St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-01
WATER THAT WILL BURN.
The Great Danger That Menacea
the Windy City.

Chicago News.
When working in the South branch
the tugs have to use the "water" there
in their boilers, and there have been
several narrow escapes from explosions
as result. The tug owners are inter-
ested parties, they admit, but they have
been determined for long time past to
have the evils of the South Branch
remedied, and in order to do that to
indicate to the underwriters and the
city authorities why the river is in such
condition, who the parties are who
are responsible and that the risk OF
boiler explosions is only minor part OF
the danger. In word, that the whole
South Branch of the harbor is in danger,
the whole lumber district and great
section of the city.
At the invitation of several of the tug
men number OF underwriters took a
tug ride up the South Branch. Long
before Ogden's slip at Twenty-seventh
street was reached, it was noticed that
the surface of the river was covered
with black, greasy liquid. and it was
explained to be refuse from the gas
house in Ogden's slip. As the tug pro-
crossed the water grew thicker, and the
movement of the wheel seemed to stir
up sediment from the bottom almost
as thick as pure tar. Abreast of Og-
denis slip a tug switched along with a
light schooner in tow, and the swell
created washed the liquid filth high up
on the piles, and in some places up over
the wharf. The piles and docks are
covered and saturated with the
stuff, and the water for two blocks
south is, on the surface, about the
consistency of cream. When the iDsur-
ance men were told that this refuse was
coal tar and grease, the refuse from
gas house where gas is made from pc
troleum as we'll as coal. they were as
| tonished and alarmed, and asked each
| other what could be done if it once be-
| came ignited. why" exclaimed one
| of the gentlemen, ''can it be possible
| that the city authorities know of this?
| Why, the very town Is menacedl This
| is the heart of the lumber district. That
water will burn. 1t would be desperate
| work to fight the fire with those piles
| and docks burning, and, of course, the
! flames would communicate with the
| lumber yards, and, with one of our
| gales blowing, where would such COLI
fiagration end?"
The party generally were astonished
| and alarmed. But they had only seen
part Of the exhibition. The spout into
J the river through which this refuse
| pOulo Wdo ouOWu bu6Li, duu JHSy iUduH
| minutes of that and other facts. The
tug hurried along, and the gentlemen
we've shown the same condition of
things at Evans slip, Halsted street,
| where there is another gas house; at
Gas House slip, Main street, where
there is another gas house, and
] at Bridgeport, where there is still an
other gas house. There are regular
| spOuts at all these places through which
this dangerous refuse is poured into the
! river
The gentlemen thanked the tugmen
! for calling attention to what they called
this Scsndalous enlargement of the
city, and said that the facts would be
| to the attention of the proper authori-
ties, and meanwhile that property own
ers along the river would have to pay
| largely advanced insurance rates.
The people of this country consume,
it is said, 20o,0O0,OOO bottles OF pickles
annually.