New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-14
FLAMES IN MINNEAPOLIS.
TWO MILLIONS BURNED UP.
FIFTEEN HUNDRED PEOPLE MADE HOME.
LESS BY A COMPLICATION.
THE FIRE RACES AMONG LUMBER YARDS.
ONLY CHANGE IN THE WIND PREVENTS A
GREATER DISASTER TO THE FLOURISHING
MILL CITY OF THE NORTHwEST-ONE
HUNDRED PEOPLE IN DANGER
FIREMEN INJURED At

HUNDRED PEOPLE IN DANGER
FIREMEN INJURED At
THEIR WORK.
Minneapolis. Minn Aug. l3.-Two million dol
lars worth Of property went up in flames this
afternoon. Over 300 houses are burned. and at
least 800 persons are rendered homeless. This
is the record made by the destroying element
in the short space of two houIs. Providence and
not the fire department or the feeble efforts OF
owners Of Threatened property, saved the greater
portion OF the manufacturing and re'ld"ncc poe
tiOns Of the East Side. Tie fire had gained
such hcadway that no human agency could auench
il. and only change III the direction OF the
wind prevented an awful conflasration.
II was a little after 80 o'clock when II watch
man saw a small blaze on the river side OF
J. B. Clark * Co.'S box factory, on the south
end of Nicolet Islsnd, at the head OF 81 Anthony
Falls. An alarm, quickly followed hy second
and third. was turned in. but by the time the
department had arrived the flames. famed by a
furious south wind. had gained such Roadway
that all the frcmen could do was to turn
their attention to the adjoining property
Where the fire first started is a mystery, but IT is
thought il originated either in Lenharts wagon
works or in an icrhou.e belonging TO the Cedar
Lake Ice Company Immediately adjoining. Near
" all the structures in this vicinity were OF WOOD
dry as tindcr and made splendid fuel for the
flames. Cark's box factory was doomed before
oven a stream of water was thrown upon II. Next
10 il. north Icnharts wagon works and the
Cedar Lake icchouSes were wiped ont oi eN-
is,encc Further north are LintJcs & Connelrs
boiler works, and here the heaviest loss on the
island took place. This firm had stock valued
at over $4,000 and not a cent of Insurance
The other losers are fairly well insured
\ SPARK CAUSES THE HEAVIEST LOSS.
While this fire was at its height a spark carried
high in tho air alghted on Boom lssind. nearly
half a mile above the fire on NicoIet Island
This island il occupied as wood yard by the
lumber firm of Nelson, Tcnney Co. No one
noticed the spark fall, but the whole island was
soon ablaze II was this spark that caused the
greatest loss Quickly jumping across tn" small
stretch ~ water separating the Island from IN"
main land, the flames gained a footing in Nelson.
Tcnney & co.'s lumber yard. wh"r" there were
pitI some I0.o0o.oo0 feet Of lumber III"
fire. burned through this ward and into that of T..
W Backus a Go adjoining. Bv this time II wa
impossible 70 stop it, oven had tho whole fire de-
rartmcut been on hand Great "mbers flow
through the air and started fires many block.
prcl, and stone structures fell "a easily the
r,c,cst shells Rryond the lumber yard werc
,bc two mills belonging TO T.. ". Backus & Co.
or these nothing remains except the smoke
stacks and mass of twisted machinery and
charr.d iimbcrs j B Chattcntons postmll
went tie way Of the others. rs did IN" sash nd
door factories Of Fulton a Libb"y AMI j. W.
Wilcox 4 Co
A. Marshall-st and Thrtccnthavc Northeast
stood the mammoth brewery of tn" Minneapolis
Rrcwing Company. 1h-. II seemed, would surely
90 I;ut al this time the wind changed, aud al
tbouoh th. brewery was surrounded 10y wooden
bindings it was saved and il i. the only strnrnr"
! Ietvc..n the river back To Minhall i dlNf1rc"
Of thrc" blocks. that escaped III" hr" Inc "'S
brewery acted sort of shield. ana III a mos
nro protected the property To the norm I''"
il burned nothing could have prevented the me
from running north 10 far as II could ma any
tLIns 70 burn Along the river were situated 'h'
savmills and wood and lumber YARDS ana 'Il''S''
too would have gone III" way Of th" others ana
nca,lv the entire sawminc Industry of the clfy
would have been destroyed.
SAVED BY CHANGE IN THE WIND
Tho change in the direction of the wind imp"r-
illcd the lumber yards and mills on the west II
of the river and they We're almost az the mercy oI
the nying sparks and cmb"rS. Inc hrluS'N "'i'
on fire. and there WAS nothing 10 do but 10 h"P'
for the best until some apparatus 'oHu h"N'
circuit of three miles and reach Nh" IN" Inc "i'
rIov.s Of the yards. however had not h"h i'l'
TLev stretched lines Of hose, and any sparks tla'
e..nd , fo,tinc across the river were promptly "N-
tincnisT,d Along the east bank of th" river arr
I.oa,od ,bo mills and lumber yards which w"r"
burned. while east Of them were many stores ana
dwellings, Most of chem were fran" p"ldhS7'
occIpicd bv the employees e the mills ana lap"rhl@
mon. Few owned their dwellings and their prIhcl
pal losses will hc their personal elects 'i''s"
numbers saved their household goods, when '"'N
.a,,cl.d i, niles over which they stood guard TO
nrcrcnt their being carried away by thieves. NJ
fine hrcw.rv where the fire was ch"rRr1 th' P"-
nle did much to ai III" ircm"n WIN Sau'"
hos. and buckets they cvtlneui-hcl all mcp"nt
hlazos and with tn" chang" in Tn" winds ~, "''',
ocr was practically over and ia" fire was allowed
to burn t~'li ont
St Paul sent two engine companies in response
to calls for assistance A. yet no loss of life Is
and il is believed that all the oc"u-
uants Of the houses escaped with their ives
II is rumorcd that two or three men were p'hhcn
in hv the flames while trying 10 rescue some ol
their property.
II is almost impossible TO estimate tn" loss
I h. owners OF the property themselves IN many
co.c. are unable to give any estimates. N''"n'
Icnncy a Co. los. about 10000 feet of lump'r
and some wood Bacllus a Co. two sawmlllS ana
probably "A like amount of lumber. Their loss
will probably he az least $4,000. H. a. VIII
cox A Co.'S loss is about 100000 Fulton
I ibbcy's about the same The bottlns works
and stables of the Minneapolis Brewing 'oin-
lany ar. burned, and the loss will bc at least
$500, ,OCO. They were well insured. ON small
the loss can only he estimated. lhrrc
are probably 200 small buildings burned. together
with their contents.
The damage to Clarks hoX factor on Nicohe'
Island is estimated at SjO,0o0 insured.
Thomas Saonc, AN old man seventy years old'
fell dead from heart disease caused hy excite
m"nt Several remen were slightly lnInr.d
About & o'clock the fire Jumped the river. AMI