Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1891-05-21
MUSHROOMS MISFORTUNE.

7
Flames Sweep Away Fourteen Blocks O
\ Fine business Houses and Elegant Resi-
dences in the Michigan City, Causing
Loss of Over 100000.
MUSHROOM, Mich, May 1s.-Fonrteer
4 squares in the heart of this city, iii
Guiding mulch Of the best business ant
residence property, covering from
thirty-fve to forty acres Of ground
Were devastated Saturday afternoon by
q fire which ceased only because moth
ing remained ii It's path Stores, resi-
dences and public buildings were
swept away like eiaaff; anl Wher
property valued at over half million
dollars had vanished and hundreds oil
people were homeless. A strong wind
was blowing and the. flames spread
with such appalling rapidity that many
| people barely escaped with their lives.
Citizens whose houses were not de
stroyed promptly came to the relief OF
the unfortunates, and all found shelter.
Fire started at $3.50 o'clock in the
Lanka'yeil hotel barns, just. off Pine
street, from sonic tilikndtvI caiuse, and,
aided by q strong wind, swept away
ten blocks upnPine street, one of the
chief business streets of the city.
Then, by asudden shift in the wind,
| the flames were driven toward Ter
race avenue, one of the finest residence
| stfeats iii The city, where they de-
stroyeei many houses. BY 9 o'clock fire
had reached the southern district OF
the city, where there was more
space between the houses, and
the firemen succeeded III saf,-
siderablF reducing the progress
t the flames. as the high build
ings burned there was great danger
from flying frebrands and the frenien
were obliged to continually shift their
positions The Grand Rapids engines
were put to work as soon as they ar.
rived.
The totalnumber Of dwellings, burned
was a75. Ihe total loss is 1925, 00o The
total Insurance is about $s75, 0oo. Many
OF the burned places have no iiAsilr;,iGe
Hundreds Of families are thrust upon
their friends for accommodations.
Pine street business houses for ten
blocks were entirely wiped out. Among
the more valuable structures were the
Pine Street house. the phjlabos.rs
block, Eclse.man's drug store, Matthew
Wilson'S residence, Sedgwicl1's whole
sale store, Mchiicllaei's shoe store,
the LanlSawell hotel. The resi-
dences OF S. +. Outhwaite, l. A. Miller.
Peter ?. Stelsetee, Alex. Van Zarten,
Mr.. Fleming; Jatates Hutchinson, DR..
Van Dellaan, 4, Mueller, j. R. Brown,
Justice Williams, Reynolds, Danforth
& Behren's planning mill ana the Ger
man Evangelical church were de-
stroyed. Judge Dicl1erman lost near.
y his entire law Library in the court
house. Britton Bros. lost their ma
chine shop and half a dozen houses.
There was no insurance on them. Ere
qucnt reports from exploding boilers
were heard. Dynamite was used il
some instances to remove buildings.
Other streets which suffered severely
We're Terrace, East Concord, East Hart
ford, East Diana, East Delaware, East
Ionia, West 1onia, Apple and Sprin.
streets. and East Mrsl1egon and East
Webster avenues.
The $50. 900 courthouse burned. Pris-
oEers in the county Jail, which occn-
pied the basement of the courthouse
We're liberated. Several COWS anii
horses were burned. A large portion.
of the dwellings, burned were owned BY
mechanics, upon whom the loss will
fall with special weight. They were
generally all insured for about one-half
the value Of their houses.
It was not al hour after the fire was
first discovered in the blacksmith shop
on Pine street before two whole
squares had been swept clean by the
fiery hurricane. The first house O.
any pretensicns to burn was
the residence CT Matthew Wilson, 4:
wealthy lum herman. His residence
cost about $40, coo and was elegantly
furnished. Carvers had just completed
IS, 900 worth of work on the in
terror. The splendid furnishings, car
pets, tapestries, statuary, ETC., were
thrown pel NELL into the drays,
and the costly bric-a-brac was
buried beneath the plebian trappings
of the humber people.
The courthouse will be immediately
rebuilt. All the books OF record ar.
IN the vaults and the probabilities
are that they are safe Building
will commence this morning, and
it is believed that within ( six
months almost al the houses will
be replaced. The Morning News has
opened a subscription fund, which has
already grown to gooaly proportions
The fire was under control at
o'clock. A number of business men
who were uninsured are penni-
less, but will start again with
assistance already offered The fire
IS the most destructive known in north
el-n Michigan since 1871, when The same
territory il this city was barled over
and the city CT Pcshtigo was destroyed.
shortly after the brr1ir.; CT Oh cago.
Among the sad !noi.ialt5s connected:
vita the fire WIS, tho sisa,th q Harry
Stevens, assistaat postmaster, Il. sos1
OF Postmaster Stevens. He was very
i'll with pneumonia, and til. fumes
maze it necessary to remove IL II TO a
place OF safety, and lie died wE.ilc be-
ing carried through the streets.
Ehtusssegon is situated on the lT.ss:Ssgon
river a5out rnil3a from lake M;cil:st. AMI
about 40 niles by water nortlleass OF Cri.
cago. II contains o'eTen c!s.i. ci.:as two
natioca banks, several f;Lctolies, ma
chine shoaS. numerous !, s,ea., saw.
p!aisiit}s aad ct'.cr l.ii.s. I.n,sliiar is
lis; chief ..tico OF eSsess, a,,l about
40, n93 CD feat saso saved t., re anna; = Sew
ia.fprlb3f E1ercoan.s in this ely are interest.
I'd il the iadu to AMI many staa,.c.s and
sailing vessels Ply between there sla C-.icaso