Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-10-29
LOSS MAY REACH
TWENTY MILLIONS
Thousands Homeless and Sew.
eral Dead as the Result of
Milwaukee, Fire.
BURNED TRACT A MILE LONG ANE
HALF A MILE WIDE. -
FLAMES FAMED RH A HURRICANE

Ing-Its Progress Stayed on Ono Side b.
Lake Miohigan-Railroad Yards Swept
Help Sent from NeighbOrIng Cities
Scores OF Busins ss Blocks and Hundred
of Dwellings Wiped Out.
MILWAUKEE,, Oct. 29.-Scores of block
of Milwaukee's largest business firms
together with hundreds of frame house.
were destroyed by the fire of last night
The "ntire loss is supposed to be between
$40, 900, 900 and $25, 600, 900.
Commencing at $50 in an oil establish
ment on East Water street near the river
the flames driven by the fearful hurri
cane which was blowing, spread. with
frightful rapidity to the lake over half q
mile to the east 1t is utterly impossi.
BILE to estimate the loss with any DEGREES
of accuracy.
Even complete list of the big bust
ness houses cannot be obtained while to
these must be added the small individual
losses of hundreds of small property own
ers whose houses and household goods
have been destroyed.
The tract burned is over half q mile
wide east and west, and mile north and
south, commencing in the establishment
Water street. The fire was blazing
fercely when the city department
reached the scene. Owing to the hurri-
cane that was blowing the men were
utterly unable to do anything, and, fol
any practical results, might as well have
done nothing.
In spite of this the men worked bravely
and did everything in their power, risk
ing their lives in the burning buildings,
4 l. IL
in advance of the path of the fire, to
check it. This was in vain, and all night
long the flames continued along their
way from the establishment in which it
started.
The path of the fire was in the shape of
an immense V, the point being in the oil
establishment, while one line extended
directly east to the lake, the other run
ming to the lake in a southerly direction.
Through immense factories from four to
seven stories high, which were supposed
to be fire proof, the flames spread with
as much ease as though they were frame
cottages, which they attacked fnrther
east.
After wiping out the factories and
wholesale establishments the fire found
easy prey in the scores of blocks filed
with frame houses which extend east of
Milwaukee street. From these the flames
waukee, Lake Shore & Western. These
caught on the extreme southern end and
in a moment were ablaZe along their
whole length, over two blocks.
Adjoining the depots were the freight
yards of the same railroad, as we'll as of
the Chicago 81 Northwestern. These
yards were filled with hundreds of loaded
cars, all of which were quickly consumed
AS soon as it was seen that the yards
in hn Of he ha1DoorsN
of switch engines were set at work to en-
deavor to get the loaded cars out of the
yards. The men worked bravely, and
succeeded in removing some of the trains,
but they could only take them further
south, the yards to the north being
blocked.
This did no good as the wind suddenly
shifted from the northwest to almost
direct north, and in moment the cars
which had just escaped the flames in one
place were burned in another. As soon
as the destruction of the railroad yards
was assured, the wind as though
prompted by malice veered from west to
north. Had it remained in the west the
fire would have exhausted itself in the
lake.
Chief Foley kept the fire confined to
one block on East Water street until z
o'clock, when it got away from him and
march toward Lake Michigan, six blocks
away, cutting down in short order
dozen stores.
The entire lower part of the Third
Ward, inhabited by poor Irish families, is
devastated. About 800 cottages have
been destroyed and the poor people wan
dered about the streets loudly lamenting
their losses. Some of them were housed
with friends anG relatives, but the ma
iOritv al a1 tn he
night out of doors.
Alarms came in every few minutes
from parts of the city widely separated,
and it is thought that firebugs helped in
the work of destruction. The elegant
residence of L. F. Hodges, a member of
the Board of Trade, at Ninth and Cedar
streets, two miles from the place where
the fire started, was destroyed.
Many of the scenes of the great fire OF
1871 in Chicago were enacted, the dyna-
mite explosions, the leaping flames, and
crum6ling walls adding to the terror of
the situation.
The light horse squadron and the
Fourth battalion were called out to guard
property.
All the southern section of Milwaukee
Is in ruins. Never in the history of the
city has such a calamity befallen it,
Acres Of land, embracing the great man
been devastated, and now lie a mass Of
smouldering ruins. Almost the entire |
southern division from East Water street
to the lake has been consumed.
The streets burned entirely and on
which no houses or buildings are left are
Buffalo, Chicago, Menominee, Corcoran
avenue, Erie, Polk, Oregon and Pierce. |
Besides these, East Water street is ruined |
from Detroit south to the river and |
Broadway. Milwaukee, Jefferson, Jack |
son, Van Buren, and Carr, from Buffalo |
street south.
While the fire was at its flercest and It's |
northern limit, the first aid was received |
from outside sources. This was in the
shape of two fire engines, one each from
Waukesha and Racine.
at the morRue three bodies, two br eve |
6remen and an elderly lady, are stretched |
cold and oharred in death. At the Emer- |
Rency Hoypitar four ether Victims of the /
ATe ere prSetEatsA, two Of whom ere not i