Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-08-15
A SIS, 600 CONFEDERATION.
THE GLOBE MILL PLANT TOTAL.
LY DESTROYED SUNDAY.
A Serious Loss to WatertOwn' Busi-
ness and Manufacturing Interests.


Assistance from Oconomowoc
Insurance Companies Involved.
The most disastrous confagration
| that has oYertaken Watertown in re-
cent years occurred last Sunday by the
burning of the Globe Touring mill and
elevator. 1t was few minutes past
the noon hour when the alarm sound
| ed, and a great concourse of people,
mostly in Sunday attire, hurriedly gath
cred on the scene and viewed with
expressions of regret the hasty work of
| devastation. AS the great clouds of
| suffOcating smoke rolled to the skies
| from the uppermOst parts of the build
| ing, each moment becoming denser
and denser, the small chance of saving
the mill became apparent, and many
lent helping hand, with no thought
for the despoilment of their Sunday
best, to the work of salvage instituted
among the manufactured flour and
other millstutfS contained in the ware
houses adjacent 10 the burning proper
tY. This stuff was for the most part
safely removed. being loaded into box
cars standing on the sidetracks and
taken out of harms way.
Adjoining the mill on the east was
the large iron-bound grain elevator,
| and there were also several warehouses
| close at hand. After the fire depart
lnent arrived no time was lost in get
ting to work on the burning building,
and In just six minutes after the alarm
was sent in, by actual time, the Phoe-
nix company had two streams of water
from the Silsby engine playing on the
fire, and the Anchor company two
more from the Ahrens engine in four
teen minutes. The fremen worked
hard to gain control of the flames, but
it was very difficult fire to fight and
their efforts were seemingly without
avail. The blaze spread rapidly and it
became evident that the mill would be
a total loss, the dry and combustible
character of the contents making good
food for the flames. 1t was with diff
Guilty and at great disadvantage that
the tiremen worked at ALL amid the
suffocating clouds of smoke and the
fear that was prevalent of au explosion
taking place in the mill which would
blow the building to atoms, and they
are entitled to much credit for facing
the dangers SO braveIy and working so
untlringly and zealously No more
than they did could be expected of
volunteer department.
When the fire had progressed suffi-
ciently to make its way in sheets of
flames through the windows and doors
the fear of an explosion was overcome,
but then another disadvantage to the
fremen arose from the intense heat
that the spread of the flames occasioned
and the fact that the walls began to
rumble. With the latter occurrence
the flames gained easier access to the
adjoining buildings and it was not long
before the elevator, about twenty-five
feet distant from the mill and connect
ed with it by a passage-wav and con
veyors, began to burn. To this, in the
earlier part of the fire, the efforts of the
fremen had been directed with good
effect and it was thought the structure,
with its valuable contents of grain.
could be saved. But now the fierceness
and freedom of the flames reaching
from the mill was more than match
for the iremen and the top part of the
building was destroyed before control
could be gained. The warehouses sur
rounding were also ignited, but in these
quarters the flames were easily sub
dued. At O'Clock the mill and it's
additions were smoldering mass of
ruins, with less than one half Of the
walls standing, while the elevator was
partial loss. In the latter was stored
between 10000 and $4,000 bushels of
wheat and barley, small amounts Of
which were owned by farmers, who
had stored it there awaiting better
prices.
At one time it looked as though all
that district southeast Of the mill, as
far as the St. Paul depot, might be
covered by the confagration The
situation had a most serious and
alarming aspect, and ifthe wind had
been trifie stronger there is no telling
what the result might have been. AS
it was, large sparks and cinders flew
from the fire when it was at its height,
and the roofs of several dwellings in
the vicinity We're ignited. Every
building IN the locality, however, mad
its guards stationed on the roof with
buckets Of water ready for an einer-
gency, and with this means at hand a
number of small blazes were quelled
in their incipient stages. Neverthe-
less, the alarm of some of the inhabi-
tants was so great that household eff
fects were removed at what were con-
sidered safe distances, and even then
several such consignments were dis.
covered to be burning in the streets
just IN time to save them.
Prompt work by the E. Kunert Man
utacturlng company no doubt saved