Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-12-13
FIERCE FIRE IN RAW
FIVE MILLION no,r.,.
ERTY SWEPT AWAY

broke out about 500 O'Clock n
day morning in the six-storr
lite building owned by Jordan N
q Go. and occupied by Brown, Dnrr,
Co., dealers in dry goods, on na'
street, corner of Kingston. The t,,..
was Immediately followed by t =, al
general alarm in Boston since lS7s =,
days conflagration ragged for civ
burned over two acres Of ter,,torH -. uo
by magnificent structures, and ent .v
loss now estimated at $1,000, 600
So far as known no fatalities
but several persons were serious J.eaf
ed Among them are: '''s ~
MICHAEL ATKINSON, po,ico,..
crushed by falling granite '''''
JOHN HALEY. hoseman, lacer,t.dh
glass. ''u pS
THOMAS F. ou1c1Ey, inhaled
burned, No 1at
DISTRICT ENGINEER BARTLETT ,,rh,
der dislocatcd. sh' shl
EDWARD FRoHAN, fireman, hand nom,
off. ncafly|
J. DAcy. fireman. leg crushed
FIREMAN RUSSELL of engine ), To-, h,,,.
The burned district begins At co,,
street on the east and extends +a,o 'p
westward along Bedford street to w.
cey street en- tho west. On tho sou.,,
of BEDFORD street the fire co,,s,,, a.n
entire block bounded by Bedford r.;
ton, Essex and Columbia streets. 80 =, ~
of this the cntirc block bounded br J
ford, Kingston and Chaunccy stroets
Rowe place, and westward Of ,S;,
buildings on Chauncey street from Ra '
to Exeter place. II also badly damn
the building OH tho southeast corna]
Bedford and Columbia streets nv
north side of Bedford it consu,,oa
buildings on both the northeast md ~,
west corners of Bedford and KIM
streets and damaged the block nj tha
ner of Bedford and Chauncey streets
The territory founded by KinysI
Bedford. and Channcey streets xns
principal theatcr of destruction j
the contlagration lcveled eyervta;l
Within IN hour after the first ali
sounded tho whole structure oe prol
Durrell & Co.'S building collapsed will
tremendous crash. Tho flames was II
ing from doors and windows and
interior of the block was GLOWING
mace. Dry goods and other combu,tl
materials with which tho floors \
packed burned to a white heat Gra
crumbled, and iron Orders melted al
like ice. The streams from the ono
were dissipated in vapor MI
they touched tho fro. Suddenly tba
arose: ''The walls are falling. h
Bacls!'' The crowd surged back for 4
very lives, startled by the shout !
men dropped their nozzles and ran TO
the apparatus. Great gaps opened in !
walls, and bricks from cornices drop
into the street with an ominous cri
There was confused and deafening 4
and a dense cloud of smoke and !
mounted heavenward. When it clea
away the luxurious palace of trade
vanished, only fantastic heap Of BIZ
shattered stone. twisted iron beams,
broken columns marking the site.
Two engines which had been static
at Chauncey and Bedford streets
stood upright amid the wreck, but rui
beyond repair. The boiler OF No. 90
burst as monstrous stone fell dire !
upon it, flattening it out like mas
tin. The machinery was broken |
bent and the wheels and woodwork "
burned entirely away. The ladder TT
was charred and splintered into th4
and fragments and the water tower
smashed into an indistinguishahle wrd
Viewed from this point of vantage
scene was one Of thrilling grandeur.
rectly opposite the towering Ames lid
occupied by Taylor Bros, was ablaze Il
roof to basement. From this building
fire was steadily eating its way throug|
Chauncey street. despite the thousands
gallons of water thrown upon it.
The immense stone and iron block
cupied by Samuel Williams and Brig,
& Co., on the corner of Chauncey ST
and Rowe Court, marked the farthest
gress of the fire in that direction
though apparently fire proof it was
tirely Quilted. On the corner of CLauI1
and Bedford streets tho large block q
pied by Smith, Hogg & Gardner and
ers was in almost rs had a plight, and
buildings between these two were utt
destroyed. The leaping flames succeed
in crossing Chauncey street to the uH
stories of the huge Allen block, largely
cupied by Farley. Harvey u Co.,
those adjacent as far as Essex place.
1t was hard to direct streams OF II
effectively, and for time it seemed
though Warren street might yeti
reached. The firemen here made 81
rally. Many lines of hose were can
through the stores OH Harrison ave.
the extension of whose rears was oppq
the rears of those already burning
the foe was strongly fought. Other
was taken up stairs and used undernI
and from windows across on Bedford ST.
Still other streams we're directed upon
flames and finally the further progre1
the fire was staid. :.
The heaviest losers are as foill
Brown, Durrell g. Co., dry goods, p
600, insurance, $3.50, 600; Jordan, N
& Co., shirt factory, 5000, OOo, lnsu
Woodsocket Rubber Co., $3.50, OO0,
sured; Taylor Brothers, hats and :
500, 900, insured for $4,000; wa
Stetson, Sawyer & Co., $500, OOo, lnsI
for $500, 600; Allen building, sloV'
insured.
The insurance com panies. so far
piled by the insurance agents make
of 81, Cos, 925. The fire, coming as IL
on top of the great blaze at Lynn,
crushing blow to many of the smaliel
surance companies, and it is not az ~
likely that it will cause the suspens'oJ
many Of them.
There are about 200 firms burned
and 100 agents of New York and we
firms have haa their headquarters aes
ell. The seventy-nine insurance con
les known to be interested carry an
gate insurance of So, 10000 on tpe
ed property.
COP is immutable in all things
II 10 anono hic in, m11fabilitleS tIa