The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-05-27
a SEA OF FIRE.

Tefiibie Conaagration =; Saginaw. Miehs
A Mile and q Half of Burning Houses
and Lumber Yards, Involving . Proper
ty Loss OF and One Half Milllons-sev-
eral Persons Seriously Injured and Ono
Life Lost.
SAGINAW. Mich..- May 21.-Saginaw
was yesterday visited by the worst
baptism of fire il ever experienced. IL
was first discovered in the mill plant
of Sample & Camp, OH what is known
rs the middle ground. south of the
Bristol-street bridge. just before .
o'clock, and owing to the strong south
east gale prevailing, spread rapidly,
setting fire to and destroying 100000
feet of lumber on the mill docks owned
by Brown & Ryan. valued at $4,000.
The Bristol-street bridge next caught
and portion of IL was destroyed.
Thence the flames leaped to the east
side just below Bristol street and
north of the city, where are located
large number of buildings, includ-
ing hose house No. 6; thence to VIM
ter'S ice house; all the residences
on Tilton street. and on both sides OF
toiA anu uo" w iioAuth 'N'S
quickly licked up. Then the sparks
were carried across the old bayou into
the premises of the George +. Cross
Lumber Co.. the planning mill, lumber
in the yard and n dozen tenement
houses melting like snow. Next came
the Allington-Curtis Manufacturing
Co.'S extensive plant and Passolts old
soap factory, all of which were wiped
out.
Here the fire struck jefferson ave-
nue., and in an hour some of the finest
residences in the city were in ashes,
the sweep being clean north to Elmer
son street. where the fire continued
eastward. south of and along Emerson
street out toward the city limits. It
cut wide swath on Owen, Howard,
Sheridan and Warren avenues and
other streets east. st. Vincent's or
phan's home succumbed early, but the
inmates were removed to places of
safety. The patients were all removed
from st. Mary's hospital. which was in
extreme danger for a time, but was
saved.
The loss of the Allington-Curtis
company will approximate $40, 900; that
of the Cross Lumber company, $4,000,
and T.. GOrman's planning mill. factory
and 1000. 900 feet of lumber. $3.50, ,0OO
The area covered by the fire was IL
mile and half in length and from two
to four blocks in width. A large num-
Der of fine residences We're destroyed,
over forty of them that cost from So
900 to S:;O.OO0 each. 1t is estimated
that over 80 families are homeless,
and many saved nothing but the cloth
ing on their backs.
John Clark. an cmploye of McClellan's
file factory. was found burned to crisp
in front of his residence on Owen
street. :
One fireman. named McNally. was
severely injured. and many people were
burned and bruised. \ dozen are re-
ported missing. but when the excite
men, is over they may turn up all
right.
II is impossible rs yet to enumerate
individual losses, the closest estimates
place the total loss at sl,5O0.0O0, with
an insurance of less than half that
amount.
The wind was blowing gale in a
northcasterly direction. The sparks
were blown almost to incredible dis
tances. and new fires started up in a
dozen places at once. For Il long time
the fremen fought without making
any apparent hcadway. and it became
necessary to send for aid to Bay City
and Flint. The fire departments OF
those places arrived by special train
and did grand work with the local de-
partmcnt. The citizens. assisted with
wcll-organized bucket brigades. Tho
battle was kept up vigorously. and by
o'clock the flames seemed to be under
control. although number of build
| ingS were still burning.