The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-29
A BOMB STARTS A FIRE.
MILwAUKEE'S INCENDIARY GETS
IN HIS WORK AGAIN.

an EleCLriC halfway Plant Burned TO
the Ground-Over $5.ooo,ooo Worth
OF Property Consumed in the Past
Two Months-No More Insurance to
be Written on Manufacturing Plants.
MILWAUKEE, Dec. ga bomb was
thrown into the main building Of the south
side plant Of the Milwaukee Street Railroad
Company at 3 o'clock this morning. There
was tremendous explosion, aud in a mo-
ment the interior of the building was in a
blaze. In few minutes the fire was be.
yond control, and In less than an hour the
entire plant was consumed, entailing loss
of $50 900 The plant is located
on Kinnickinnic avenue 1t in
cludes immense storage stables for
electric motors and machine shops aud
stables. In the harn were fifty new electric
motors and nearly all the summer cars
owned by the company. The machine shops
were built during the past season and were
htted with very fine machinery for the re-
building and repairing Of cars. The build
inRs Were tbs principal depot of the Nil
waukee Street Railroad Company and the
fire greatly cripples the company. The
bomb thrower is not known. He is sup.
posed to be the man who started fully
dozen other disastrous fires within the past
month. The grand jury viii be summoned
to investigate
THE WATCHMAN'S STORY.
The only person who saw the alleged
bomb thrown was Night Watchman
Worden. He says that he was standing
near the main doorway Of the barn in which
the motor cars were stored. There was
whiz, a flash and terrific explosion. If
there was bomb thrown, which many
doubt, it came through the main
doorway and struck car near
the entrance. Hardly ten seconds elapsed,
20 h., .ssw1k II.
before the cars in the building were In
flames. Manager Lynn of thes companyis
convinced Of the truthfulness of the watch
mans story. That there was an explosion,
every one In the neighborhood win testify
A small cottage next to the plant of the
street railway company was also wrecked.
AT $3.50 o'clock this morning the fire was
under control, having been confined to the
buildings of the Milwaukee Street Railroad
Company.
REWARD OFFERED.
The mayor this afternoon issued a procla-
nation Offering S2,500 reward for evidence
that will lead to the detection Of the in
cendiary. The entire police force has been
set TO work and private detective agencies
will PROBABLY go after the reward also. One
hundred special police have been placed on
duty ard will remain Tor two weeks.
STORY OF THE INCENDIARIsM.
The iucendiary t cory at first laughed at,
or at least doubted, except by insurance
men. is now generally accepted. To-day
number of insurance agents, representing
leading companies, received orders to cease
writing insurance on manufacturing plants
IN this city.
The hrebug operating In Milwaukee
has cost the city more than S., ,000-
900 in two months. The trouble be-
gan on the night of Oct. 20, when 800 build
ings were destroyed and $4.00O,O00 worth of
EEna mad hi fHo
fagration was raging on the east side an
attempt was made to burn the west side.
A LIST OF THE SUFFERERS.
The week following Koch & Loeber's
woodenware auction store was fired, the
less there being 5000.
A week later I. L. Kelly's dry goods
store was destroyed, with loss Of $lS5OOO
The Milwaukee Mattress Company was
burned out few days later with $50 600
loss.
The Hennereke Company art store came
next with loss of $4,000. The origin of
this IRE is uncertain.
An attempt was made to destroy the
great AIlts works and later in the week the
Pabst theater was fred, with loss of
Sl02, 900.
The Keenan, mill was burned at the same
time where the loss was SIC, 900.
Then came the fire yesterday whereby
o250,O0O worth of property was consumed
ana GO-Cay tne car barn nre.
special meeting Of the city council is to
be held to take action toward stopping the
reign of incendiarisn and it is likely that a
special grand jury will be called TO investi-
gate the matter.
THE PROPERTY OWNERS SUSPECTED.
Chief Jansen of the police department
believes the only firebugs at work here are
dishonest owners of property, who have
taken advantage of excessive insurance TO
burn their buildings for the Insurance.
Chief Janssen's investigation will be mainly
along TINS line. President James of the
Northwestern National Insurance Com
pany believes with Chief Jansen that
about half the fires have been purely acci-
dental, perhaps one or two set by thieves
or tramps looking for plumber and all the
rest started by the owners of the buildings
burned. It is notable that in almost every
case the insurance has been as great or
greater than the loss.
A search in the ruins of the Con-
rad tannery fire for the remains
of Fireman Sullivan brought to
light the body of tanner named Stephen
Yiravere. He had not been missed. This
makes four known deaths from yesterdays
fire.