River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-05-25
AGlNAW'S WOE.
The Beautiful Michigan City Visited by a
Confagration which Destroys Properly
Worth 100000.

The Beautiful Michigan City visited by q
Confagrstion which Destroys Properly
Worth 100000.
SAGINAW, Mich, May %. Saturday
afternoon the metropolis of the Sagi-
nav valley was visited by the worst
confagration in her history and one
of the most destructive which ever
visited any city in the state.
The loss will amount to about
$4,000 The total insurance will
aggregate about 5000. 900. The extent
of territory which was burned is about
twenty-five squares. and includes large
portions of the Sixth and Seventh wards.
This territory was swept nearly clean
of every building. A close estimate
places the number of buildings de-
stroyed at 275. Over 200 families are
homeless, and 500 men are thrown out
of employment.
The first alarm was turned in at 3:45
o'clock from box 81 The department
was called TO the mill of Sample &
Camp on what is termed the middle
ground, " south of Bristol street and on
the east side of the river. just how the
fire started is not certain, but il is sup
posed it caught from sparks, possibly
from a passing tug boat. This build
ing was not occupied and the loss was
few hundred dollars.
A strong gale from the southwest
drove the flames to 200, 900 feet of lum-
Der owned by Brown 81 Ryan. The
sparks from this set fire to the eastern
span of the Bristol street bridge, burn
ing it down and cutting off
street railway communication.
From the bridge thence the
flames leaped to the east side, just be-
low Bristol street and north of the city
hall, where were located large num-
Der of buildings, including hose house
No 6, j. f. Winkler's ice houses, all
residences on Tilden street, and on both
sides of Washington avenue down to
Holden street. These were quickly
licked up.
Then the sparks were carried across
the old bayou into the premises of the
George +. Cross Lumber company, the
PlaningMill Lumber company, the
yard and a dozen tenement houses
melting like snow. Next came the
Arlington & Curtis Manufacturing com
pany's extensive plant and Passolt'ssoap
factory, all of which were wiped ont.
Here the fire struck jefferson avenue,
and in an hour some of the finest
residences in the city were in ashes,
the sweep being north TO Emerson
street, where the fire continued east
ward south of and along Emerson street
out toward the city limits. 1t cut a
wide swath on Owen, Howard, Sheri-
dan and Warren avenues and other
streets east st. Vincent's orphans
home succumbed early, but the inmates
We're all 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.
An old man named Robert Turner
80 years OF age, lost his life, his body
being found in front of his residence
burned to a crisp. This is the only
known casualty, although several per
sons are reported missing. People
were frenzied in their desire to remove
household effects and everything
in the shape of vehicle was
pressed into the service.
A partial list of the losers is as fol
lows:
f. German loss s325 600 insurance s31 900:
J. f. Winkler, loss S20 OOU. insurance 5000; l..
l. Holden loss $1,000, insurance IS O00; Thorn
as Steele loss $4,000, no insurance; +. II.
Ketchum, loss $4,000. insurance S0.500; w. Ii.
Presser, loss $1,000 partially insured; II. Pas
soil, loss 5000, partially insured; Peter Nc
Arthur. loss ST., 600, fully insured; ). Gasoline,
loss 5000. insured; George b. Brooks, loss
81, 600, insured; John Otto Jr., E. r. Ayres G.
A. Mitchell, ID. f. Skinner, Horace Johnson,
Charles Holland, Frank Plnmb, d. A. SwintOn.
*. Blakely, Nicholas Schneider, w. g.
Dalke, H. N Doty. w. y. Cooper j.
r. Cooper, A. Simpson and about thir
ty others losses each from $4,000 TO $4,000 AZ
partially insured; the ' ey Machine company
loss $4,000: insurance MT known; Cross Lum-
Der company, loss $50 600; Abingdon Curtis
Manufacturing company, as 900, both well in
.