Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1892-11-05
A CONFEDERATION.
Milwaukee Is Visited by a Destruc.
tive Fire.
Gale Sweeps Forward Wall OF Flame
Dynamite Used In the Effort to Cheek
the Blaze-Loss Estima ted At
seven Million Dollars.

|
the Blaze-Loss Estims ted at
| seven Million Dollars.
| MILWAUKEE, Wis, Oct. 20.-Scores of
blocks of Milwaukee's largest business
firms, together with hundreds of frame
houses, were destroyed by fire Friday
night.
Commencing at $50 o'clock an oil
establishment on East Water street,
near the river, flames, driven by the
fearful hurricane which was blowing,
spread with frightful rapidity to the
lake, over hah q mile to the east.
1t is impossible to estimate the loss
with any degree of accuracy. Even a
complete list of the big business houses
can not be obtained, while to these
must be added the small individual
losses of hundreds OF small property
owners, whose houses and household
goods haye been destroyed. As it is,
tho loss will probably amount to 81, ,OOO,-
| 900 or $40, 900, 0O0
The tract burned is over half mile wide
and mile north and south, commence
ing in the establishment Of the Union
Oil Co. The fire was burning fercely
when the city department reached the
scene. Owing to the hurricane that
was blowing the men were utterly
unable to do anything, and for
any practical results might as well
have done nothing. In spite OF
this the men worked bravely and did
every thing in their power, risking their
lives in the burning buildings, and en-
deavoring. by tearing down blocks in
advance of the path, to check it. This
was in vain, and all night long the
flames continued along their way from
the esta blishmcnt on East Water street,
where the blaze started. The path of
the fire was in the shape of an immense
V, the connecting point of the two arms
being in the oil establishment, while
one line extended directly east to
the lake, the other running to the
lake in southerly direction through
immense factories from four to seven
stories high, which were supposed to
be fire proof, the flames spread with as
much ease as though they were frame
cottages, which they attacked farther
east. After wiping out the factories
and wholesale establishments, the fire
found easy prey in tho scores of
blocks filled with frame houses,
which extend east of Milwaukee
street. From these the flames lcaped
to the freight house of the
Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western
railroad. These caught on the extreme
southern end and in moment were
ablaze along their whole length, over
two blocks. Adjoining the depots were
the freight yards of the same railroad
as well as of the Chicago and North
western. These yards were filled with
hundreds of loaded cars, all of which
was quickly consumed.
1t was in these yards that some of
the most pitiful sights were seen. In
one place half dozen poultry cars full
of ducks and chickens were roasted
alive. AS soon as the destruction OF
the railroad yards was assured, the
wind, as though prompted by malice,
veered from west to north. Had it re-
mained in the west the fire would have
exhausted itself in the lake. Chief Foley
kept the fire confined to one block on
East Water street until o'clock, when
1t got away from him and leaped
across the street and began rapid
march toward lake Michigan. six blocks
away, cutting down in short order the
following stores: f. Dohem & Co.,
wholesale drugs; NJ. Bloch, wholesale
liquors: Bud & Kipp's seven-story build
ing, furniture factory; Roundy, Peck
ham e. Co., wholesale grocers; Jacob
Wellauer & Co, wholesale grocers;
Johnson Bros. cracker factory (Ameri.
can Biscuit Coz, and the National Dis
tilling Co.
The entire lower part Of the Third
ward, inhabited largely by poor Irish
families, is devastated. About 800 cot
tages have been destroyed, and the poor
people are wandering about the streets
loudly lamenting their losses Alarms
came in every few minutes from parts of
the city widely separated, and it is
though that fire bugs helped in the work
of destruction. The elegant residence
of L. +. Hodz, member Of the board of
trade, at Ninth and Cedar streets, two
miles from the place where the fire
started, has been destroyed. At o
o'clock two fatalities had been reported
-one fireman killed and woman suf-
focated. The gas works were then
burning and frequent explosions oc-
Cured that shook the whole city,
Many of the scenes Of the great fire
of 1871 in Chicago were enacted-the
dynamite explosions, the leaping flames
and crumbling walls adding to the ter
ror of the situation 1t is reported that
four of the crew Of the life-saving sta
tion were killed by falling wall at
Wersel & Vittes' machine shop while
coming to the assistance Of the fire de-
partment. The light-horse squadron
and the Fourth battalion have been
called out to guard property. At mid
night all the southern section OF Mil.
waukee is in ruins and the dreadful
conHagration was still in progress
In response to the call upon her fol
aid, Chirago sent several fire companies |
on special train, and they rendered |
most valuable assistance.
At 2:4O Saturday morning the fire was
under control.