Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-05-18
TWENTY BLOCKS BURNED.
Muskegon, Michigan, the Scene of a Greaf
COnhsgratiOn.

MUSKEGON, Mich, May 17.-ThlS
city suffered Il second visitation from
flames Yesterday morning. Fire started
az 6:30 O'Clock in the Launkowell Hotel
barns, Just of Pine street, from some
unknown cause, and, aided by strong
wind, swept with lightning-like rapidlty
ten blocks up Pine street, one OF the
chief business streets of the city. Then,
by a sudden shift in the wind, the flames
were driven toward Terrace avenue.
one of the finest residence streets in
the city, where they were swept
unchecked, and are now burning,
with unabated fury, and Evergreen
Cemetery in the southern edge of the
city. Twenty-Five blocks are devaSta-
ted, as if swept by hurricane Of fire.
Pine street business houses for ten
blocks are entirely wiped out. Among
the more valuable blocks were the Pine
Street House, the Philabourn block,
Eckerman'S drug store, Matthew Will
sons residence, Sedgwick'S wholesale
store, McMichaepS shoe store, the
LaunkOwell Hotel, the residences Of 5.
+. Outhwaite and L. A. Miller, occupied
by VANITY & Manning. of the Morning
NerS Peter p. Steketee'S, Alex. Van
zandt'S, the elegant Fleming residence
and Others were reduced TO ashes.
The 500, 900 court house was Quilted,
but its public document were saved.
Prisoners in the county Jail, which oc-
cupied the basement of the court house,
were liberated. Several cows and
horses were burded, aud little child
who was sleeping in the Launkowell
barns, where the fire startled, is miss
ing. The loss can not be accurately
stated at this hour, but il will probably
reach half million dollars.
BY nine o'clock fire had reached the
southern district of the city, where
there was more space between the
houses, and the firemen succeeded in
considerably reducing the further pro-
greSS of the flames. As the high build
ing burned there was great danger from
flying frebrandS, and the tiremen were
obliged to continually shift their posi-
tiOnS. Two Grand Rapids engines were
put TO work as soon as they arrived.
Tonight twenty blocks of business
houses and dwellings are in smoldering
ruins. The total number of dwellings
burned may safely be put at three hun
dred and fifty. A conservative eSti-
mate of the total loss is $780, 900. The
total insurance is unobtainable. Many
of the burned places have no insurance.
Hundreds Of families are thrust upon
their friends for accommodations. The
night scene reminds one of the Last
Days of Pompeii." Fine dwellings but
recently completed are gone, among
them James HutcbinSon's, Dr..
Vanderlaan'S, r. Mueller'S, j. r..
Browns, several of Justice Williams,
Reynolds, Danforth and Behren'S plan
ing mill, German Evangelical Church,
George d. Smiths. Judge Dlckerman
lost nearly his entire law library in the
Court house. Britton Bros. lost their
machine shop and half dozen houses,
with no insurance on them. Frequent
reports from exploding boilers are
heard. Dynamite was used in some in
stances to clear buildings.
Among the sad incidents connected
with the fire was the death of Harry
Stevens, Assistant Postmaster; and son
of Postmaster Stevens. He was very
in with pneumonia, and the flames made
it necessary TO remove him to a place of
safety. He died amid the crash of fall
ing houses while being removed