Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-11-04
Miniature Chicago Fire.


Milwaukee went up in whirlwind OF
flame Friday night. The burned por-
tion comprises the wholesale district,
the Northwestern Railway yards. and
gas works. It is also thickly inhabited
by Italians, Poles, Germans and Irish.
most Of whom are poor and have lost
everything. The loss will be between
$4,000, 900 and s.. ZOO, 900.
The fire started shortly before
O'Clock in tho wholesale liquor house OF
A. Blade & Son. The wind at the time
was blowing fully sixty miles an hour.
AS the fire broke through the roof the
hurricane caught up the brands, and,
whirling them across the block, flung
them full on tho scven-story building of
Bubb & kipp on the corner Of Broadway
and Buffalo streets. Before the engines
on third alarm could arrive and come
into action the kipp building was
mass Of flames.
This was tho beginning OF the end.
The sparks We're caught up by the gale
and whirlcd hither and yon, while tho
flremcn, fighting bravely in the molten
shower, found their efforts powerless to
stay the progress of the flames. 4 gem
cral alarm was turned in. bringing the
entire fighting forcc of the city into
action, but it was unable TO stay tho
steady march of the flames which now
Were rioting blocks away.
From this on 1t was steady conquer
ing march. The big streams of water
looked like squirtguns playing against
the roaring sea of flame. From bubb &
kipp's the fire had eaten backward to
East Water street, but there it was held
by hard fighting, with the fire COM
panies cnveloped in smoke and flames,
undistinouishable except as the wind
whirled the curtain apart at times for O
second.
People Driven from Their Homes.
Baked here, tho flames threw them
selves with renewed vigor on the terri
tory to the eastward and leeward.
There no engines stayed their progress,
and they rioted down across Broadway,
stopped for moment in the block be-
tween that street and Milwaukee street,
then jumped over that and continued
their unimpeded career toward the
lake. a half mile away, carrying
destruction, ruin, and despair To
poor families who were in their
path. These people hurriedly left their
homes, carrying with them what they
could, and where this was impossible
by the sudden onset of the hurricane of
fire fled swiftly, not stopping 10 look
behind, only glad to escape with their
lives. Mixed in with the small wooden
buildings. which were the dwelling
places OF these unfortunates, were huge
wholesale houses. The fire king made
no invdious distinctions. The big
bier home. The only difference was
that he stayed longer with the former.
The territory burned out is in the
shape OF u slightly obtuse triangle with
the apex at Blade Il Co. IS, ON the river,
tho upper side Detrc:t street, the lower
Menominec street % Milwaukee and
then to the Milwaukee River, and the
base Luke Michigan Roughly it is q
space two.thirds of mile long on the
base line.
AT 7:iO O'Clock a'-iday night Fire Chief
Swenie, of Chicago, received q message
from Chief james Foley, OF Milwaukee,
asking for Immediate assistance. Ex-
actly at $50, less than two hours after
thr call for help was received, the train
left the north end of the Northwestern
y dIoS, MAlll l1ui5NuW, uuSUf
driver, at the throttle The train con-
sisted only of four flat cars containing
the fire apparatus and n caboose, and
looked more like circus train than
anything else. The caboose was filled
with tiremen, reporters, and fire-insur-
ance adiusters. 1t was run as special,
and was given q through right of way
from Chicago to Milwaukee.
Assistance also came from kenosha,
Racine and other towns near by. In the
meantime in Milwaukee the scenes of
Chicago's big fire were rept ated. Hun
dreds of poor houscholders carried in
their arms, in carts or wagons whatever
they had been able to seize and save
before they were obliged to fly from
their burning homes. They did not feel
safe until they put the Milwaukee River
between them and the destroying ene-
my. The few engines which could be
brought into action were unable to pre-
vent the wild riot. Every street look
ing south was molten hell. The efforts
of that portion of the department to the
west and north of the fire had been di-
rccted toward holding it from any retro
grade march, and in this the men were
successful.
Fully 10000 people were made home.
less, and leading insurance men say
that about half the loss is covered by
insurance. They estimate the total
loss at $5.7775,000.
The losses are as follows:
Bubb 4 Kipp furniture rc..............$3Oo,o 1000
]. +. Patton Il Co.. oils and paints. 49,. 25O.OO0
p Kissinger. wholesale liquors. ........ $1,000
Milwaukee Mirror Works. ............... $1,000
b. LeidersdOrf, tobacco. ccO................2 250,OOO
Guyler Lithograph Company. 100000
produce. ............. 100000
81. Scheftel Il Co., Wholesale grOcers.. 100000
]. Wellmure & Co., wholesale gr0cers... 100000
Milwaukee Chair Company. .............. 25O,OOO
and cars ] .. . 100000
freight houses. - @ ] 10000
@cLanden Hotel. Observation-Disclosures. 25,COO
p. Fluger e. Co., confectionery. .......... 25,OOO
Sauer Il Co., glove 'anufacturers ...... 10000
Fifty smaller business houses. cocoon. 5OOOO1
Five hundred dwellings and cottages. 5Oo,OOO
F. P. Dohmen & Co.. drugs. ............... 10000
Weiser IL Vilter, machinery. ............. 100000
TOeDfer 4. SONR machinery (n0