Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-10-03
COLON SWEPT BY FIRE.
LATE REPORTS GIVE NEWS OF
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Mobs of Drunken Pillasers Attack Stores.
Residences and Citizens-Dispersed Only
When Fired Upen by TIA. Police-Crop
Conditions. Etc


residences and Cttizens-Dispsrsed Only
"ileH Fired Upen by the Police-Crop
Conditions, Etc.
COLON, Sept. st-Three-fourths of this
Guy mas been swept away by q fire which
Dtokc out at midnight on the cad and ragged
WIN uncontrollable fury until late the fol-
lowing morning. Heroic efforts we're made
ny citizens of all classes to check the raw
ages of the flames but with the meagre
1acliitlcs at hand no stand could be made
against the fire, and it ceased only for lack
OF material to attack, having reached the
portions of the city where buildings were
TOO far apart to facilitate the spread of the
flames.
Terrible scenes g disorder marked tie
progress of the conlagration. Hundreds
Oh homeless families fled to the outskirts of
the City with the the few remnants of house
hoAt' goods Which had escaped destruction.
Cfowds OF rioters and plunderers roametl the
streets, attacking stores and residences and
III many cases pilaging people who were
seeking to save a portion of their effects by
hight. The police attacked these gangs re-.
peatediy. but so crazed were the rutIians by
liquor and the desire for plumber that
they refused to dispense until the police
tired upon them, killing several and wounti-
ing others.
All tho buildings on fronr "a hey
streets, back between the general Offices of
the Panama railroad company to within one
block OF tho passenger depot, we're destroyed
The company's general office was burned,
but the records We're partially saved. Six
teen cars loaded with freight and several
nlOo6a1 A.
pany's other buildings and wharves were
saved The company's loss as -oughtly
estimated ut $4,000
NEW YORK, Sept. GA representative 81
the Panama railroad company said: "Our
greatest loss. we fear, will prove to have
been the burning of very valuable records,
which cannot be replaced. OF course the
$4,000 damage mentioned in our dis
patches only means the actual money
loss to our company. The dam
ages to private parties in the city may
amount up to several hundred thousand
dollars. AS to The general damage to the
city We know nothing. Though buildings
down there are built Of wood, there are
many very large and valuable ones. The
tire seems to have swept over the business
part OF the city. Probably there is very
little insurance, as American INSURANCE
companies have refused to take risks, and
English companies charge enormous rates
Much Of the real estate in Aspinwall is
owned in New York city. Isaachs & Asch
who have Offices in the Stewart bnildin2
control q Dood deal Of it.
Colon, commonly called AspinwaL in honol
OF the great shipowner OF that name, wa:
founded forty years ago and has since ranked
as one of the foremost cities of the isth1nus
Though containing a population Of but 5000
the city has been commercially important
1t has u fine harbor with deep water, ana was
tho Panama railroad, which transfers the mail!
of Germany France, Great Britain and tn,