The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-08-17
FIRE IN MI NNEAPOLIS
LUMBER YARDS, FACTORIES AND
RESIDENCES BURNED.

The Loss Amounts to Two Million
Dollars and Fifteen Hundred Peo-
PIE Are Homeless-Several Lives
Probably Lost.
Minr eapolis, Aug. 1.-Two million dol
lars worth of property went UP in flames
yesterday Over 200 houses are burned
and at least 1,5OO persons are rendered
homeless. It was a little after 1870
o clock when the Waterman saw a small
blaze on the river side of j. B. Clarke &
Co.'s box factory on the south end of
Nicollet island at the head Of st. Anthony
falls. An alarm, quickly followed by
second and third, was turned in, but by
the time the department. arrived the
fumes, famed by furious south wind,
had gained such Roadway that all the ir4-
men could do was to turn their attention
to adjoining property. Nearly all the
structures in this vicinity We're of wood,
dry as finder, and made splendid fuel for
the flames. Clarke's box factory was
doomed before even a stream of water
was thrown upon it. Next to it on the
north was Lenhart's wagon works and
the, Cedar Lake ice houses, which were
wiped out of existence. Further north
We're Lintges s. Connells boiler works,
and here the heaviest loss on the island
took place. This firm had stock val
ue1 at over $4,000 and not cent Of in
surance The other losers are fairly we'll
insured. While this fire was at it's height
a spark carried high in the air alghted on
Been island, nearly half mile away
above the fire on Nicollet avenue 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 was soon ablaze. 1t was this
spark that caused the greatest loss.
Quickly jumping across the small space
of water separating the island from the
mainland the flames gained footing in
Nelson, Tenney & Co.'s lumber yard,
where there We're piled some 100000
feet Of lumber. The fire worked through
this yard and into that of e. W. Backus
& Co., adjoining. Beyond the lumber
yard were the two mills belonging to E.
w. Backus & Co. OF these nothing re-
main except the smoke stacks and a
mass of twisted machinery and charred
tinhers. j. 8. Chattenton's cedar post
mill went the way of the others, as did
the sash and door factories Of Fulton e.
Libbey and J. r. Wilcox & Co. At the
corner of Marshall street and Thirteenth
avenue northeast stood the mammoth
brewery of the Minneapolis Brewing
company. This, it seemed, must surely
60, but at this time the wind changed,
and, although the brewery was surround
ed by wooden buildings, it was saved.
and this was the only structure be-
tween Sixth avenue and Thirteenth ave-
nue. northeast, and from the river back
to Marshall street, distance of three
blocks, that escaped the fire.
The change in the direction of the wind
lmperriled the lumber yards and mills
on the west side Of the river, and they
were almost at the mercy of the flying
sparks and embers. The 'firemen were
powerless to render any assistance.
for to reach the Plymouth or Twentietls
avenue north bridges it would have been
| necessary to pass through a furnace The
bridges, too, were on fire, and there was
nothing to do but hope for the best until
some apparatus could make detour of
! three miles and reach the fire. The en-
! ployes in the yards, however, had not
beel. idle. They stretched lines of hose,
and any spark that found footing across
| the river was promptly squelched. Along
the east bank of the river were located
| The mills and lumber yards which We're
| many stores and residences Most Of
| them were wooden structures, and gen.
orally occupied by the employees of The
| mills and laboring men. Large numbers
saved their household effects which they
stacked in piles over which they stood
| guard to prevent their being carried
| away by thieves. About o'clock the
! tir" jumped the river and for some time
| thu. west side saw mill district was in
! danger. Fortunately the flames were eN-
! tlrguished before much damage was done.
Hundreds of people were either the re-
clplents OF charity or slept in the open air
! last night. Many saved only the clothes
| Oh their backs.
1t is next to impossible to estimate the
loss. The owners of the property them
selves IN many cases are unable to give
any estimates. Nelson, Tenney & Co.
lose about 100000 feet of lumber and
some wood; Backus & Co., two saw mills
and probably like amount of lumber.
! Their loss will probably be $25O,OOO. A.
u. Wilcox 4 Co.'s loss is about $500, 900,
and Fulton & Libbey's about the same.
The bottling works and stables of the
Minneapolis Brewing company are burned
and the loss will be about 100000. ALE
were well insured. On the small build
inys the loss can be only estimated There
are probably 200 small buildings burned.
together with their contents The dam
age to Clarke's box factory is estimates
at $4,000; insured. ~ ..-Ss,s
Thomas Salone, seventy years of age.
fell dead from heart disease, caused by
excitement Several fremen were slightly
injured. 49,
It is reported that several lives We're
lost, but the rumors have not been veri-
ned The body of a boy was found in the
DEBRIS. Several firemen We're injured
but not fatally.
i $&# - DENSE roc @[n. ~