The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-12-25
A VERY DISASTROUS FIRE
HALsTED .e HARIIONT'S FLAMING
 MILL AND LUMBER YARD.

ebIy Fully Insured-5oO,O00 Feet of Lumber Went Up in smoke-oriGin Not Definitely Known-Brave Efforts of the Firemen- Other Fires Yesterday.
 The blaming mill and lumber yard of the Halsted & Harmount Co.,, 76 to S2 Water street, was almost entirely de- stroyed by fire which took the efforts of the larger part of the fire depart ment to control and eventually extin- guish, -.,' The blaming mill occupied the first and portion of the second floor of large brick building, the remaining DOT tion being used by Scott & seery, car penters and builders, while the entire third floor was occupied by McWilliams & Arthur, wood workers. To the rear of this structure was a large shed, ex- tending at least 200 feet, in which was piled thousand of dollars worth of hard wood lumber southern pine and other timber. This building and contents was entirely destroyed. Another shed which is use as 8 dry house, together with its contents was saved by heroic efforts of the firemen.
 The force of men employed in the lumber yard had just knocked off for dinner and all but two or three had left the premises Charles P. Fritzell and Edward Hinkley were in the blaming mill eating their lunch when one of them saw tongue of flame forcing it's way through partition between room use for shavings and the one oc- cupied by themselves. He ran into the office and informed the bookkeeper, who by an automatic apparatus keyed in box 32, corner of Water and Brewery streets. An unusually strong wind was blowing from the north and in a very few minutes it had carried sparks to all parts of the building and yard and fan ned them into a blaze. Thus, almost sooner than it takes to tell it, the whole place was seething, roaring mass of flames, interningled with volumes of dense black smoke.
 Several companies quickly responded to the alarm but Fire Marshal Fancher saw that more men were necessary to successfully cope with the fiery demon, and he ordered second alarm. The two alarms called out hose companies 1, 2, 3, 4, and s, and the truck and chemical from No. 1. Lines of hose were quickly laid on all sides of the burning building and the firemen di- rected their efforts toward the adjoin- ing buildings to prevent the fire from spreading.
 Ten streams of water were soon play ing on the flames and after an hour and a half of very hard and we'll placed work the fire was gotten under control, During the progress the rear wall of the brick building and a portion of the second and third floors fell in and 1t was at first thought that several fire men were thereby injured, but such was not the case. A large safe, the prop erty of McWi1liams & Arthur, was on the third floor and when the floor was burned away it fell to the basement with an awful crash.
 The manner in which the fire was handled and the persistence with which the firemen worked are both deserving of very great credit. With their clothes water soaked and frozen stiff and long icicles hanging from their boards the fire laddies kept right at work until they had confined the fire within the limits of the lumber yard. Captain
  from death by small shed on which the bricks from one of the walls fell.
 A mystery surrounds the origin of the fire, but the most likely story is the one that a back draft from the boiler blew spark into the shaving bin. This bin is at least thirty feet from the boiler room, but it is quite probable, consid- ering the wind that was blowing, that the fire originated in this manner. Nc smoking is allowed on the premises Because of this the fire could not have started from cigar stump, as is often the case
 MT. Harmount said yesterday after noon that he considered that the insur. ance would fully cover the loss. The company carried S73,000 on their stock and machinery with the Lloyd agencies Their stock of lumber was probably as large as any in the city and they haC on hand before the fire about 500, 900 fee of dressed lumber, which was totally destroyed and about 100000 feet of un dressed southern pine, which was saved All arrangements had been made tt take inventory next week, but it vii not now be necessary.
 The McWilliams & Arthur Co., up tt @ year ago had $2,500 insurance, 'bu' they failed to keep up the premiums Their loss is about s, ,8oO All their ma chinery was destroyed. They had z very small stock of lumber on hand.
 Fire Marshal Fancher while coming down a ladder, which was covered witt ice, slipped and fell to the ground sus taining a severe strain of the left leg Captain Chapman of Truck No. 1 wa' burned about the face by. steam from one of the engines.
 The total loss will be in the neighoor hood of s6O.Oo0.
 Two engines and 8 corps of fremer were kept busy all night pouring water in the burning debris.
 ANOTHER FIRE.
 The alarm from box 52 at 12 oclocl was in the house of Frank Watson a