The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1893-06-15
FARG0'S TERRIBLE FIRE.
OVER &3,OOO,OOO WORTH OF PROP
ERTY DESTROYED.
Thousands of People Rendered
Homeless and Several Lives Lost
The Work of Rebuilding will Be
gtn at Once. ..-.

gan at Once. ..-
Fargo, N. d., Special, June S-Thc
city of Fargo presents scene of woeful
desolntion. No pen picture can describe
the great devastation by the fire fiend,
! and the people are in despair. The very
heart of the business portion of the city
has been totally DESTROYED and licked
clean off the earth The proud business
blocks, bar ks, stores, in fact every bulid-
ing that was a source of any pride to
the people, is now smoldering in ruins
One hundred and sixty acres of houses
have been burned according to estimates
of en- experienced railroad contractor
About 3 o'clock Wednesday afternoon
the fire alarm was sounded and it was
reported that some ashes thrown from the
Little Gem restaurant on Front street
started the fire in the rear of Herzman's
store The department was promptly on
| hand, but a strong wind from the south
west famed the flames until one blaze
enyeloped the row of wooden structures
east of the Union block adjoining. The
gun store of the Schofields could not be
saved, the fire taking in the contents,
including keg OF powder and innumera-
BILE cartridges. The explosion of the pow
der was followed by the continuous and
repeated crack of the cartridges. The
wind carried the fire across the street.
and soon had reduced Magilrs great
warehouse to a heap of ashes. It then
jumped over the elevator building and
took i'll the frame structures occupied by
Darling, Angels, Francis & Southard,
the Plano people and Johnson & Sons.
The fire then went back, licked up the
telegraph office and doubled it's course
and tackled the Red River Valley Nation
al bank, a brick block across the alley
from Johnson & Sons. Meanwhile sparks
had set the Forum office on fire in dozen
places dozen times. The boys took
blaze; Then came Morton's office, Aliens
plumbing. shop, the Forum, Tyler's and
then the loan agency brick block. In this
We're the Great Northern ticket Office.
On the corner of Northern Pacific avenue
and Broadway the Fargo Loan agency
occupied the first floor and p. Clapp and
NJ. A. Hildreth had Offices up stairs. In
| the basement was Gordons barber shop
and bath rooms. Tue fire destroyed the
| entire block and contents
buildings, all of which went, including
Jewett's. Pickton's, Hildebrant's and the
entire block of machinery depots and
warehouses, Deering's, McCormick's,
buckeye, etc. On the alley east of the
Wood, also machine shop, all of " hich
went 1t was thought for time that
the fire could be stopped at Northern
Paclhc avenue, but it leapad a:'rOss that
vide street de'vouring, the Grand hotel,
Coates barn, the bowling alley, Wynn's
billiard hall, Bowers cigar store. and on
to Broadway into the Merchants bank
and the entire east side of Broadway up
to the Great Northern depot and beyond.
The fire also crossed Broadway into
Holmes clothing store and ran north
rapidly.
Among the Ruins.
Fargo. N. D., Special, June S.-The
| fire is more disastrous in proportion to
the size of the city than the great Chi
cago conflagration 1t originated through
/ the thOughtless act of a careless boy EN-.
ployed in a small restaurant in the busi-
| ness portion of the city. He threw hot
ashes out doors. The wind scattered the
glowing Goals far and wide and in an
| instant the restaurant was in flames
Then the high wind caught burning
boards and hurled them on to the roofs
of the business buildings, which ignited
at once. The fire spread with startling
rapidity and inside of forty minutes half
| q mile of buildings were ablaze, while
| the confusion was frightful. The people
| were almost frantic. and to the general
| horror of the scene lightning and
| thunder storm added it's fury The
| Fargo fire department could not fight the
| fire with any success, and the chief at
once telegraphed to Grand Forks and
| Wahpeton for aid. These departments
| responded to the appeal, but when they
arrived the picture of desolation was
complete. Towards daylight the fire
burned itself out for lack of more ma
terial The lightning having ceased and
all electric wires being down the city was
plunged into inky darkness, and 1.5OO
| people were cropping their way about
hunting for friends and shelter. Some
had succeeded in saving few articles
| of clothing and furniture, and these they
guarded until daylight came. Then be-
| gan the search for temporary accommo-
| dations.
| James j. HIPS Generosity.
| Just in the nick of time came tele-
gram frcm James J. Hill instructing that
the Grand Pacific hotel just across the
| river in Moorhead be opened and placed
| at the disposal of the untortunaTeS. 1t
| was promptly. tiled with homeless peo-
| pie. who but a few hours before had
been happy and well to do citizens The
Great Northern at once rendered the use
| of fifty box cars for storage purposes,
and tonight these are almost filled.
| Only one fatality has been reported
| One man was seen to go into the third
story of a building to rescue his goods
The block was all ablaze and ne paid
no heed to cautionary cries. The crowd
waited for him to reappear, but he
was seen no more. No one in town to-
| night knows who the man was, and it
will probably never be known, for that
building is now a heap of hot embers.
The citizens say the fire spread with
the most astonishing speed. The houses
caught so rapidly that the people We're
thrown into direSt confusion and they
have not vet recovered. The city it en-
tirely upset. 1t is practically dead
letter. No power on earth sOuld have
saved it in the face Of the gale that was
blowing. The Fargo Forum and the Re
publican offices were among the first to
GO. The fire performed several queer
feats. notably that of leaving the Head
quarters hotel untouched. 1t was across
the street from where the fire began and
is a veritable fire trap, Some of the
homeless are now quartered there, others
are with neighbors and still more are
lodged in fiat cars, deserted buildings,
etc. Moorhead generously threw open
her doors. and in fact is turned into a
refuge and hospital,
Many Casualties.
There were many casualties during the
bleze, but it was absolutely impossible
to get names The people are wildly ex-
cited, and do not seem able to give CO.
herent account Of the disaster. The
/ CIedt uSpol, WHICH IlSul
in the path of the fire demon, was saved
by the efforts of the employees, who car
ried water from slough and poured on
it. Thrice it caught on fire and was In
danger of destruction. All wires We're
down until late this evening, and it has
been hard to summon aid. Gov. Burke
is doing all he can, and is cheering the
people on as much 9s he can. While they
are struck dumb with the leveling of their
beautiful city,, they are looking the situa-
ton squalely in the face and trying to be
brave. The scene tonight is a wild one.
The city is in almost total darkness.
The militia is pat1olling the streets and
guarding the safes and vaults of the
banks and trust companies, which still
stand in the midst of the debris. Several
safes were opened and their contents
found burned. Tonight it is reported
that little child was burned to death,
but it is impossible to confirm the rumor,
Late tonight relief meeting was called
by the mayor and in half an hour $4,000