St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-09
The Great Conflagration at
Fargo Much Larger Than
First Reported.
Almost a Clean Sweep Of the
Business Houses Along
the River.
Hundreds Of Homeless Peo-
pie Being Cared for by
the More Fortunate.
fhe Insurance Small - Help
Being Proffered by
Other Towns,
lpecial to the Globe.

Other Towns,
= lpecial to the Globe.
FARGO, n. D., June 9.-The homeless
people of this city did not come to full
realization of their tremendous loss un-
til the rising of the sun this morning.
Nearly forty business blocks were found
10 be burned, and more than 200 resi-
dences, the total loss footing far above
S3,O0O,OOO. Three thousand people were
made homeless by the great cOntlagra-
ton. But few of the people, aside from
the women and children, slept last
night. The school houses, churches
and public buildings LETT standing were
all utilized as places of shelter, and 1t
cannot be said one of the hundreds
driven out by the flames suffered for
the wart of shelter.
The Good Women
of the town turned out in brigades and
organized to feed the unfortunate ones.
Early this morning relief trains, with
meat, flour and other provisions, began
to arrive, and it is said Minneapolis, st.
Paul, Chicago, Duluth and Milwaukee
and other big cities Will send liberal
contributions of food Clothing is much
needed, although there is no actual suf-
fering for food. All night people were
in panic, as the flames seemed not to
diminish, while the sky was lit by the
great flames, making the night almost
clear as day. The relief corps organ
lied here received many reports of peo-
pie who are missing, and without doubt
it will develop a number of lives have
been lost. The tiremen might as we'll
have
Fought Against Niagara
rs battle with the flames which. driven
by fierce south gale, swept through
the city like prairie fire. The fire was
under control by o'clock this morning,
though still number of fires were
burning in different parts Of the city.
There will be no more damage unless
strong wind from the north should
send the cinders back on the un-
burned district. The statement is given
out that a meeting of insurance men
estimated the loss of insured property
at 81, 500, 600, and 5000 more on resi-
dences in the outskirts uninsured.
Rates have been so high that but little
property is insured for over one-third
of its value.
The feeling of confidence appears
much stronger as the day advances. A
number Of business men are already
making arrangements to have gangs of
men commence clearing away the de-
brs from the lots. and have given ar
chitects orders to get out
Plans for New Buildings.
Some of the heaviest losers by yester-
days blaze today say they will rebuild
as soon as possible better structures.
No bank vaults will be opened before
tomorrow. The district burned over is
all the territory north of the Northern
Pacific track and up to the Great North
ern track. 1t is three blocks wide and
five blocks long. Within that radius
were all the principal business houses,
banks and number of the hotels. All
these buildings were burned with one
exception. The opera house is burned.
five bank buildings, the trust building,
Columbian hotel, the big grocery house
just across from that hotel, the Fargo
Loan and Trust company, Sherman
house, the great warehouses of McCor-
mick and Deering, with all their con-
tents; the McGill warehouse and all the
residences. The fire started
In Small Restaurant
on Front street, and, as the wind was
blowing gale, the flames went at once
across the street to the McGill ware
house, and that burned with great fury.
III the warehouse there was large
quantity of binding twine, said to be as
much as seventy carloads, and this
burned. The blazing balls of twnie were
carried by the wind through the
air, and helped to spread the
fire. Much of the hose that the
fire department was using was
burned and crippled the efforts of the
freIiien. The fire did not cross the
the river to Moorhead. The dsreputable
district known as "Hell'S Half-Acre''
was burned. The wind blew a gale all
last night, and then a few drops of
rain fell and the wind died away.
All the hotels except the Headquarters,
all the banks except the Firt National,
all the groceries except YerXa's and
Geary's, all the secret society halls and
all the machinery warehouses except
Walter A. Woods and the Monitor Drill
are burned to the ground.
Six Fire Companics
were here from surrounding towns. AS
the passengers oh either the Northern
Pacific or the Great Northern trains
enter Fargo a scene of desolation
greets the eye. From the former
the passenger looks north for
blocks. seeing nothing but smok-
ing heaps of ruins for
space of five blocks wide. From the
latter the ground is burned over both
sides of the tracks, much OF the space
being swept almost smooth by the fiery
blast. The wind had full sweep, and
it picked up the burning embers, drop
ping them quarter Of mile to the
WiIdWard.
Big Crowds ofPeople
came In from the surrounding country
OH all the trains today, to look after
their friends and relatives and prop
erty. 1t is next to impossible to get
messages sent by telegraph, as only one
wire is in working order.
The five carloads of twine stored in
the Mccormick warehouse were still
burning fercely at daylight. Some
queer shapes of melted glass can be
picked up around the Forum office,
where the fire was as hot as anywhere.
Up to 3 O'Clock the corner of the Citi-
zeES' bank Was still standing. The