The record-union., 1893-06-08
Special to the RECoRD-UNToN.


street, At O'Clock the fire had reached
the Great Northern tracks, ten blocks
north, cutting the entire district three
blocks east to Broadway. A strong fight
was made to prevent the flames crossing
to the west side of Broadway, but by 4
O'Clock they had crossed in several places.
The telegraph wires are all burned so
it is impossible to reach Grand Forks or
Hillsboro to ask for help. Probably two
thousand people are homeless. The fire
crossed the river to the Moorehead side.
At Fargo the roller mills were burned.
Among the principal firms already
burned are: Hersan, dry goods; Cranes
restaurant; Magill, farm machinery;
Northern Pacific elevator buildings;
Western Union Telegraph Office Nor
ton, real estate; Red River Valley Ma
tional Bank, Daily Forum, Merchants
State Bank; Opera-house; Tyler, real
estate; plant of Mccormick; Walter a.
Woods, Minnesota Chief; John Deering,
implement warehouses; Coles livery;
Grand Hotel; Fleming's drug store;
Veder 81 Lewis, groceries; Christians
drug store; Sheridan HOTEL Appel Bros,
Minneapolis Drygoods Company; Lo-
gan's studio; American Iron Works;
Continental House; Van Brunts imple-
nent warehouse.
A strong wind made the fire travel so
quickly that hardly anything was saved.
The flames went through brick build
ings as easily as wooden ones. The loss
will be over 100000, as practically the
entire business district of the city has
been Quilted already.
At 10 o'clock tonight the fire was still
burning in a couple of dozen places. The
wind changed to the north, and was driv-
ing the flames back on the burned dis
trict. a block in the middle of the city
from Robert and Front streets south, four
blocks wide and ten blocks long, is
blackened PLAIN of ashes, with not a
dozen buildings standing. The fierce
south wind drove it like prairie fire.
Brick buildings seemed to melt away into
heaps of crumbling sand, and it was i'm
possible to force enough water through
the mains to fight the fire.
a conservative estimate of the loss at
10 O'Clock is $1,000, 600, with not to exceed
one-quarter insurance.
Plenty of help is now there. Grand
Forks, Wapeton and Casselton sent hose
companies.
Over three thousand people are tonight
homeless, and it is almost impossible to
verify reports of accidents. James f.
Lynn, the Swear son of a former al
derman, is reported burnt, also three
children. Photographer Gilbert and an
unknown man were cut off from the
stairs in the third story OF the Chaplin
block, trying to save property.
Practically only one hotel is left in
town-the Headquarters. The fire burnt
all around it, but so far it has been saved.
Only one restaurant has been left in
own. The Moorhead hotel is already
full. A large number of people will
sleep in the Courthouse and school
houses on the south side.
President Hill wired to open the Grand
Pacific Hotel at Moorhead for firemen.
Only two grocery stores are left in town.
The fire was started by hot ashes from
the Gem Restaurant, thrown out behind,
igniting some loose paper back of Hose
mans dry goods store. Somebody left
the front door open, and inside of two
minutes the wind drove the flames
through the buildings and out of the
roof In the next fifteen minutes the
flames ran two blocks west, taking brick
buildings and all, then jumped across the
street to McGilPs big machinery ware
house.
North and east of this two blocks each
way, are big machinery depots, mostly
two-story wooden buildings. and at this
time of the year, are filled to the roof
with the years supply of farm machin-
cry for North Dakota. First on one roof
and then another the tongues of flame
broke out as the whIrling fire flakes
settled on the shingles. Inside of half
al hour the whole space of four blocks
was a whirliug flame. the property con-
sumed being valued at a million and a
quarter of dollars.
The only machinery houses so saved
are Walter A. Woods and Monitor Press
Drill. The firemen tried to contine the
flames south of Northern Pacific avenue.
but failed. The Opera-house block was
soon burned. while the Grand Hotel was
burning to the east.
The flames shot over Front street.
burning barns and then the Fargo Forum
Office. The printers had just time 10 lock
the forms, while the office force kept
back the flames. 1t had been expected
that the three-story brick building of
the Red River National Bank would ar
rest the flames, but it went in fifteen
minutes.
The fire burned rapidly up the east side
of Broadway, but was confined to that
side street. II then went through the
residence district north of the Great
Northern track, making a clear track
five blocks wide and ten blocks long.
while isolated fires could be seen over a
mile north, caused by lying cinders.
The wind shifted again and the flames
caught the Minneapolis and \ Northern ele-
vator, containing l0O, 900 bushels of wheat.
The north side school and Great North
ern depot also caught, but the flames in the
latter were extinguished. On the east side
of Broadway large number of business
houses and the Fargo Republican office
were burned.
The flames being at last across Broad
way, soon made short work of two
blocks between the Mears' and Citizens
Bank. Just further west were the three
story brick Chaplin block. the four-story