Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-08-17
BIG BR EMLE RIBS
Barely Saved by a Lucky Change
of Wind.
In Two Hours the Whole Ruin
is Wrought.

hlNNbAPOl4lS, N4inn, aug. To- - W.
million dollars worth of property went up
in flames here this afternoon. Over POO
houses were burned and at least 1900 per
sons rendered homeless This is the record
made by the destroying element in the short
space OF two hours.
A kind providence and not the fire de-
partment or the feeble efforts OF owners of
threatened property, saved from destruc-
ton the greater portion OF the menufactur-
ing and residence portions of the east side.
The fire had gained such LeSdway that no
human agency could quench it, and only e
change in the direction of the wind pre-
vented al awful contlagrntion.
1t was a little after 10 o'clock when
watchman saw a small blaze on the river
sido of j. B. Clark ~ Co. q box factory on
tho south end OF Ncollet Island at the head
of st. Anthony Falls. An alarm, quickly
followed by second and third was turned
in, bat by the time the department had ar
rived, the flames, famed by q furious south
wind, had gained such Roadway that all the
frsmen could do was to turn their etten-
ton to adjoining property.
Who're the fire first started is q mystery,
but 1t is thought it originated either in Len
harris wagon works or in an ice house be-
longing to tho Cedar Lake Ice company i'm
msdiately adjoining. Nearly all the struc-
tuTos III luIs NICipiby WeIo VI WOOu, uIy dS
finder, and made splendid fuel for the
Hames
Clark's box factory was doomed bsfore
even a stream Of water was thrown upon it,
Next to it, north, Lenhart's wagon works
and the Cedar Lake ice houses
We're Wiped Out of Existence.
Farther north were Lintjes & Connell's
boiler works. and here the heaviest loss on
the island took place. This first had n stock
valued at over $50, 900 and not cent of in
surauce. The other losers are fairly well
insured.
While this fire was at its height, n spark
carried high in the air elighted on boom
island, nearly half mile above the fire on
Ncollot island. This island is occupied as
wood yard by the lumber firm of Nelson
Tenney ~ Co. No one noticed the spark
fall, but the whole island soon ablaze.
1t was thi. spark that caused tho greatest
loss
Quickly jumping across the small stretch
Of water surrounding the island separating
the island from the main land, the flames
gained footing in Nelson, Tenney x Co. IS
lumber yard, where there were piled soma
10, 600, 900 feet of lumber.
Tho fire fairly walked through the yard
Ind into that Of +. ". Backus IL Co.,
to stop it, even had the whole fire depart
ment been on hand. Great embers few
through the air and started fires many
blocks beyond the places where the firemen
we're at work. The flames wore simply ir-
resistibe. Brick and stone structures fell
before them
as kepdily ns the Iiercst Shells.
Beyond The lumber yard the two
l,,l, e nf
these nothing remains except the smoke
stacks and IA mass of twisted machinery and
charrod timbers. j. i. Chattertou's post
mill went the way OF the others, as did the
sash and door factories OF Fullerton ~ Lib
by and j. +. Wilcox a Co.
Al the corner of Marshall street and 18th
avenue northeast, stood the brewery OF the
Minneapolis Brewing Co. This it seemed
must 20, but at this time the wind changed
aud though the brewery was surrounded by
wooden buildings 1t was saved. 1t is the
oniy structure from the river back to Mar
shall street. distance of three blocks, that
escaped the fire. The big brewery in Il
measure protected the property to the north
Had 1t burned, nothing could have prevent
Ell the fire from running north as far as it
could find anything to burn.
Along the river were situated the saw
mills aud wood and lumber yards and these
too, would have been consumed and nearly
the entire sawmilling industry of the city
would have been destroyed. The change in
the direction of the wind imperilled the
lumber yards and mills on the west side OF
tbs river and they were almost at the mercy
of the dying sparks and embers. The fire
men
PowsT,ess to Render AssistRnce,
Tor to reach the Plymouth and goth
avenue north bridges, 1t would have been
necessary TO pass through furnace, The
bridges wers fire and nothing could bs
done until some apparatus could make a de
tour OF three miles aud reach the fire. The
employees of the yards, however, stretched
lines OF hose and any sparks that found {
footing across the river, wers promptly
uuenched Along the east bank of the rivel
were tue mills and lumber yards which wer,
burned, while east of them were located
many stores and residences which were als'
destroyed,
Most OF them were frame building occu