The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-08-03
CHIClCO1S Big BLAZE,
Damage to Lumber Firms Will Aggre-
gate More Than Two Million
Dollars.
SIXTY ACRES BURNED OVER.
Four Persons Lost Their Lives and
Several Firemen We're Severely
Injured.

se3 ~ i
CHICAGO, Aug. 8.--The go acres OF
lumber In the district over which the
are swept are still smouldering. All
over the district between Blue Island
avenue and the river, and Robey street
and Ashland avenue, the yards are COW
cred with smoking piles Of lumber and
wrecked buildings, and dstreams of water
were poured over the ruins all day. The
total loss is estimated at close to 81, ,0O0,-
900, and the burned property was largely
insured.
These concerns were cleaned ont by
the flames and everything contained in
their yards has been utterly destroyed:
8. K Martin Lumber company; Brow q
Richards Lumber company; Wells b
French company, carbuilders; Perley,
Lowe & CO., lumber; Shoemaker d
Highbee, lumber; John Spry Lumber
company; Edward Hines Lumber COM
pany; Conway 3 Co., cedar posts;
w. c. B. Palmer, cedar posts; Whit
comb Cedar Post company; Liemens q
Halske, manufacturers Of dynamos.
The Burnsd District
is about six squares from east to west
and about three from north to south.
The greatest portion Of the district
bounded by Blue Island avenue, Lincoln
street, the river and Ashland avenue
was burned over and 40 acres Of lumber
yards are nothing but smoking embers.
The fire was discovered by o watch
man. He saw blaze ON the outside OF
the fence ON the east side Of Lincoln
street near a shingle shed belonging 90
8. X. Martin d Co. He turned In an
alarm, but before the first engines ar-
rived tbs shingle shed was . mass IT
flames which had communicated 10 the
surrounding lumber piles. The Martin
yards are 2,600 fest long ~ so Wide,
ana the flames originated in exactly the
right sp0k Cor the
stFong Nsrthwest wipd
which was blowing ak the time 10 carry
them through the entire length and
breadth of the yards. The wind drove
the flames 90 fiercely that the first en-
gines which arrived were utterly help
leas and call after cali for additional
help was made until over 90 0engines and
three fire boats were at work ON the
FIRE. Il il not likely that even they
would have counted for much had not
the wind died away after the IRE had
been burning an hour. The course or
the flames was southeast and east for
the first 46 minutes and they literally
licked mp everything in their path.
Piles Of lumber, lath, shingles and ce-H
dar posts were swallowed mp
with nm Appalling Rapidity,
and for time it seemed as though the.
entire lumber district of the city, which
stretches mile to the south and as far
to the east Of the burning yards, must
be consumed. The wind, however, sud-
denly changed at $50 o'clock and began
to blow from the south and with much
less violence than before. The flames
started rapidly north again and burned
back TO q line level with its starting
point.
Four Were killed.
The list Of dead SO far as known is as
follows:
Lieutenant John McGinn OF fireboat
Geyser; burned, died at county hospital.
William Wollenfell, 1888 Onion avenue
struck by cap blown from engine No,
50; knocked into the river and diowned,
body recovered.
Unknown man, knocked into river
and drowned.
Unknown boy, II years old; burned
to death.
Besides these, there were several fire.
men severely injured.
The total number of men thrown ont
of employment by the fire Il z, 100, and
the destruction was so complete that III
viii be weeks before most Of them can
be given work BY the firms which SUI.
fered.