Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-29
A FIRE BUGS BOMB
Wipes Out the Whole Plant
of a Milwaukee Street
Railway Company.
A LONG SERIES OF FIRES,
Which Has Cost the City 100000
in Two Short Months, Are
LAID TO AN INCENDIARY GANG.
Underwriters Refuse to issue More Policies
on Factories.
A LONG SERIES OF FIRES,
LAID TO AN INCENDIARY GANG.
TIE MAYOR OFFERS A LARGE REWARD

MILWAUKEE, Dec. pa bomb thrown
bv an unknown hand caused the destruc-
tion early this morning of the Southside
plant of the Milwaukee Street Railway
Company. There was a tremendous eX-
plosion, and in a moment the interior of the
building was in blaze. In few minutes
the fire was beyond control, and in less than
an hour the entire plant was consumed, en-
failing loss of $4,000
The identity OF the man who threw the
bomb is not known. He is supposed to be
the frebug who has started fully dozen
other disastrous fires within 4 month. A
grand jury will be summoned to investi-
gate. The only person who saw the alleged
bomb thrown was Night Watchman Wor-
den. He says that he was standing near
the main doorway of the barn in which the
motors and cars were stored There was
whizz of something through the air, flash
and a tremendous explosion. If there was
bomb thrown, which many doubt, it came
through the main doorway and struck in
the car nearest this entrance. The projectile
must have been fitted with some highly in
fammable substance, as hardly ten seconds
elapsed, according to the night watch
mans story, before the buildings were in
flames The police believe the unknown
culprit is maniac.
The Watchman Tells His story.
The watchman is very positive about the
explosion. 81 was not 20 feet away when
it occurred" he said, land saw it al.
The explosion was terrific. 1t blew every
window out of the car, and it was not sec
ond before the car was on fire. l tried to
get the car out, but I couldn't do it. l
tried the electricity, but the power was of.
II it had been on l could have run the car
out, l think, and saved the building l
don't think the fire started from the stove.
am sure there must have been some sort
OF bomb or something like that in the car.
In the car barn proper were all the Rus
sci avenue and Forest Home cars, and the
car shop occupying the south half of the
building was filled with lot of new cars
which were being fitted out for various
branches OF road. On the second floor was
stored large number of summer cars,
which burned. The cars destroyed, 79 in
number, were about half of the entire
equipment of the road. The larger part of
them were new. Manager Lynn places the
loss on cars alone at $500, 600.
Reward offered by the Mayor.
This afternoon Mayor Somers issued a
proclamation offering q reward of 81, 500 tor
the arrest Of the persons who started any OF
the fires, beginning with the great confa-
grafton of October 49, or who shall start any
fires in the city within the next 30 days. 1t
has also been decided to at once add 100
special policemen to the regular force tor
night service If the incendiaries are az
rested it will require military protection to
pre- vent lynchlng, with excitement run
ming as high as it does to-day.
T0-dsv two more hodies were found in the
ruins OF the tannery fire of yesterday, in
creaSing the number of lives lost to four.
One body is that OF Stephen Treader, q tan
ner; the other has not been identified.
To-day number OF insurance agents, rep
Tesenting leading companies received or
ders from their several companies to cease
writing insurance on manufacturing plants
in Milwaukee. The firebug who is oper-
Hting in Milwaukee has cost the city over
$1,000, 900 in two months. He began his
work OF destruction in the night Of October
%, when 300 buildings were consumed and
S4,0O0,000 worth of property destroyed.
While the con1agration was raging on the
Eastside an attempt was made to burn the
Nestside. Here the loss was $4,000.
a List of Other Losses.
The week following, Kobers' woodenware
store was fired, the loss there being S75, 900.
a week later, T. L. kelly's drygOods store
burned, with loss of S1S5, ,00G The Mil
waukee Mattress COMPANY was burned out
q few davs later, with $40, 600 loss. The
Iennecke Company's art store came next,
with $50, 900 loss The origin of this fire is
uncertain.
An attempt was made to burn the Great
Allis works, and later the Pabst Theater
On Christmas the Fly Net Works were
tired, with loss of S1O2, ,OO0. The Kennon
mill was burned at the same time, with q
loss OF $4,000. Then came the tannerv fire
Yesterday, whereby $3.50, 600 worth OF prop
ertv was consumed, and to-day the car barn
FIRE
4 meeting was held by the Chamber of
Commerce at noon to-day, at which COM
mittee OF six was appointed to arrange for
mass meeting of citizens to be held to-
morrow, to take action on incendiarism.
a later dispatch saws: The police depart
ment has thoroughly examined the EN-
ployes OF the Milwaukee Street Railway car
barus, and Chief Jansen says he is satisfied
the fire which this morning DESTROYED
S400, 600 worth of the companv's property,
was caused by car stove which was over
heated. Vice President Payne, who also
made an investigation, thinks there was an
explosion, but has no theory to advance as
to the cause.