Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-11-11
MILLIONS In ASHES.
Milwaukee, Wis. Swept Over BY
a Terrible COnhagratiOn.
twenty-five Blocks Laid Waste
By the Fierce Flames.

great conhagration which lid millions Of
dollars worth OF damage and was the most
serious fire in the West SINCE the great Chi
cago conhagration. The fire started at $50
o'clock in the evening in the Union OIL Com
pany's store on East Water street, and soon
threatened 10 DESTROY the entire wholesale
business section OF milwaukee,. east Of tho Mil
waukea River below Huron street For Al
hour the Fire DepartEnen t stru ggled bravely
with the elements which were famed by
gale that was blowing at the rate OF thirty
six miles an hour.
Chief Foley kept the fire confiuei 70 one
block on East Water street until O'Clock
when it got away from him and leaoed
across the street and began 4 rapid M arch
toward Lake Michigan, six blocks away.
cutting down in short order the stores Of F
Dohmen & Co, wholesale drugs; NJ. Bloch.
wholesale liquor; Bub & Kipp's seven-storv
furniture factory; Roundy, Packham &
Co., wholesale grocers; Jacob Welauer Sc
Co., wholesale grocers; johnson Brothers
branch OF the American Biscuit Company,
and the National Distilling Company.
At 9o'clocx the flames had crossed Broad
way. between Buffalo and Detroit streets,
taking numerous wooden structures and
then advancing to Milwaukee street At
8:l5 the flames had reached jefferson street.
three squares from where it broke out, and
began burning private residences
The course of the fire changed at S:15
o'clock, and it soon seemed likely to consume
the territory between Broadway and Jeffer-
son streets TO the east and west branch Of
the Milwaukee River. The fire reached the
river. and the big Angus Smith grain eleva.
tors were next to fall.
The Fire Department was powerless to
stay its progress. Not only was the fire ad-
vancinZ with the wind on its mission OF de.
struction, but it commenced to back no at
the point 1t began, where there was no
mean of staying its progress.
The freight yards Of the Chicago and
Northwest Roads were reached, and whole
trains of cars loaded with merchandise, live
stock, and grain were soon burning.
An appeal for help was telegraphed to
Chicago, and Chief Sweenie reptile that re-
Inducements would be in Milwaukee as soon
as steam could get them there. In half an
hour several Chicago companies were on
their way there.
Several fires in other parts Of the city
broke out, but there were no engines to re-
spond. The entire lower part Of the Thrd
Ward, which is inhabited largely by poor
Irish families, was next devastated. About
200 cottages were destroyed, and the occu-
pants were wandering in the streets, loudly
lamenting their loss. Alarms were coming
in every few minutes from parts Of the city
widely separated, and it was thought that
irebugs were helping in the work of destruc-
ton.
The fine residence Of L. F. Hodges, a
member of the Board at Trade, at Ninth
and Cedar streets, two miles from the frs
district, was destroyed. An alarm was also
rung in from the House OF Correction,
Up to o'clock only two fatalities had
been reported. One fireman. it was learned.
was killed and woman suffocated
The gas works caught fire, and FREQUENT
explosions occurred that shook thu whole
city. The lights then began to go out over
large part OF the city. The department
H. 20 49,
vance Of the flames, and several buildings
were blown up.
Many Of the scenes Of the great fire Of
1871 in Chicago wers re-enacted. The dyna-
mite explosions, the leaping flames and the
crumbling walls added to the terror of the
homeless Third Warders. A report came
from the life-saving station that four Of it's
crew, who came up Broadway to lend assis-
lance to the Fire Department, had been
buried by falling wall at WeiseI & Vilterss
machine shops.
a buglar passed down Broadway at 0
O'clock. calling together members Of the
Lighthouse Squadron and Fourth Battalion
to assist the police IN guarding property.
The first help from other cities came in the
shape OF one engine from Racine. Wis.,, and
one from Waukesha. Wis. Not gaslight was
burning in the city at 10 O'Clock, and some
portions of the city. where there were no
electric lights were in total darkness.
Up to IL o'clock the fire had Tapped up
everything in the territory bounded on the
west bv the north branch of the Milwaukee
River on the east by the lake, and on the
south by the harbor branch of the river
twenty-five solid blocks, five of which wero
occupied by wholesale houses, factories, dis
tilIeries etc, and the rest by residences.
This did not include the yards of the Chi
Capo and Northwestern Road, which covered
many acres. Hundreds of cars were burned.
At this hour not even a veteran fireman
would have ventured to estimate the final
extent of the fire. It was then extending
Detroit street at the river front and at the
lake. It had swept clear through to the
lake. distance of about Gig hit blocks, or one
mile and was burning fiercely along the
great elevators of the city at the mouth OF
the river.
At11 o'clock the fiercest fire was just west
and north of the gashouse. East Of the gas
house the fire had consumed every thing, and
there was nothing more in that locality for
it to feed on.
West of the gashouse the flames attacked
the Rledberg Vinegar Works, which were
consumed.
The fire was now eating its way south to
Erie street. and seemed likely to con-
sumo everything in that locality.
Only small buildings owned by the gas
company had been burned up to this time,
and the firemen were trying tosave the main
buildings.
At midnight insurance men estimated that
the entire loss had aggregated 81, 900. 900 up
to that hour. One estimate placed the loss
at $50, 600, coo. At As Chief Foley an
nouuced that the fire was under control.
BURNED TO DEATH.
Father, Mother and Two Little Sons