The morning call., 1894-08-02
LUMBER ON FIRE.
Flames Driven by High
Winds.
FIREMEN FLEE FOR LIFE.
And Boats Run Out of Immi-
nent Danger.
CHICAGO HOLDS HER BAD LUCK.
But for a Favoring Element the
Damage Would Have Been
Much Greater.


the most disastrous fires in its history, and
the loss will probably foot up between
$1,000, 600 and $1.600.000. although 1t will
be twenty-four hours before the damage
can be estimated with accuracy. The
following concerns were entirely cleaned
out by the flames:
S. K. Martin Lumber Company: Williams
81 French Co., ear-bulders; Perlee,
Lowe & Co., lumber; Shoemaker &
Hgbee Lumber Company; John Spry
Lumber Company; Edward Hinch Lum-
ber Company; Conway & Co., cedar
posts; W. c. 3. Palmer, cedar posts :;
Whitcomb Cellar Post Company; Siemens
& Halske, manufacturers of dynamos.
The burned 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 Ash
land avenue was burned over, and forty
acres Of lumber-yards are now nothing
but smoking embers. The Martin yards
are $500 feet long by 300 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 so
fiercely that the first engines which ar
rived were helpless, and call after call for
additional help was made until over fifty
engines and three freboats were at work.
Piles of lum Der, lath, shingles and cedar
posts were swallowed up with an appal-
ling rapidity, and for time it seemed as
though the finest lumber district in the
city, which reaches mile to the south,
would be consumed. The wind, however,
suddenly changed at 9:30 o'clock, and
began to blow from the south and with
less violence than before. The flames
started rapidly north and burned back to
line level with their starting point.
The sudden change in the direction of
the flames caught several engine COM
panies unprepared, and the men were
compelled to run for their lives. No
engines were abandoned. but three of
them had close calls, horses and men mar
rowly escaping death. The ireboat Yo-
semitic was at work in one of the slips
when the direction of the fire changed,
and the long tongues which shot over her
made it necessary that she be removed at
once. She was gotten out of the way, but
not before she had been severely scOrched
in several places. The freooat Geyser had
also a close call, but ran through the
flames. which leaped out over the slip, and
escaped unharmed.
Two of her men. John Mccain and
Thomas freezing. we're badly burned
while lighting the fire. A large ''Sismese"
hose which they were holding got away
nd a6 q
side of the boat upon pile Of burning
cedar posts few feet away. Their in
iuries are not fatal In addition to the
iremen injured the following casualties
occurred:
Otto Raff1er fell from lumber pile.
Back broken ald will die.
An unknown man was struck on the
head by a flying cap from a fire engine.
knocked into the river and drowned.
EPeter Phelan. pipeman, inhaled hot air
and badly burned.
Unknown boy, showed into the river by
the crowd and drowned.
Al II o'clock the fire was still burning
fercely. with the probability of burning
for twelve hours more. 1t Is extremely
difficult to obtain an estimate of the
losses, but the following are believed to be
about correct: S. K. Martin Company.
$500, 600; Wels-French Company. $500, 900; !;
Siemens & HaIske, $500, 900; Parlee. Lowe
& Co., S145.0OO; Shoemaker & Higbee.
$125, 600; John Spryl & Co.. $4,000.
Conway & Company. 100000; Edwin
Hines Lumber Company. $10.S00; Farnum
Foundry Company, $500.
Chicago Stove Works. $3.50, 900; Barbour
Asphalt Company, 100000; total. $1,673,-
100
Nearly all the firms are heavily insured.
The loss of S. K. Martin & Co. is esti-
mated by Mr. Martin to be $3.50, 900. He
said at midnight: Il had in my yard
81, 600. 600 feet of lumber, easily worth
SS0O,00O. A peculiar phase of the
thing is that at midnight tonight
all of nv insurance. amounting to
over 100000, would have lapsed. had
made arrangements to have it renewed
tomorrow, but between midnight trd-7ight
and tomorrow l would have had no in
surance. The fire caught me just five
hours before my insurance was out. and
inside Of an hour all had was gone"
Mr.. Martin declared that before the
fire his lunber-yard was the largest in the
world. "But it don't matter" he con-
tnued, "Pil have another just as large
within short time."
The loss on the SieTens & Halske plant
was estimated by one of the foremen to be
$500, 600, but this is generally believed to
be a great exaggeration. The principal
loss was on machinery, as the building of
the concern was not worth much.
The loss of the Chicago Stove Works is
chiefly in patterns. all of which were
made of white metal and were very valu-
able. Their plant proper was not exten-
sivsly damaged.
At Paulina street the flames broke over
near the river and destroyed the mill Of
the Conway Company, but found poor
food in the blocky cedar posts piled up
over acres of ground at the mill.
CHICAGO. Aug. AT midnight it seemed
likely that The fire would get no further
east and at o'clock ii was slowly decreas-
lug. But it will not be burned out before
fo.morrnW night