New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1893-08-16
ACRES In ASH ES.
The Fire at Minneapolis Sunday the
Most Destructive III Twin City
History.
Hundreds Of Houses, Millions of Feet
Of Lumber and Several Mills
Destroyed.
Mon y Loss Amounts to Over Million
Dollars-Of Incendiary
Origin.


disastrous fire in the history of the
Twin Cities was that which swept
down upon Minneapolis Sunday after
noon and in few hours had licked up
over $1,00O,O00 worth OF property and
sacrificed human life to it's fierce fury.
The property destroyed included five
] saw mills, two sash and door factories,
carriage factory, box factory, boiler
factory, two ice houses, brewery
plant, 100 dwelling houses and 100, OOO,-
700 feet of lumber. The district burned
| comprised the lower half of Nicollet
island, all of Boom island and section
'of the city along the east side of the
| river from Boom island to Twenty
second avenue north. The
Heart of the Lumber District
Df the city was the path chosen by the
sontagration, and the lumber and
buildings which had been rendered as
dry as finder by the hot weather of the
past few weeks, was easy iuel to the
flames. and it was beyond human effort
to save them. But the amount of prop
erty destroyed is not the worst feature
, of the ruin and desolation. Fully /. 900
! men are thrown out of employment.
and most OF them lost their homes and
all their earthly possessions in the
flames. The sfl!ction at this time is a
double calamity, and throws additional
gloom over the community. Most of
these men had families dependent on
them for support, and with one fell
ow have been thrown upon the Oh ar
ity of the world.
Carelessness Caused 1t.
The fire started in an ice house on
! NicOllet avenue, where a number of
boys have been in the habit of gather
ing every Sunday to drink and smoke.
They were there Sunday, and the blaze
was doubtless started by a lighted
cigar which had been carelessly thrown
away. It spread with lightning rapid
ity, and in a few moments the whole
building was aflame. A stable filled
with hay in the rear of the ice house
was the next building to go. and in
very short space of time the whole
island was threatened with destruction
| 1t was then the firemen arrived and be-
gan heroic battle with the flames.
Soon breeze, which had been blowing
!, all day began to come in rapid sweeps
and
Carried the Flames
to building after building in swift sue.
cessien. Before the icehouse and stable,
We're half consumed the 2-story frame
ia tory of the Union wagon works was
afire. 1t was old and dry as punk, and
the streams Of water which the fremen
poured upon it were of no avail.
From there the flames quickly
swept to j. r. Clarke's box factory,
which was soon in ruins. Next to
it on the north Lenhart's wagon works.
and the Cedar Lake ice houses were
wiped out Of existence.
Farther. north were Lintge & Gen.
nell's boiler works and here the heay.
lest loss on the island took place. This
firm had stock valued at over $50. 900
and not cent of insurance. The other
losers are fairly well insured.
It was while the fremen were busy
at work on Nicollet island and had
secured final control of the flames. that
q startled exclamation came from: the
thousands of spectators that surrounded
the scene. Some of the fremen stopped
from their labors to look up. only to
discover that the work had only COM
menced. For just then lurid tongue.
Of flame shot up from the midst Of the
lumber yards and saw mills on Boom
island, and soon second alarm went
over the city, calling the fremen to
save that section.
Boom island is several blocks up the
river, and the theory which was at first
suggested that the wind had blown Gin
ders to that section was soon abandoned
when it became known that this second
fire had been
Started by an Incendiary
and was eating its way into the heart Of
the lumter district. A general fire
alarm was sounded, and the whole city
awoke to the realization that it
was threatened with destruction.
Quickly jumping across the small space
OF water separating the island from the
mainland
The Flames Gained Footing
IN Nelson. Tenny & Co.'s lumber yard,
where were piled some 10000, 900 feet
of lumber. The FIRE worked through
| this yard and into that of E.W. Backus
& Co., adjoining. By this time it was
impossible to stop it even had the
| whole department. been on hand.
! Great embers flew through the air and
started fresh fires. The flames were
simply irresistible. Brick and stone
structures fell IS easy victims as the
merest shells. Beyond the lumber
yard were the two mills belonging to
p. w. Backus g Co or these nothing
remain except the smokestaeks and a
mass Of twisted machinery and charred
timbers. j. B. Chattenton's cedar
1 pest mill went the way Of the others,
= did the sash and door factories Of
Fulton & Libbey and J. +. Wilcox s.
Co At the corner Of Marshall street
nd Thirteenth avenue stood the mann
0ssA brewery Of the Minneapolis