The Bottineau pioneer., 1893-06-10
FARGO TN ASHES.

| ! AAtOO llV AO41IOs
MINaEAPoLIs, June IA special to the
| Tribune from Moorhead, Minn., says: Half
of Fargo IS in ashes. The fire started at 3
o'clock In a restaurant on Front Street. A
| strong wind was blowing from the north. At
O'Clock the fire had reached the Great Nor
| thern track three blocks north, cutting the
entire district for three blocks east to Broad
way. A strong fight was made to prevent
the flames crossing to the west side Of Broad
way, but by 4 O'Clock they had crossed Al
several places. The telegraph wires are all
burned, so that 1t Is impossible to reach any
town except Grand Forks and Hlllsboro to
ask for help. Probably 1000 people are home
less. Fire has just crossed the river to the
Moorhsad side at the Fargo roller mill, which
will burn. Among the principal firms al
ready burned are Herman, dry goods;
Crahe'srestaurant; Masill, farm machinery,
Northern Pacific elevator buildings. West
ern Union telegraph offices; Morton, real es-
tate; Red River Valley National bank, Daily
Forum, Merchants state bank, opera house,
Z. S. Tyler. real estate; Plano, Mccormick,
Walter A. Woods, Minnesota Chief. Desring
and John Deere implement warehouses,
Coles livery, WILSON'S restaurant. Grand
hotel, Fleming's drug store, Yoder & Lewis,
tt,rio Ito nri
dan hotel, Appel Bros, Minneapolis Dry
Goods company, Logans studio, Ames' Iron
works, Continental hose house, Van Brunt
implement ware house. The strong wind
made the fire travel SO quickly that hardly
any thing was saved. The flames went
through brick buildings as easily as wooden
ones. The loss will be over 81, 900 900, as prac-
tically the entire business district OF the city
is Quilted already.
STILL BURNING.
At 10 O'Clock tonight the fire was still burn
ing flercely in a couple of dozen places. The
ing the flames back on the burned district.
A block in the middle of the city from Rob
ert Street and fr~ Mt Street south four blocks
wide and ten long is blackened plain Of
ashes, with not dozen buildings left stand
ing The fierce south wind drove 1t like
prairie fire. Brick buildings seemed to melt
into q heap Of crulnbling sand, and 1t WAS
impossible to force enough water through
the mains to fight the fire. A conservative
estimate of the loss is 81, 100000, with not to
exceed one-quarter insurance. Plentyof help
is now here Grand Forks having sent their
hose companies by special train. Wapheton
hose company made the run in forty-flve
and Casselton sent q steamer
Over three thousand people tonight are homeless.
and it is almost impossible to verify reports of
James Flynn, the s-year-old son of a
former alderman, is reported burned, also three
children. Photographer Gilbert and an unknown
man was reported cut off from the stairs in the
third story Of the Chaplin block trying to save
some Masonic property and perished. Practically
only one hotel in town is left. the He eadquarters
house. The FIRE has burned all around it. but SO
far it has been saved Only one restaurant is
full. Large numbers of people will sleep in the
court house and school houses on the south side.
President James j. Hill wired to open the Grand
Pacific hotel at Moorhead for the fremen. Only
two grocery stores are left in town, one being
Yerxas upon which the principal efforts of two
were directed all the evening in order
to save the Headquarters hotel. The three story
Citizens bank just opened up opposite made a
very hot FIRE, but Yerxa's was saved, thoughs
badly scorched, and had taken fire several times.
The fire started by hot ashes from the Gem res
taurant thrown out behind, igniting some loose
paper back Of Hosman's dry goods store. Some
body left the front door open. Inside OF three
minutes the wind had driven the flames through
the building and they burst out of the roof. Dur
ing the next fifteen minutes the flames RON two
blocks west. . .-.
TAKING BRICK BUILDINGS AND ALL,
then jumped across the street to Magills big
machinery warehouse, containing $4,000 worth Of
twine and 5000 worth of machinery. North and
east of this for two blocks are big machinery
repositories, mostly wooden buildings, and at
this time Of the year are filed to the roof with
years supply of farm machinery for North Dakota
For perhaps a quarter OF an hour the hremen
kept the flames from jumping the railroad track
then first on one roof, then another, tongues Of
flames broke out as whirling flakes settled on the
shingles. Inside half an hour the whole space
for four blocks was whirlwind of flame, property
consumed being valued at a million and half.
The only machine houses saved are the Walter
A. Wood and Monitor press drill. Both were on
fire several times, bnt ilremen saved thsm
The underwriters recently advanced insurance
rates in the city, and citizens retalated by cutting
down the amounts of their insurance. And the
insurance will probably not exceed one-fourth Of
tho amount Of the losses.
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