil.
1t was an awful sight. Women rushed
madly through the streets hugging
close to their breasts their crying babes.
Others followed carrying in each hand
and by the armful pieces of furniture.
bedding and the like. In less than half
an hour after the fire started it was ap-
parent to all that a gOodly portion of the
town would be burned down. The men
set about moving the furniture and
other household goods. Every street
for half q mile square was strewn with
everything movable.
From the church the flames spread
to and soon destroyed three cottages
occupied by the families of Mr.. Hudson,
Mr.. Miller and Mr.. Rogers, and valued
at 81 800 each. Ex-Oficer Peter Hughes
%r0o%orx~ ,-o11i~~ -~I Io-- ~-1--I -
$1,000, were laid in ashes ten minutes
later. By this time the flames had
spread one block north, and soon ig-
nited ]. r. Davis big three-story frame
building. The first floor was used as a
warehouse, in which was stored about
$1,000 worth of machinery. The
second story was divided into
flats. all of which were occupied, while
the third story was used by the various
lodges, including the Knights of Pyth-
las, Knights and Ladies of Honor, Sons
OF St. George and kindred societies and
orders. All that is left of this is a huge
pile of ashes. Charles Sorrenson's two
story feed and coal house was ext to go.
Then the flames seemed to become
fercer and hotter, and rapidly
spread to James Arnold's row of
ten handsome cottages, all of
which were swept away. They
were worth ST, 500 each. James Hughes
feed store suffered the same fate, and
James Hickey's elegant, two-story
building, valued at $500. also fell .
prep to the devastating flames. Swart-
yes & Williams hardware store, valued
at 81, O0O, was then destroyed. Fisher
Brothers and NJ. A. Fair stood and
watched their dwellings burn to the
ground, thus completing the confag-
ro&io, m tho south ciIo or<ho ~.z.1
track.
But the flames were not satisfied. So
far the devastation had been complete.
Every house for two blocks had been
swept away, contents and all. Then as
sisted by the southwest gale the flames
seemed TO leap across the railroad res
ervation and reached the row of frame
cottages facing the depot on Kinzie
Street. Three handsome little dwellings
were destroyed. This was at the south
west corner of West Forty-seventh and
Kinzie Streets. By this time the
Chicago fire department had been
notified and on the first call four en-
gires and two trucks were sent to the
scene. Before they arrived another
alarm was turned in and that sent out
trucks, and a special call for two more
engines and a truck followed. It was
a fearful ride for the fremen and
q hard run for the horses. The
mercury stood at about IS in the
shade. The horses were white with
foam and one of them dropped dead
within sight of the unquenched flames.
When the engines did arrive there
wasn't a drop Of water within a mile of
the fire. The nearest point was the
North Western Railway shops. AS
quickly as it could be done a line of
hose was run to the shops, and in the
course of time a stream was be-
ing thrown on the houses
on West Indiana Street west
of Forty-seventh Street, half q mile
from where the fire originated in the
church. The fremen were at work,
however. With pick and axe they
were checking the flames as best they
could. But the fire had already burned
down twenty-eight houses on the north
side of the railroad track. Most of
these were occupied by thrifty work
men of the Northwestern shops, and
ranged in value from $500 to 81, 500, with
a very small insurance. The greater
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