Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-06
DEADWOOD SWEPT BY FIRE
Short Water Supply Causes Great Loss in
Many Directions,
EIGHTH OF A MILLION GONE IN SMOKE
Two Blocks of the Business Portion of
the City Laid Waste, and the Flames
Only Checked mt the Edge
of Chinatown.

DEADWOOD, S. D., March 5.-(Spccial
Telegram to The Bee "A fire which broke
out here this morning destroyed the greater
portion of the city lying below Gold
street in the east end. The fire burned
over three blocks, and to the fact that there
was scarcely any wind blowing is due the
saving of the city from ertire destruction.
Fourteen buildings on the north side and
three on the south side, covering a space
two blocks long, were burned.
The fire started in a two-story frame struc-
ture on the north side OF Main street below
Gold, and as it and the adjoining
buildings were constructed of resnous pine
and had been throughly seasoned by years of
occupancy, the flames spread with amazing
rapidity and soon were beyond the control of
the fremen
Starting as It did at an early hour. G
o'clock and spreading so quickly, but little
time was given to the occupants of many of
the houses to save much else than their
lives, and many narrow escapes are reported
The fire consumed the establishments OF
e. Mcdonald, harness; Star and Bullock
hardware and miners supplies; Demouth
Whaen G Graves furniture; Glib Stone
furniture; r. Hoffman,, clothing; Nathan
Colman, wholesale cigars; o. Nelson, furni-
ture and hardware; u. NJ. Butler iewery;
Fink's pawnbroking shop; John Glickauf,
barber shop.
The fire burned for three hours, and al
though the city is spenddy equipped for
fighting fire, the fremen could not stop its
spread and the fact that there is clear
space between the ground burned over and
Chinatown alone prevented that part of the
town and the depots and freight houses OF
| the ElkhOrn bping burned also
| The best estimate makes the total loss
| $125,000, with a total insurance Of $33 900.
| The heaviest losers are
Demouth Whalen e Graves, furniture
stock $4,000, building $1,000, insurance
| $4,000; Glib Stone & Co., furniture stock
| $4,000, building $4,000, insurance $4,000;
Jack Fassod saloon stock $1,000, insurance
| $4,000; Star & Bullock, hardware, building
| and stock $4,000, insurance $500; o. Nc
| Donald, $4,000 on saddery stock and tools,
| insurance $1,000; Fink pawnbroker, 5000
| on stock and buildings, insurance 5000;
Franklin e Baer, on the building occupied
! by Fassold, insurapce $1,5OO; Gus Cohen,
| confectioner, stock and household goods,
| 81 900, no insurance; Mrs, A. Bowman.
| building 81 900 insurance $500; Robinson,
| harness stock 81 500, insured for $500; /. III.
J Chase, building $4,000, insurance 500; Sol
| Starr household goods $500, insurance 5000;
| d. Jacobs, confectionery stock $500, insurance
| $780, n. Coleman household goods $3.50, in
| surance $500; o. Nelson, furniture $4,000, In
| snrauce $1,000. Seven saloons were burned
| with loss OF about $40, 900 and an insurance
| of SO 900 on fixtures and stock. Three Chi,
nese restaurants were burned with a loss OF
| about 81 200, insurance $i00. William Selbie
| lost 81, 500 on building, insurance $3.50.
| The loss is distributed among the follow
| ing companies Pennsylvania FIRE, $500
| Merchants $500; North America, $1,75O
| Manchester, 81 900; Western Assurance, $500
| Queen. $500; Continental, $4,000; Commercial
| Union $4,700; British America, $4,000; Fire
mans Fund $4,000; Fire Association, $500
! Traders $1,500; Niagara, $780, Royal, $4OO
. Springfield s., $50; London and Lancashire
81 ,250 Phoenix, $500. Practically all Of
this is total loss
The cause of the fire is unknown, but II
| is supposed to have been defective hue
! The water supply was so very short tha'
| but one stream was turned on the fire dur
ing the first forty minutes. Even this hac
no pressure. This allowed the fire to gel
! beyond control. A large part OF the burned
territory will be rebuilt at once.
The, Lead City fire department rendered
| valuable assistance.
This is the most severe blow Deadwoot
has received since the memorable morning
in November, 1879, when starting in a iittl'
! shanty on upper Sherman street, a hr'
spread to the business portion of the tow
! and did not stay it's progress until nearly
the entire place was destroyed.
At that time the city contained popua
tion of nearly 1000 people, and for few
days the distress was appalling. Although
unneeded and unasked for, General Sturgis
then in command at Fort Meade, sent {
train load of supplies from the post for the
needy and a detachment Of the Seventh
cavalry to preserve order. From mum
erous parts OF the country oE
that occasion came numerous offers o.
substantial assistance, but the business mel
at meeting called for the purpose abso
lutely refused to accept a cent and set Il
work to rebuild the city. From the ruins o
mining camp sprung "A substantial, well
built city, which has prospered and thrlVed
and on this occasion it is likely that, profit
ing by the example set them in former years
the citizens will strive unaided to rebuild th