The Russellville Democrat., 1892-11-03
FLAMES.
Thirteen Business Blocks De-
 stroyed in Milwaukee,
SIX MILLION DOLLARS LOSS.
A Coal Oil Explosion Starts What Proves to be a Most Terrible Confa-
 grafton.
Five Hundred Cottages and Barus Burn
 Like Powder Five Lives Lost.

| the sun came up out on Lake Mich igan this morning he shed no light upon the southeastern portion of Milwaukee. There was brighter light there than he could furnish, and 1t had been there ten long hours, and it will be there still when old Sol has done his days work and gone to rest.
 Ten hours were big with fate to Milwaukee in them. Crowded destruction what 1t will take many months to rebuild, and much wreck wrought by the flames can never be replaced.
 At twenty minutes to six o'clock last night oil exploded from some unknown cause in store occupied by the Union Oil Company on Water street, and the fire started and swept over thirteen blocks of business houses and residences, over three hundred buildings in all being burned, costing four lives and destroying property valued at over $6, 100000.
 It is now entirely under control, but the ruins in places are burning freely, and it will be several days before the last spark is extin- guished.
 When the fire broke out in the store of the oil company majority of the engines of the fire department were at work in other parts of the city, there being at the time nc less than three separate fires burning in different parts of the city. These fires were comparatively insignif- cant in themselves, but the part they played in the fiery tragedy which has desolated so large a DOT ton of the city is highly important.
 The engines were delayed so lcng by those that it was fully twenty minutes after the first oil barrel had exploded that the first engine came rattlipg up to the front of the East Water street fire, and it was forty-fve minutes before the fire was confronted by force thought to be sufficiently large to hold it in check, to say nothing of the suhduing of it. When the fremen first gazed upon the store of the Union Oil Com pany it was roaring furnace of flames, through which in rapid succession could be heard the noise of explod- ing oil barrels within. Long tongues of fire were leaping across the street and licking the front building upon the opposite side of the street. The fremen fought well, however, and within an hour crowded the fire back and thought that the day was won.
 At 6 40, however, the rear of an explosion was heard and the fire leaped forth again with fury beyond what it had shown before. Fiery shafts found their way once more to the east side of East Water street, and from that time on the curtain was fairly up for tragedy. Along Jefferson and Jaxson streets it flew, filling the streets from side to side and shooting later into alleys, in between houses. Iu less time than it takes to tell it the fire swept down to Buffalo street and left nothing be- hind but ashes. Nobody was given a chance to save anything. It was simply to look and run or stay and die, while the fire created woe and desolation.
 North as far as Detroit street, one block above Buffalo, it also begun to beat backward southward along East Water street. It did this for two whole squares and then apparently having the background it wanted it reached south to the river and then swept straight eastward for six squares. It was only stopped when it reached Lake Michigan and could go no further.
 THE LOSSES.
 The following is an estimate of the losses on business houses. h. surance is said to be about one-half of the amount. Cubb & Kipp, furniture, $500, 900; J. E. Patton & Co.,, oil and paint, $250, 900; J. E. Messenger, wholesale liquors, $75, GOO; Milwauke Mirror Works, $50, ,000; B. Leiderstoff, tobacco, $50, GOO; Roundy, Peckham & Co.,, wholesale groceries, $500, 000; H. $. Heftels x Co.,, wholesale groceries, $200, GOO; J. Wellauer & Co.,, wholesale grocers, $200, ,000; Milwaukee Chair Company. $2J0,-