The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-02
BIG FIRE In CHICAGO.
The Greatest Lumber Yard In
the World Destroyed.
WITH MUCH OTHER PROPERTY.
The Lamber District Damaged 90 the
AmSuns Of 81. 900. ooo-Two Lives
Lost and Several Firemen Hart

CHICAGO. Aug. Line lumber ukstLlct
Of Chicago WAS visited tonighs BY one Of
the most disastrous fires in It's history
The loss will probably foot up nearly
81, SO. co. zfthoilgh il Will be twenty<four
hours before the damage can De estimated
with accuracy The following concerns
we're entirely cleaned o1t By the haznes;
s. h Martin Lumber Company. Brown
q Rienhadt's Lumber Co. Williams &
French Co, PerIes, Lowe & Co. lumber;
Shoemaker & Higbee Lumber Co. John
spry Lafnber Company. Edward Hinch
Lumber Company. Conway 4 Co, cedar
posts: w. c. B. Palmer. cedar posts;
whitcomb Cedar Post Company, Sic
mems 4 Halske. manufacturers OF
dynamos.
The burned district Is about six squares
from east 10 west and about three from
north 10 south. The greatest portion Of
the district bounded by Blue Island av-
enue, 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 800 wide. and the
flames originated in exactly the right spot
for the strong northwest wind which was
blowing AZ the time TO carry them the
entire length and breadth Of the yards.
The wind drove the flames so ferceiy that
the first engines which arrived were help
less, and call after cali tor additional help
was made, until over fifty engines and
three hreboats were working. Piles of
lumber, lath, shingles and cedar posts
were swallowed with an appalling rapid
ity, and for q 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 $3.50 and began to
blow from the south, with less violence
an before. The flames started rapidly
north and burned back to line even with
the starting point The sudden change IN
the direction of the flames caught several
engine companies unprepared, and the
men were com PEELED TO run for their lives.
No engines were abandoned, but three of
them had close calls. horses and men mar
rowiy escaping death. The freboat
Yosemite was at work in one of the slips
when the direction of the fire changed, and
the long tongues which shot over it made
it necessary to remove her at once. She
was gotten out of the way, but not be-
fore che had been severely scorched.
The hreboat Geyser had also q close
call, but ran through the flames
vi hleh leaped out over the slip and escaped
nnhariued. Two of her men, John Mccain
and Thomas freezing, were badly burned
while nghting the fire. A large Slamese
hose which they were holding got away
from them and knocked them over the
side Of the boat upon Pile OF burning
cedar posts q few feet away. Their in
iuries are not fatal. In addition to the
tiremen injured the following casualties
{ occurred. Otto Rafler, fell from lumber
pile, back broken. and will die: unknown
man, struck on the head by flying cap
from fire engine, Knocked into the river
and drowned. Peter Phelan, a pipeman,
inhaled hot air and was badly burned.
An unknown boy Was showed into the
river by the crowds and was drowned. at
II o'clock the fire was still burning fiercely,
with probability of Its blazing for twelve
hours more.
Itis extremely difficult to obtain an
estimate of losses. but the following are
believed to be about corTecti Martin Co.,
$50D, 900; Wells, French Co, $500. 900; Sic
nens q Halske $500. goo; PCrlee, Lowe &
Co, sl450Oo. Shoemaker 4 Higbee. si25.-
oe0: John Spry & Co.. $4,000; total,
81. 585, 600.
Nearly all the firms are heavily insured
The loss of Martin & Co. is estimated by
Mr.. MRpsin to be $3.50, GOO He said
az midnight: 81 hal ia my yard
Sc. 900 GOO feet OF Snmber. easily
worth $4,000. A peculiar phase of
the thing is that at midnight
tonight all my insurance, amounting to
cve9 100000. would have lapsed. / had
made arrangements 70 have it renewed
tomorrow, aud between midnight tonight
aud tomorrow would have had no insur-
Ance. The Ere cAaght me just fve
hours before my insurance was out, and
inside of an hour all had was gone.
Mr.. Martin declares that before the FIRE
bis lumber yard Was the largest in the
world. He will start again. The loss on
the Clemens & HAlske plant was estimated
by one Of the fofemen TO be about 5000
but this Is generally believed 10 be
great exAggerats0n The principal loss
was en- machinery. as the building of the
concern was not worth much. The loss of
the Chicago Stove Works Is chis.iy IN pat
terms, all Of which were made Of
white metal aud were very valu-
able. Their plsnt proper Was not ex.
tensively damaged. Their loss is $3.50, 900.
This makes the total loss 81 ,673. 100 At
Pauline street, the flames broke over near
The river and destroyed the mill OF The
Conway Company. bat found poor food ia
the slocky cedar posts piled up over acres
Of ground az the mill.
At midnight tonight il seemed likely
that the FIRE would get no further east.
and Al / o'clock IL was slowly decreasing.
! bat IN wi.l no, be burned out before tomor.
row might