St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-01
A DESOLATEO DISTRICT.
Sss0UL2ERiNG PILES MARX WHERE
TIE TERRIBLE FIRE SPED.
THE LUMBER oomPANY,s Loss.

Curious crowds gathered yesterday in
the section of the city devastated by fire.
| All they saw was a vast stretch of
Smouldering piles and acres of ashes.
The scene was Il desolate one. There
were ruins, ruins everywhere. In the
upper end of the Shevlin e. Carpenter
yards are still number of piles of lum-
Der, but aside fIom these everything
was burned. The Omaha round house
stands hollow hulk. with large por-
tions of the walls gone. The sky could
be seen through the broken sides, and
water dripped from the ragged window
lodges. The blackened skeletons of the
destroyed freight cars in some instances
stood erect, though for the most part
nothing but the warped iron and trucks
remained to tell the story of what had
been.
The loss is not as great as at first es-
timated. Yesterday the lumbeImen and
the railroad officials sat down to calmly
figure over their losses. 1t was given
out that the Shevlin 81 Carpenter COM
pany had lost S250,0O0 and the Omaha
road 800, 1000. All losses are covered by
insurance, though it is estimated that
/ the lumber company will lose outright
about $4,000
| Several fire apparatus were buSlly en-
engaged in pouring water on the piles
of burned lumber during all Of yester-
day. Chief Runge would leave no OPP
| portunity for another outbreak, and
what lumber still stands in piles is
thoroughly soaked. Section men we're
kept at work in the railroad yards clear
ing away the debris aid Strengthening
! out the disabled switches. The warped
rails and burned ties were removed. and
! today freight will be moved about as
| though nothing had occurred. The road
will rebuild its roundhouse, and the
lumber company will continue to
use its mills, SO that the
district will be enivened again.
Mr.. Shevlin in speaking of the losses
| yesterday said they had Oil hand Jan. l
about 100000 feet OF lumber: 5000, 900
| was sawed during the winter and 2S, 000.-
| 600 during the spring and summer. This
would make total of 81, 900, and
| from it must be taken $4,000, 900 feet
| sold, leaving IS, 600, 600 in the various
yards and buildings yesterday. There
were $50, 900 feet east OF the river, 2, $780,
! 000 in the storage shed. 1,750, 600 Oh the
island, and about 100000 north of the
bridge. all of which was saved. Deduct
ing this amount, 100000. would leave
20 AGO. 600 feet consumed. The average
value of this lumber per 1000 is S12,
Mr.. Shevlin thinks, which would make
the loss on lumber $244, 500, exclusive of
the office building and other damage.
The members Of the fire department
and the horses were pretty we'll played
| out when yesterday morning came. They
had been kept busy all night fighting
| fires. Alarm after alarm came in and
each time from different portions of the
city. No sooner did the department ar
rive at one fire and begin operations
| than they were obliged to make haste to
another and distant section of the city.
Every foot of hose in the city and as
much as could be obtained from st.
Paul was In use, and, yesterday. though
there was short respite from fighting
fires, the firemen were obliged to work
like hired men on farm, cleaning up
anu preparing for emergencies. About
10000 feet of hose were i'll use during
tine day and night.
Up to yesterday afternoon the fire de-
partment had responded to 210
calls Aside from the big fire, as was
announced i'll yesterdays GLOBE, there
were number of serious blaZes,
Among them were: Robert Pratt's
wood yard, corner of Aldrch avenue
north and Fourteenth; E. d. Priede's
wood yard. corner OF Aldrich avenue
and eighth: j. B. McArdle's residence
and barn, at the same point; r. E. Fin
ley, Michael Foley ana Mrs. Dempsey,
Bassetps place; Bender q Stake,
butchers at 516 Plymouth avenlie. and
several residences down in South Min
neapolis. in the section known as the
Hub of He'll" Chief Runge is posi-.
tive that the many fires were of incen-
diary origin, and it certainly does APP
pear as though gang of fire5ugs were
at work. The insurance people of the
city are of the same opinion, and yester-
day a number of private detectives
were engaged to investigate.
Several of the detectives are eX-fire-
| men, and they are of the opinion they
can lay their hands on several Of the
| miscreants. Sergt. Qualey, of the
Fourth precinct police station, made it
| his business early yesterday morning
| during the progress of the fires to Skin
| mish around. He has an idea that he
knows who the firebugs are. and will
make it d point to nail them. Several
attempts were made during last week to
set fire to j. B. McArdls's residence, by
w uOlll IL 10 uOl hlOW 1uC UuSC WOOu
pile at the same corner, belonging to
Mr.. Priede, was set fire i'll four different
places.
There were several small fires yes
terday, the most important of which
occurred at 80. 1t broke out in the
basement of the wholesale wooden
establishment of w. A. Mcleod q Co.,
| at 300 First avenue south. The loss
amounted to about $1,000. the greater
| portion of the stock being carried out
| In time to avoid even wetting. 1t is
thought the fire originated from spon-
| taneous combustion, for no person had
| been in the basement.
An attempt will now be made to Sc
cure better fire protection IN the lumber
district. The poor water service af-
fordeG to the engines by the miserable
| little spur pipe which runs from First
| street to the Sheylin d Carpenter mills
is evidence enough that the council
should take some action in the prem
Uses. Time after time the department
was obliged to shut down several of
fire owing to the cl0gging up of
the water pipe and the inability
to get enough water. Chief Runge
would also like to have a fire boat for
the river. Had the city possessed such a
thing Monday there would have been a
difference III the amount of IoSS. Most
large cities with water ways have these
fire boats to ply up and down the river.
and Minneapolis with all her lumber
| and saw mills located right Oh the river
banks can find excellent use tor one.
Chief Runge is modest, however, and
does not press the council for even
actual necessities. He is also diplo-
matte, and knows that the council is
| queer sort OF animal.
Supt James, of the union depot, yes
terday delivered himself of u hot roast
on the men who stood about in the
Omaha yards during the fire, and did
everything they could to hinder the
work of the fire department and the
men who were endeavoring to get the
freight cars to point of safety. The
hoodlums did everything in their power,
he said, to prevent the moving of trains