Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-08-31
A TORNADO or FIRE.


Over Two Hundred Buildings In South
Chicago Burned. Including Dwellings,
Churches, Yards and Docks-Five Thou
saEd Homeless Pe0plo-Graphic Discrtp-
ton of the Spread Of the ConhsgratiOn.
CHICAGO, Aug. 25.-A fire which, in
the extent of territory it covered, riv-
ais Chicago's historic conf1agration, be-
gan in that part of the city, known as
South Chicago, about o'clock yester-
day afternoon. The sc, 900 people COM
prising the inhabitants of the town
were precipitated into panic second
only in this city to that which charac-
terized the confagration of 1871. The
loss is estimated at $3.50, 900, and nearly
5000 people are rendered homeless.
The fire started in three-story brick
building at the corner at Ninety-first
and Superior avenue, and within two
hours had consumed thirty buildings
and five blocks of the greatest indus
trial suburb of Chicago. Among the
first buildings to fall was the First
Methodist church at the corner of
Ninety-frst and Superior avenue, and
the German Lutheran church on the
opposite corner.
Hardly had these more pretentious
structures been leveled to the ground
than the fire was detected blazing in a
dozen places further east. After Supe-
rior avenue the flames reached and
crossed Ontario avenue, Buffalo ave-
nue., Mackinaw avenue and Green Bay
avenue to the lake. The local fire de-
partment was powerless to check the
progress of the fire, and when engines
and fire tugs were sent from this city
their efforts were directed to saving
the immense lumber yards lying within
a few blocks of the fire. The district
between Superior avenue and the lake
was filed with frame structures that
burned rapidly as the strong wind car
ried clouds of smoke laden with sparks
and embers in all directions.
The steeples of the two large
churches had hardly toppled over be-
fore the whole area of five blocks was
full of small fires. AS the pine struc-
lures in which lived the working men
employed in the large steel mills, and
in which the smaller merchants of the
place made their homes, were leveled
in the roaring furnace, those whose
homes had not yet fallen fed with
their families and household chattles
to the other portions of the city.
Before the scores of engines had
made the least appreciate effect upon
the flames, the immense docks of the
Sunday Creek Coal Co. at Harbor ave,
nue. and the river were burning. Over
a hundred thousand tons of coal were
stored in the immense bins belonging
fo oh
feet along the river front.
At the same moment the A. r. Beck
lumber yards on the dock front and al
most as elaborate, were found to be
burning. When the fire began in the
coal yards every engine that could be
spared. and the powerful steamer Yo-
semitic, as soon as it reached the har
Dor, was brought to fight the fire.
The house at Superior avenue and
Ninety-frst street, in which the fire
began, was owned by William ellis
and occupied by him as a residence.
Those who saw the spread of the fire
say that from the three-story frame
structure it sprung to a cottage adjoin-
ing on the west. Brands falling upon
a building at the corner of Buffalo
dSOhuC 1Au A>AhCVy -AASo StICCG, OAC
square further west soon started
blaze which spread north and south on
Buffalo avenue. Continuing from the
center of the fire, at ellis house, four
two-story frame houses on the north
side of Ninety-frst street were soon
swept away.
The flames sprang across Ninety
first street to the north side, where
three frame structures quickly disap-
peared before the sweep of the flames.
South on Superior avenue the two-story
frame house of Squire Mayo caught fire
from the current of hot air and sparks,
and, this structure ablaze. the increas-
ing volume of flame leaped across SUI
perior avenue to the west side, where
q three-story tenement house was soon
in the smoke that preceded
what was now growing to be tornado
of fire.
A dozen houses in the vicinity of SUI
perior avenue and Ninety-first street
had now been swept away in the gust
of the fires whirwind; the early fright
of the people began to give way to the
panic which in another hour precipi-
tated flying army toward the other
portions of the city.
North of Ninety-first street on Supe-
rior avenue, the early stages of the fire
burned five one and one-half story
frame cottages belonging to John
Mason.
Just east of Superior avenue, on the
north side of Ninety-frst street, was
the residence of John Harrington,
which soon melted away, and it was
then that the fire jumped into the
southeast corner of Superior avenue
and Ninety-first street, and the Ger
man Lutheran church was marked by
the long tongues of flame. There was
no hope of saving the church. which,
of wood, was the worshiping
place of many South Chicago people
and pretentious structure.
Following the German Lutheran
church and the school attached to it,
the Methodist church on the northeast
corner of Superior and Forty first
street was next engulfed in the blaze.
Famed by stiff gale from the east,
and afforded much headway by the
lack of protective means, the fire did
disastrous work. Over 900 dwellings
and buildings were laid low, rendering
5, 900 people homeless, aggregating the
total loss far into the hundreds of
thousands of dollars.
Coal Mining Resumed at Pittsburgh.
PITTSBURGH. Kas., Aug. 25.-About
500 miners are at work at Frontenac
to-day, and the hosting of coal is go
ing on as of old. What is known as