The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-10-29
Three Hundred Homes Of Poor People
Left in Ashes.
TWENTY-FIVE SQUARES BURNED.
Chicago Frightened by Fire I'm the Dome
of the Machinery Hall mt Jackson Park
Explosion OF Sitro-GIycerine Fac
tory Near Lima. OhIo-Fire and Explo-
sion mt Cleveland, Ohio.


portion OF the East side of Milwaukee
went up in a whirlwind OF fame last
night. The burned portion comprises
the wholesale district, the Northwestern
railway yards and the gas works. 1t was
thickly inha bited by Italians, Poles,
Germans and Irish, most OF whom are
poor and have lost everything.
The loss will be between 5000, 900 and
100000.
the fire started shortly before o'clock
in the wholesale liquor house OF A. Blade
4 Son on the west side OF East Water
street, between Detroit and Buffalo
streets, The wind at the time was blow
ing fully sixty miles an hour. As the
fire broke through thr root the hurricane
caught up the brands, and whirling them
across the block, flung them fully on the
seven-story build ing OF Bubb & X lpp. on
the corner of Broadway and Buffalo
avenue.
A general alarm was turned in, bring
ing the entire fighting force of the city
into action, but it was unable TO stay tn
steady march OF the flames which now
were rioting blocks away. From this on
1t was
steady, Conque ring March.
The big streams of water looked like
oiuhs Pioy ihb VIZ A'"AAH
sea OF flame. From Budd & Kipp's the
fire had eaten backward to East Water
street, but there it was held by hard
fighting, with the fire companies envel-
oped in smoke and flames, undistin-
guishable except as the wind whirled the
curtain apart at times for second.
Baked here the flames threw them
selves with renewed vlgor 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 block between that
street and Milwaukee street, then Jumped
over that and continued their unim peded
career towards the lake, half lille away,
carrying destruction, ruin and despair to
poor families who were in their path.
These people hurried from their homes,
carrying with them what they could,
and where this was impossible by the
sudden onset OF the hurricane of fire fl I'd
swiftly, not stopping to look behind,
only gtad to escape with their lives.
Mixed in with the small wooden build
ings, which were the dwelling places OF
these unfortunates, were huge wholesal
houses. The fire king made no invidious
distinction.
The Big Trade Warehouses
went with the humber home. The only
difference was that he stayed longer with
the former.
The territory burned out Is in the
shape OF a slightly obtuse triangle with
the apex at Blade Il Co.'S on the river,
the upper side Detroit street, the lower
Menominet street to Milwaukee and then
to the Milwaukes river and the base o.
Lake NJ chigan. Roughly, it is a space
two-thirds OF n mile wide and three
qua rters of mile long.
TIE scenes of Chicago's big fire were
repeated. Hundreds OF poor household
ers carried in their arms, in carts or wac
ons whatever they had been able to SEE
before they were obliged to fly from
their homes. They did not feel safe unit
they put the Milwaukee river between
them aud the FIRE. At the gas house the
f1mes were eating up along side the re-
tort on the east side Of the works which
was stored fnll OF gas. There were also
two big retorts north OF the works.
There was not one feeble stream to cou-
test the progress OF the fire.
The malt house OF Hansen & Co. was on
fire and the round house OF the North
western road was ab'aZ, in doZ IN places.
The few engines which could be brought
into action were unable to check the
flames.
Everystreet loo k ing south was filed with
hre. Assistance had been asked for from
surrounding cities and Chicago. The ef-
forts of that portion OF the department
to the west and north OF the fire had
been directed toward holding IL from
any retrograde march and in this the
men were successful. There were
Hundreds of Cars
in the Northwestern yards which were
lost. The switchmen OF the road worked
like beavers in moving as many as pos
sible, going back and forth in a storm OF
fire and smoke. Again and again they
went in, returning with trains until the
available track were full and the heat
drove them away.
At IL o'clock the fire had eaten its way
down the east side OF East Water street,
changing the triangle to square.
Among the firms burned out were
the Allen Art Glass Co., Bleidersdorf q
Co, Pennoyer & Co, and on the west
side of the street Dohman x Co.
At the last named place Henry Penn
broke, a fireman, was killed by falling
wall. The flames would jump across
buildings for a block, leaving them un-
touched, only to return later and wipe
them out IN spite OF the efforts OF the
fircmen. P.Tlugart & Co.'s copfection.
cry store'wss burned at IL O'Clock and
the fire spread to Gsrnecke q Co.'S candy
mandatory, corner OF East Water and
Chicago strests.
On Broadway, South OF Chicago, hav-
ing met with no resistance, the fire pro.
gressed more rapidly and the gas works
were soon burning, as was the Hansen
Malt house.
Captain Davis OF the revenue cutter
Johnson rendered his crew for use In
fighting the fire. They
Relieved the Firemen
In places whore the latter had become
exhausted. This reserve force came Just
in time, and the Johnson's men fought
effectively.
The Fourth Regiment, under command
OF Col. King, was called out TO assist in
guard duty, as the crowds IN the vicinity
OF the burned district numbered thou