The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-01-05
LOSS HALF A MILLION.
THE MILWAUKEE STREET-CAR
BARNS DESTROYED.
Unknown Man Threw Bomb Into the
Main Building, Which Exploded and set
Fire to the Inaerior-Macl,inery and sta
hies Entirely Consumed.


Infested with EirebugS.
At , O'Clock Wednesday morning a
bomb was thr, wn into the main build
ing OF the South Side plant of the Mill
waukee Street Railroad Company.
There was a tremendous explosion. and
in a moment the interior OF the building
was in Il blaze. In few minutes the
fire was beyond control, and in less
tn n an hour the entire plant was con-
sumed, entaiiing "A loss of Soln,00e.
The street railway company's South
Side plant is located Oh kinnikinnick
avenue. 1t includes the immense stor-
age stables for electric motors, the
machine shops, and the stables. In
the Jarn We're thirty new electric mo-
tors. The machine shops Were built
the past season, and were fitted with
very fine machinery for the rebuilding
and repairing Of cars. In the stables
were sixty horses, but these We're gotten
ogt alive. The ears stored ia the build
ing We're valued at $50 900, while the
structure itself is worth at least S6t.
COO. The ma" "hinrry is Nalrcd at fully
! 10000, while the stores of the company
, were kept in the building and were
worth So ,onn. The only insurance car
ricd was on the building and amounts to
Sin,nn0. The barns which were de-
stroved We're the principal depot of the
Milwaukee Street hallway Company,
| and the fire greatly cripI les the com
pany.
WHO tha man is who threw the bomb
is not known. He is supposed to be
the frebug who has started fully a
dozen ether disastrous llazes within u
! month. A Grand Jury will be summoned
a. f,<s
! saw the alleged bomb thrown was Night
/ Watchnan an Worden. lie says that he
was standing near the main doorway
Of the barn IN which the motors AMI
cars were stored There was a nhizz
of som thing through the ar, a fash,
| and tremendous explosion. 1t there
was bomb thrown, which many
doubt, it came through the main
| doorway and struck in the car near
est this entrance. The pro sectile
must have be FL q with some highly
! infiammab'e substance, as hardly ten
| seconds c apsci, ac, ording to the night
wat:hman 5 $, o.y, before nca ly all the
| c:rs in tn building We're in flames.
| Manager Lynn, of the conn., any, is
/ convinced Of the truthfulness of the
watchman story. That there was an
explosion every one in the neighlor-
| hood viii testify. There was nothing
! Of an explosive nature about the plant,
and the electric current was net on, the
machinery at the power-house not be-
ing in operation.
4 small cottage next t. the plant Of
! the street ra!iw company was also
! destroyed. \ wonau res ding III the
! house teeamc paraiyzca and had 10 be
carried out of the house after it was in
I r st,n ,tan Inf
the butcher St,ve Company. which
has ben leased by the Milwaukee
Street Halfway Company, was Slightly
damaged.
| investigation shows beyond doubt
that the fire which Tuesday destroyed
two tanneries, causing a loss Of 81 o.
Col. an by which two lives were lost,
! was incendiary. This is also the ease
with the two fires Oh Sunday. when
Sl?3, 90 worth Of property burned.
Property owners \ armed
There is genuine !irebug scare in
the city, and what is more there seems
10 be good grounds for alarm. Conser-
| vatiye citizens are now thoroughly
| alarmed and steps are being taken to
guard against further loss h.; fire as
much as possible. That incendiaries
are at work is no longer doubted by any
one conycrsant with the circumstances
surrounding many Of the recent fires.
The most glarins ease was that
of the old Keenan, mill. Here
was an unoccupied l,uil'linS close to the
business center. which was used fol
storage purposes AMI in which there
had not been Il Ii. hit or a fire for seTera
years, AMI yet it is suddenly discovt red
to be ablaze on the evening If The cold
est day Of the year. There was not ;
dollar worth of insurance CT the build
ing or its contents. Another fact thai
is now attracting attention is that al
the fires IF mysterious origin have oc'
CURED when the weather was les
suited to their spr, aiding. On rainy
DAYS or when the weather was milo
and no wind III wing there have beer
) 20 fires, excepting those where th'
origin could be clearly Traced. anothe
curious feature is that 80 per sent o
these big fires have occurred in the Sc
ward. So large have been the losse
and SO apparent has it became that in
cendiaries are at work that insurance
men are becoming alarmed, and a nnm
her of outside companies have ordered
their >cai agents to take no more in
! surance here. and in several cases hav,
, ordered them 10 cancel many of thei
risks. Property owners and business
| men are alarmed an.t mass meeting
; will be called to consider the matter.