The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-11-02
MILWAUKEE ABLAZE.
BUSINESS PORTION SWEPT BY
FURIOUS FLAMES.
Blocks of Factories and Many Residences
Observation-Disclosures OF People Driven from
Their Homes and Save Nothing-Loss Sir
Millions.
Miniature Chicago Fire.

| Miniature Chicago Fire.
The lower portion OF the East Side OF
Milwaukee went up in whirlwind OF
flame Friday night. The burned por-
ton comprises the wholesale district.
| the Northwestern Railway yards, and
| gas works. 1t 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, 0O0 and Sc, 000,00
The fire started shortly before 6
O'clock in the 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 the seven story building OF
Bubb & Kip on the corner OF Broadway
and Buffalo streets. Before the engines
on third alarm could arrive and come
! into action the Kipp luilding was a
mass Of flames.
This was the beginning OF the end.
The 81 arks were caught up by the gale
and whirled hither and yon, while the
fremen, fighting bravely in the molten
shower. found their efforts power.oss to
stay the progress Of the flames. A gen.
eral alarm was turned in, bringing the
entire fighting force of the city into
action, but it was unable TO stay the
steady march OF the flames which now
were rioting blocks away.
From this on it was q steady conquer
ing march, The big streams Of water
looked like stulrtgunS playing against
the roaring sea OF flame. From Bubb 81
Kipp's the fire had eaten backward to
East Water street, but there it was held
by hard fighting, with the fire COM
panies enveloped in smoke and flames,
undistinGushable except as the wind
whirled the curtain apart at lines for a
second.
People Driven from Their Homes.
Baked here, the flames threw them
selves with renewed vigor on the terri
tory to the eastward and leeward.
There no engines stayel 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 cont nued
their unimpeded career toward the
lake, 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 10 escape with Their
4 /, 10 Ion,
buildi, gs. which were the dwelling
places OF these unfori unates, were huge
wholesale houses. The fire king made
no invidious distinctions. The Big
trade warehouses went with the hum
bier home. The only difference was
that he stayed longer with the former.
The territory burned out is in the
shape of slightly obtuse triangle with
the apex at Blade * Co.'S, on the river,
the upper side Detroit street. the lower
Menominee street TO Milwaukee and
then to the Milwaukee River, and the
base Lake Michigan. Roughly it is
space two-thirds Of mile long on the
base line.
At 1880 O'Clock Friday night Fire Chief
Swenie, of Oh. cago, received a message
from Chief james Foley, of Milwaukee,
asking for immediate assistance. EX-
actly at $50, less than two hours after
tn call for help was received, the ira n
left the north end of the Northwestern
yards, with G.. NJ. Harshaw, Il trusty
driver, at the throttle. The train con-
sisted only of four fat cars containing
the fire apparatus and a caboose, and
looked more like a circus train than
anything else. The caboose was filed
with fremen, reporters, and fire-insur-
81
and was given 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
Ch.cago's big fire were repeated. Hun
dreds OF poor househo.ders 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 enc
my. Tie 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 tho department to the
west and north of the fire had been di-
rec.ed toward holding it from any retro
grade march, and in this the men were
successful.
Fully 10 900 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 SIS, $4,000.
The losses ore as follows:
Bubb d Kipp. furniture ..............s $500 900
J. T. Patton ~ Co.. oils and paints ..... $50 900
p. Kissinger, wholesale liquors ......... $4,000
Milwaukee Mirror Works. ............... $4,000
Il. Ledersdorf, tobacco. ................ $50 900
Guyler Lithograph Company ............ 100000
Roundy, Beckham S Co., wholesale
produce ....................... 100000
ii. Scheftel d Co., wholesale grocers. =. 100000
j. Wellmure ~ Co., wholesale grocers.. 100000
Milwaukee Chair Company ............... 100000
and cars .............,..... - 300 COO
Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western
freight hOuaes 70 600