Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-29
MILWAUKEE IN FLAMES,
A Great ConfiagratiOn in the
Cream City.
Acres Of Business Property
Gone Up in Smoke.
Hundreds Of Dwellings Wiped Out
by the Flames.
Three Thousand People Homeless-Over
S6,O00,0OO Worth OF Property
Least -Four
Lives Lost.

|
| Lives Lost.
By the Associated Press.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, Oct. 2S.-Tbis city
was tonight visited by the most devast
ating fire in the city's history. Foul
lives were certainly lost, and possibly
more. Conservative insurance men es
innate the property loss at not less thar
SO, ,OOC 900.
The flames, which started in the Unior
Oil company's building, on East Water
street. near Detroit street, famed by 3
furious gale, swept eastward toward the
Menominee river and nothing could stay
their resistless rush. Dynamite wat
used but without effect. Mighty bill.
lows of flames swept over blocks ol
buildings, jumped across streets and
leaped over the river. ,----->
Thousands of people viewed the grand
spectacle. All sorts of conveyancee
were hurrying about the Third ward,
loaded with the belongings of people on
whose homes the flames were rushing.
The entire fire department was power
less. Chicago, Racine and other cities
were asked for assistance, and by 10
O'Clock engines and firemen from out of
town were beginning to arrive.
More than IL blocks of solid territory,
including much OF the most extensive
Wholesale distric t, have been burned
over. Nearly 700 buildings, two-thirds
OF which were frame residences, faded
into smoke fast as tissue paper.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
The fire started between $50 and
8 40 O'Clock, in store occupied by the
Union Oil company. at 275 East Water
street. At the time three other fires in
various parts of the city had called
many engines out, 30 it was 16 minutes
before response was made to the alarm
from the corner of Detroit and East
Water streets. In the course of time,
however, seven or eight streams of water
were directed upon the flames. Then
there was series of explosions, which
retarded the work of the fire department.
but in half an hour FIRE tug
and dozen engines were play
ing upon the fire. The belief was
general that the flames were under con-
troll it seemed as If the entire cu,fent
of the Milwaukee river was being turned
upon the red brick block. It was stated
that the fire was caused by the explo-
sion OF an oil barrel-how it is not
known. The thousands of people at
tracted by the continued alarms finally
reached the conclusion that it was not
much of fire after all, and went home.
That was about 6 40 O'Clock. Only black
smoke issued from the buildings.
THE CONFEDERATION RENEWED.
Fifteen minutes later the tired fire.
men began to feel the enemy getting
out of their grasp. Renewing their
efforts, they fought with desperation.
1t was useless; gale was blowing 80
miles an hour, driving the scorching
heat and smoke of the burning oil out
into the faces of the firemen, de-
flying all the water in the Mil
waukee river End seeming only to
gain in power as the stream was emp
tied into its jaws; it was too much for
them. The fire gained a footing in the
adjoining store of Dohmen & Co.; it
was then that it got beyond human
efforts to stay it.
At z O'Clock the big upholstering fac
tory of Bud & Kipp, facing on Broadway,
almost a full block away, began to blaze.
The fire had started with the wind in
the northeast, but now it steered
almost due east, and the merchants
in the business section on the East
Side grew fearful. The flames had
jumped across the stores on the easS
side OF East Water street, and had taken
newer grip on the big Bud & Kipp
factory. Five minutes more and Jacob.
Wellaner q Co. g Wholesale grocery store, 7
on the east side of Broadway, directly
opposite Bud & Kipp's, was in flames.
MOUNTAIN OF FIRE.
It seemed as if mountain of fire
rolled across Broadway. One instant
not building on East Broadway was in
flames, and the next a rolling wave of
fire swept across the street and descend
ed on the buildings opposite In mo-
ment they were enwrapped in flames.
A thousand streams of water could
not stay the conflagration in it's march
OF destruction toward the lake. The
walls of a three-story brick building on
Broadway, formerly occupied by the
cracker trust, but now vacant, began to
totter and warning voices urged the
crowd back Just in time. The whole
front of the building pitched into the
street. A few moments later the sides
fell outward With crash.
The people in that part OF the Third
ward now realized that their homes
were doomed. There was a stampede
OF the residents into the street, all
armed with furniture, cats, dogs and all
manner of household utensils and bed
ding, and vehicles Of every description
were hurrying away with the belong
iDgs Of the people whose homes were
soon to be in ruins.
Meanwhile the flames had gone over
the ground they formerly missed in the
store OF j. P. Kissinger and Co. and the
Milwaukee Art Glass worl q, opposite
the block In which it had originated.
The Wellaner block, seven stories high,
was soon in flames, with the Milwaukee
Chair company, q vacant building owned
by the P6ster & Vegel Leather company
and the wholesale grocery store Of
Boundy, Peckham & Co, and all on
Broadway. The next building to suc-
cumb was that Of the National Distilling
company (the whisky trust) on Buffalo
street. The wind was still carrying
wHRLwIND OF sEETHING FLAME
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