The herald., 1894-08-02
CHICAGO LUMBER FIRE.
Loss Will Probably Reach
$1,50O,00O.
One Man Drowned Another
Will Die.
Several Firemen Ipjured-Fire Boats
and Engines Crippled.
The Firemen wers Forced to Run for
Their Lives-A Partial List
Of tho Losses and
Losers.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, Aug. 1.-The lumber district
of Chicago was tonight visited by ono OF
the most disastrous fires in its history.
and the loss will probably foot up Do
tween 81 200. 900 and 81. 800, 900. although
it will be "a hours before the damage
can be estimated with accuracy. The
following concerns were entirely cleaned
out by the f1amess
s. J. Martin Lumber, Brown & Rich
ards Lumber, Williams & French COM
pany, car builders; Herlee, Lowe d 70.
Lumber company, Shoemaker q Higbes
Lumber company, John Spry Lumber
company, Edward Hinoh Lumber COM
pany, Conway & Co., cedar posts; W. ..
B. Palmer, cedar posts; Whitcomb Cedar
Post company, Liemans & Halsk, man
ufsoturers Of dynamos.
The burned district is about six
squares from east to west and three from
north to south. The greatest portion of
the district is bounded by Blue Island
avenue, Lincoln street. the river and
Ashland avenue. Forty acres Of lumbe
yards are nothing but smoking embers.
The Martin yards are $500 feet long by
500 feet wide, and the flames originated
in exactly the right spot for the strong
northwest wind which was blowing
at the time to carry them through
the entire length and breadth
of the yards. The wind drove the flames
30 fiercely that the first engines which
arrived were helpless. and call after call
for additional help was made until over
30 engines and three fire boats were at
work, Piles of lumber, lsth and shin
VIA Win and csafF Roskts Nsls aoT far
time it seemed as though sAs finest
lumber district in the city. whirh
reaches mile to the south, would be
consumed. The wind. however, sud
denly changed at 9 80 O'Clock, and began
to blow from the south, and with less
violence than before.
The flames started rapidly north, and
burned back to q line level with its
starting point. The sudden change in
the direction of the flames caught sew
ersl engine companies unprepsred, and
the mon were compelled to run for their
lives. No engines were abandoned, but
three of them had close calls, horses
and men narrowly escaping death. The
fire boat Yosemite was at work in one of
the slips when the direction of the fire
changed, and the long tongues which
sh0t over made it necessary that she be
removed at once. She was gotten out of
the way, but she was severely Hoorched
in several places.
The fire boat Geyser had also close
call, but ran through the fames, which
leaped over the ship and eecaped un-
harmed. Two of her men, John Nc
Gain and Thomas freezing, were badly
burned while fighting the fire. A large
"Siamese" hose which they were hold
ing got away from them and knocked
them over the side of the boat upon a
pile of cedar posts few feet away.
Their injuries are not fatal.
In addition to the firemen injured, the
following casualties occurred:
Ottor Rafer, fell from lumber pile,
back broken, will die.
Unknown man, struck On head by
flying cap from engine, knocked into the
river and drowned.
1t 10 extremely difficult to obtain an
estimate of the Losses, but the following
are believed to be about correct:
s. ]. Martin company, $500, 900; Wells
French company, $500,00O; Slemens &
Halske, $500. 900; Perlee, Lowe & Co.,
$l45 900; Shoemaker & Higbee, $l25,-
600; John Spry & Co., $4,000; total,
s. ,595, 600.
At midnight tonight 1t seemed likely
that the fire would get no further east
and at / am. it was slowly decreasing,
but it will not be burned out before to-
morrow night. Total loss, 81 ,673 100.