The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-29
SEVEN MILLIONS GONE.
Milwaukee Devastated by a
Fearful COnfagratiOn.
ACRES OF STORES SWEPT AWAY,
Thirty Blocks Of Valuable Buildings
Burned to the Ground.
-FOUR LIVES LOST In THE FLAMES.
The Fiery Tempest RageS Unchecked
Through the City-Dynamite Fails
to Stop Its Progress.
FOUR LIVES LOST IN THE FLAMES.
Special 10 The MoENISG CALL

It's history. -Four lives nave certainly Deen
lost and possibly more. COol-headed in-
surance men estimate the loss at not less
than S6000 000
The flames. which started in the Union
Oil Company's building, on East Water
street. near. Detroit, famed by a furious
gale, swept eastward toward the Memo
minee River and nothing could stay their
Tesistess rush. Dynamite was used, but
without effect. The mighty billows of
fame swept over blocks of buildings.
Jumped across the streets-and 1eaped over
the river Thousands Of people viewed the
grand spectacle.
all sorts of c0nveyan ces were hurrying
about the Third Ward loaded with the
belongings of people on whose homes the
flames were rushing The entire Fire De-
partment was powerleSs. Chicago, Racine
and other cities were asked for assistance,
and by 10 O'clock engines and fremen from
cut Of town were beginning 10 arrive. More
than eleven blocks OF solid territory, in
eluding most OF the wholesale district, has
been burned over. Nearly seventy build
ings, two-thrds of which we're frame resi-
dences, faded into smoke as fast as tissue
paper
The fire started between $50 and 40
o'clock in the store occupied By the Union
Oil Company; at 275 East Water street. At
that time three fires in different sections of
the city had called many of the engines out,
30 that it was fifteen minutes before re-
spOnse was made to the alarm from the
corner OF Detroit and Water streets
In a short time seven or eight streams
were directed upon the flames There was
q series of explosions but in half an hour,
after the hretug and a dozen engines were
playing upon the fire, the belief was gen.
eral that the flames had been brought under
coutrol. It seemed as II the very current Of
the Milwaukee River was being empted
upon the red brick block.
1t was stated that the fire was caused BY
the explosion of an oil-barrel-how, it is
not known. Thousands Of people, at
tTacted by the continued alarms. reached
the conclusion that il was not much Of
FIRE after all and went home. IAat was
about 40 O'Clock; only black smoke issued
from the building.
Fifteen minutes later the tired fremen
began to feel the enemy getting cut Of their
grasp Renewing their efforts they foHght
with desperation. 1t was useless. A gale
was blowing fifty miles an hour, driving the
scorching heat and smoke OF the burning
oil out into the faces OF the bremen, defying
all the water in the Milwaukee River, and
seeming only to gain in power as the
streams were emptied into lis jaws. 1t was
too much for them.
The fire gained a footing in the adjoining
store of DOhmen & Co. II was then that il
got beyond all human efforts TO stay Il. At
o'clock the big upholstery factory OF the
Bud & KippCOmDany, facing on Broadway,
almost a full block away, began 10 blaze.
The fire had started with the wind in the
northeast, but it YeeTed almUst due east,
and merchants, in the business section on
the east side grew fearful
The flames had jumped across to the
east side OF Eas. Water street and had taken
a new grip in the big Bub & klpp factory.
Five minutes more and Jacob Welauer &
Co.'S wholesale. gr0cery-stOre, on the east
side OF Broadway, directly opposite Bub d
KippS, was in flames
1t seemed as If a mountain OF fire rolled
across Broadway. IN one instant there was
not a building on East Broadway that was
in flames, and the next rolling wave Of
FIRE swept across the street and descended
on the buildings In a moment they were
wrapped in fire.
a thousand streams Of water could not
stay the c0nfagration in its march Of de-
structiOn toward the lake. The walls of
three-st0Ty brick building on Broadway,
formerly occupied by the cracker trust but
now vacant, began to tOtter and warning
voices urged the crowd back just in time.
The whole front of the building pitched
into the street.. A few moments later the
sides fell outward with crash.
The people in that part of the Third Ward
then realized that their homes were doomed.
There was a stampede Of residents into the
street, all armed with furniture, cats, dogs
and all manner of household utensils and
bedding, and vehicles of every description
were hurrving away with the belongings OF
people whose homes were soon to be in
ruins.
Meanwhile the flames had gone over the
ground they formerly missed in the store of
J. 2. Kissingef & Co., and the Milwaukee
Art Works in the opposite block, in which
1t had originated. The Wellauer block,
seven stories high. was soon in flames, with
the Milwaukee Chair Company. vacant
building owned by the Pfster 6 Vogel
Leather Company, and the wholesale gro
cery-store OF B0undy, Peckham q Co., and
all on Broadway. The: next building to
succumb was that OF the National Distilling
Company; the whisky trust supply-house.
on Buffalo street.
The wind was still carrying a Thirlwind
of seethng fame on toward Lake Michigan
in a direct line with its starting point and
the scramble began.
Chief of Police Jansen ordered the entire
force TO the fire, and they assisted In getting
out furniture and household goods from
the luckless families, who were forced TO
flee from the path cut out by the flames.
A dozen frame buildings along Milwau-
kee and Jefferson streets, between Detroit
and Chicago, as we'll as those on Buffalo
and Chicago streets, were licked up as if
they had been outlined on paper. All these
buildings were consumed within half an
hour Of. the time when the flames leaped
over Broadway and started In on the Wei
Iauer block
Suddeuly the wind sweeps around as un-
expectedly as before While it was In the
northeast when the first alarm rang, it was
now almost due south, cutting out broad
avenue Of destruction toward the Milwaukee
River and Lake Michigan.
In Its path lay the big freight-sheds and
the yards Of the Chicago aud Northwestern
Railroad. together with the roundhouse
and its valuable contents Of rolling stock
The end Of the freight-sheds at the corner
OF Jefferson and Chicago streets was the
first to ignite and the flames soon spread all
over the yards, burning freightcars and
everything before Ii. The company soon
had force at work saving its property,
and locomotives and many freightcars were
taken out OF harms way.
Having cut its path over to Jackson street
from Broadway. the fire was now following
the south wind down Broadway, down JEFF
ferson street and down Milwaukee street
Along broadway it swept to the Weisel &
BOlter Manufacturing COmpany's plant at
Chicago street and to No. 10 engne-hOuse
on Broadway.
When il reached the Weisel & Bolter
plant the department had prepared TO at
tempt TO cut it off with dynamite. Three
kegs were placed In the building, having
been stored there to await the coming Of
the flames. AS each went off in close sue
cession a cry went up from the thousands
who blocked the streets for radius Of a
mile that the gas works had exploded.
1t was about 80 when The first building
en- the northeast corner Of the Milwaukee
Gas Company's plant began to barn. The
gas works occupy the territory bounded by
Milwaukee, Menominee and Erie streets
and the alley between Jefferson and jack
son streets
The Gas won't ont in MANY parts Of the