The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1890-10-31
HALF A MILLION IN ASHES
The City Of Mobile, Ala, Visited
by q Most Destructive
COnflagratiOn.
Many of Her Extensive Fac.
tories and a Large Amount OF
Cotton Burned.
Three Steamers, Eight Cotton Ware
houses, Three Compressers and
Other Property Lost.

1Es
about 1910 o'clock Sunday morning and
resulted in the most disastrous confagra-
ton that Mobile has had since the war.
The fire began in single mill and
factory near the river front just outside
the northern boundary of the city limits.
A strong wind from the northeast, per-
haps twenty mile breeze, was blowing,
and the flames soon communicated to
the cotton warehouses which line the
river front from Beauregard street, the
northern boundary, southwark six
blocks, and from the river front west
ward to Magnolia street, three blocks.
From the single mill to Good man's
warehouse on the block bounded by
Front, Beauregard, Water and Lips
comb streets, the distance is about 900
yards. and almost as soon as smoke was
seen issuing from the roof, the cotton
blazed up In Goodman's there was
stored about 900 bales of cotton,
and the sparks from this cotton,
carried by the wind next communicated
the flames to Browns warehouse on
Lipscomb and Water, and running back
to Magnolia street to the southwest to
the Mobile Oil mills, which was next
south on the east side of Front street,
and to the wharf front of the Mobile
and Birmingham Railroad company,
which fronted on the water from Beau
regard to Lipscomb street. The infam-
mable character of the material which
fed the flames and the quarter gale of
wind that was blowing caused the fire to
Spread With Lightning-Like Rapidity,
and before o'clock in the afternoon it
looked as if the fire would spread from
end to end of the water front of the city.
Before the Mobile Oil mills, in that COM
pany's water slip, were two steamers,
the Jewet and Mary Elizabeth, and also
the steamer Helen S.. the tug Margaret
Lienhard, and the government snag
boat Warren. Half dozen men got the
boats out of the slip into the stream,
saving all but the Jewet and the Mary
Elizabeth, which burned to the waters
edge. The flames swept on down the
wharf front of the city. At the next
slip fronting near the foot of Adams
street, were the river steamer Ruth, two
naphtha launches and four or five cotton
and timber tugs, all of which were got
into mid stream with only slight injury,
except the steamer Ruth and the naph-
tina yacht General Fowler, which were
destroyed in few moments. The water
front wharves were entirely burned
from Beauregard street on the north to
st. Louis street, the flames leaping the
wharf slips
As Hurdle Racers Leap the Wall.
A large amount of cotton which was
closely packed in the warehouses and
presses, amid the inflamable character
of the material which fed the flames,
made the fire an intensely hot one, and
the high wind caused it to spread so
rapidly that it was impossible for the
fire department to do more than stand
idly by and see it burn. The fire burned
rapidly among the cotton warehouses
and presses. When Goodman's ware
house was in a blaze smoke was seen is
suing from Browns cotton warehouse
roof square away, on the northeast
corner of Water street, and at the same
moment the Gulf City oil /, mill on the
east side of Commerce, between Adams
and Lipscomb streets, with warehouse,
which was stored full of cotton oil, Oil
cake and meal, blazed out, and the fire.
men and the large crowd of spectators
which had gathered in the vicinity
had to
Flee from the Advancing Flames.
There was now no stop to the flames ex-
cept by a dispensatlon of Providence.
Almost Immediately the flames spread
from building to building until Gage &
Lyons artificial ice factory on Commerce
and st. Anthony streets and the Mer-
chants press were destroyed.
At this writing the property destroyed
is $3.50 bales of cotton, valued at $751;
500; three steamers, one naphtha launch,
eleven freight cars, grain laden, belong
ing to the Mobile and Ohio Railroad
company; five empty box cars of the
Mobile and Birmingham road; two wood
and coal yards, three cotton compress
ers and eight cotton warehouses, the
Gulf City Oil mill and warehouse, the
Mobile Phosphate and Chemical works,
the Gage & Lyons ice factory and
numerous small business houses in the
locality which cannot be gathered yet.
So far there has been no casualty re-
ported. The wind died away about 5
p. M, and the fire department seem now
to have the fire under control.
When the ammonia tank in the ice
factory exploded it seemed to stay the