Griggs courier., 1893-05-26
sAc,NAw.s WOE.
The Beautiful Michigan City Visited BY .
Conhagration Which Destroys Property
WnrAh RQNO nOO


The Beautiful Michigan City visited by .
Conhagration Which Destroys Property
Worth 100000.
SAGINAW, Mich, May s2.-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
5000. 900. The total insurance will
aggregate about s60G, ZOO. 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 S:45
o'clock from box SO. The department
was called to the mill of Sample s.
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 it is sup
posed it caught from sparks, possibly
from q passing tug boat. This build
ing was not occupied and the loss was
q few hundred dollars.
A strong gale from the southwest
drove the flames to zoe, 900 feet of lum-
Der owned by Brown & 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 a 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
Planing-Mill Lumber company, the
yard and q dozen tenement houses
melting like snow. Next came the
Arlington & Curtis Manufacturing com.
pany's extensive plant and Passolts soar
factory, all of which were wiped out
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 q
wide swath ON Owen, Howard, Sheri
dan and Warren avenues and Other
streets east. st. Vincent's orphans
home succumbed early, but the inmates
were all removed to places of safety
The patients were all removed from st
Mary's hospital. which was in extreme
danger for q time. but was saved.
An old man named Robert Turner
SO years of age, lost his life, his body
being found in front of his residenc,
burned to q crisp. This is the only
known casualty, although several per
sons are reported missing. Peopl'
were frenzied in their desire to remove
household effects and everything
in the shape of q vehicle wa
pressed into the service.
A partial list of the losers is as fol
lows:
e. German, loss sso5. 900. insurance e3i 900
J. F. Winkler, loss soo,O0U, insurance s6.aO): L
l. Holden, loss tl7,O0O, insurance Is 900: Thorn
as Steele, loss 0,0OO no Insurance. p. II
Ketchum, loss $4,000, insurance SlO.5O0; w. H
Presser, loss sie,O 900. partially insured: H. Pas
soil, loss 5000, partially insured: Peter Nc
Arthur. loss Sl2 600, fully insured; s. GOseine
loss e5,OQ insured; George II. Brooks. los
5000. insured; John Otto Jr., f. r Ayres, G
A. Mitchell. d. E. Skinner, Horace johnson
Charles Holland, Frank Plnmb, d. A. Swinton
X. Blskely, Nicholas Schneider. w. G
Dalke, IL N. Doty. w. T. Cooper J
F. Cooper, A. Simpson and about thir
ty others losses each from 1900 to $4,000. al
partially insured: the Valley Machine company
loss SIS QUO: insurance not known; Cross Lum
ber company. loss $4,000; Arlington. Curti
Manufacturing company. ss5O00, both well IL
sured