The Saint Paul globe., 1897-07-11
WAGON WORKS FIRE
j. ii. SCHURMEIER WAGON AND
CARRIAGE COMPANY SUFFERS
A $4,000 BLAIzE
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
GOALS FROM A BANKED FIRE
SPREAD TO THE SHAVINGS
NEAR BY.
MAIN PLANT SAVED FROM RUIN
by Prompt Work on the Part OF the
Fire Depa rtment-LOss Covered
by Insurance.

The J.H. .Schurmeier Wagon and Car
riage company 405 to Alb Rosabel street,
suffered an estimated loss of $4,000
by fire shortly after midnight. The
damage is fully covered by insurance
placed generally among local agencies.
The fire started from Goals from
banked fire in the boiler room, cO1nmu-
nicating to a pile Of shavirgs near the
engine, and from first indications, ap-
peared to threaten the entire plant of
the company. Immediately upon ar
riving at the scene Chief Jackson
turned in a second alarm, calling out
additional apparatus, and by hard
fight the firemen managed to confine
the flames to three-st0ry frame build
ing in the rear of the main plant, used
as paint shop, machine shop and re-
pairing department.
The greater portion of the loss is
| the damage to the engine and to the
valuable woodworking machinery. The
paint shop, on the second floor of the
building. with the contents, number
of wagons and carriages in process Of
repair, was considerably damaged by
water, while the most extensive work
Of the flames was the destruction of
quantity Of lumber in the drying
room, over the boiler house. On the
third floor Of the building is a large
quantity of painting supplies, consist
Ing Of oils and varnish, which, had
they been reached by the flames, would
have undoubtedly spread the fire to the
main structures, but the number OF
streams playing on the seat of the
flames fairly drowned them.
The work of the fire department IN
heading off the flames from the main
buildings was cOmmendable. A run
way OF heavy timber communicating
with the paint shop was burning fierce
ly when the department arrived, and
the firemen first directed attention to
this danger. Several streams played
on the runway from the second story
Of the main building eliminated the
danger from this source, when the
fight was concentrated upon the blaz-
ing engine room. The fire was very
inaccessible and spread partly through
the ground floor of the machine SHOP,
necessitating the pouring Of volumes
of water upon the entire contents, val
ued at $20,0G0 Some of the betting Iii
this room was burned out, while the
flames communicated to the repair
shop overhead. Several new wagons
were in this room and considerable
repair work, but it is thought that the
fire did not reach beyond portion
of the floor During the progress Of
the fire the main buildings were filled
with dense smoke, which poured from
the upper windows. creating the inl-
preston that the whole plant was in
flames. An effort was made to remove
some of the most valuable part of the
stock from the ground floors, but, when
it was ascertained that there was no
fire in the main building, this was
abandoned. The stock in this part of
the manufactory will suffer some dam
age from smoke, but only in a small
degree.
J. H. Schurmeier stated after the
fire that he estimated the total loss at
about $4,000, with a possibility of the
damage not running so high. The dam
age to the frame building is placed at
$1,000. In the course of its forty years
operation as a mandatory, this is the
first time fire has visited the J. Fl.
Schurmeier company.