The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-04-23
TEN ACRES OF RUINS.
kenosha Lumber Yards and Factories
WjDad Ont

Wiped out.
| kENoSIA, Wis, April 19.-That the
! entire business portion and large part
of the best residence portion Of this city
| is not blackened, ash-strewn field OF
! destruction tonight Is due to prompt
and positive action on the part OF
few men, and the very prompt
response OF the fire departments
OF Racine, Milwaukee, Waukegan and
| Harvard when the call for aid was sent
ont by Mayor Petit. At ) o'clock this
morning the factory of the Northwest
crn Wire Mattress Company, the largest
factory OF the kind IN the world, WAS
discovered on fire. and tonight nearly
ten acres on which tWenty-iour
hours ago, stood several great in
dustres ana on which were piled
milllons of feet of lumber, pre-
sent only barren waste of sand,
ashes and smolderlug ruins. 1t is one
OF the cleancst fire districts ever seen.
On much Of the lumber yard portion OF
the field nothing Is visible but the
barren surface of the sand. The great
stacks OF lumber have Disappeared as
completely as IA fog Ill July sun,
and not L particle OF ashes remains,
the northeast gate which has blown all
dav having licked them up as
fire would prairie grass. The entire
town to the east is strewn with black
ened cinders, and the wonder is that
any Of the southern portion OF the city
IS standing tonight The wire mattress
and kenosha crib factories, which were
combined in one building 80 feet long,
90 to 50 :cet deep and two stories high,
over 5000 600 feet of hardwood lum-
Der piled in their Yards, 500 GEO feet of
pine lumber III Head x Sutherland 5
yard, George Baldwin's coal yard with
several hundred tons of coal, and $40
coo worth of dry hardwood lumber be-
longing to the Balm Wagon Works, were
DESTROYED and only the bricks of the
factory, the iron portions Of the ma
chinery and the tons Of wire in the mat
tress factory remain.
The losses Will figure up from $500, 900
to $lOo,U0O, approximately as follows:
LARGEST Losses EY THE FIRE.
Northwestern Wire Mattress Com
panv, 500, 200; Insurance about $780,
UGG
kenosha Crib Company, $50, 900; in
surance about 50 ,090
Head x Sutherland, lumber yard
&c, 100 to $4,000; insurance s2G,001.
Balm Wagon Works, seasoned lumber
which cost $4,000 to $4,000 when
green, probably worth in its dry state
$50 600 10 500, 0oJ; insurance about S20,
600.
George 5. baldwin, coal yard, 81 600
to $1,000; about half covered by insur
ance.
Other losses include several old build
ings on the outskirts Of the burned dis
trjct, few lumber piles belonging to
-, Il, all t,l ~, ~ = I
and three freight cars of the North
Western road which we're loaded with
wire mattresses ready for shipment.
The mattress factory Will be rebuilt at
once. None Of the parties will be Grip
Piled in business by their losses.
Onc Of the mysteries OF the fire is its
origin. il originated in or near the en-
CINE room Of the mattress factory, but
how no one knows. There was but one
Waterman in the entire works. No one
has been able to obtain any statement
from him, except that the works were
burning ficrrciy when he discovered the
fire, he having been making his regular
round Of the works, which occupied
about an hour. Those who We're the
first witnesses Of the fire think ii must
nave been in progress fully an hour
when discovered, rs Il large por-
non of the building was then
in flames. The cngIne-roGm was
located a little south of the cen
ter Of the building It was there
that the fire had made the greatest
hradway when discovered. 70 the
north OF the eu@in@-r0om was the wood
working shop, which was strewn with
~haVlngs ami dry wood, and, notwIth-
standing the wind was blowing almost IL
gale from the northeast, the fire worked
rapidly back through the dry wood
while the wind forced it through the
other portions Of the building.
AhoEt the time assistance was asked
there were grave fears that the entire
plant Of the Balm Wagon Works, con-
>iStiug OF forty TO fifty large buildings.
covering many acres and containing
several million dollars worth of ma
tcrIaI aud machinery, must go. These
works employ between 3oOand 4J0 men,
most OF whom live on what Is known
as the North Side OF the town,
and who had not yet appeared al the
fire. Billy \ ule saw the emergency,
and ordered The general alarm on the
hL whistle OF their works. which is OF
sufficient strength TO almost arouse the
Gcad tor miles around and is under
stood ty the entire force to mean that
every man must get there at once. In
an Incredibly short time they came in
swarms and were stationed in gangs in
charge other respective toremen on the
buildings and throughout the works
At three different times the works were
on fire, hut by thorough work of the
men and the use Of ample facilities OF
every kind throughout the works for
fighting fire the blazes were extin-
guShed and the works saved. 80 ef-
iectual was the work of the tiremen
and those citizens who took hand in
it that tne great piles of lumber burned
up t. street lines and not dwelling
across the street was sCorched though
the people had moved ont Of many Of
them.
1t Was nearly noon when the firemen
ans! citizens became satisfied that the
ire Was under control. Then the fire
engines were Inassed around a slip in
the harhor ana nose strung in va
riouS directions to prevent further
fire IN the ruins along the
lines of The burned district. 1t was )
o'clock before any of the twenty or
more streams. which had played all dav
uuon the fire, We're withdrawn Then
The engines from neighboring cities
were stopped and taken away. the home
department and The steam pumps OF
the Balm Works being considered COM
potent IL complete the work.
WOODRUFF NOT GUILTY.