The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1899-02-25
SIX BLOCKS WIPED OUT.
Port Washington Suffers a Dis
astrous Blaze.
CHAIR FACTORY BURNS.
Three FirCmcn Injured By Il Failing
Chimney-Ai from Milwaukee
and Shchoy.an.

VI " 'lSiiiilStfsll. W ~, L 90. -
Special This village was visited by a
disastrous fire last night and the large
manufacturing establishment of the Wis
con>ln Chair company and about twenty
hve other buildings are now in ruins
Two hremcn were seriously injured and
one may die.
y little after . O'Clock last evening fire
broke out in the fifth floor of the Wis
c"nSm Chair company's plant in the We
n""ring rooms. 1t rapidly spread through
the entire factory, which was soon a
mass OF flames and which quickly COM
mUncated to adjoining buildings. The
walls OF the factory gave way and fell
onto III" pumping and power station, dis
ablInS that for service in furnishing WI
ter to qnench the fire, and the only pro
lection was the one small engine of the
local fire department. which was almost
poW"riesS To cope with the Secthing mass
OF flames. and the fire practically had its
own course.
Appeal for Assistance.
he mayor wired to Milwaukee and
| Shehorgan us soon aS he realized that
all of the buildings in the vicinity were
endangered. and Milwaukee company
! ana one from Sheboygan responded, ar
= y ''i- '>ii't tiN btibif ! / - fIOth. III IIt
meantime the ueoUlc of the city were
rushing around wildly to rescue the con
tents OF the buildings in greatest danger
and household goods wcr, carried away
hy WaGonloadS out Of the burning dis
trlct. Farmers of the vicinity, who had
seen the fire from IL distance. came to
I town 10 give their assistance bringing
their wagons with them, and later in thn
| night took home the people who had been
/ left without homes hy he fire
The Western Malcnhlc x Grey Iron
/ works W"r" soon reduced to ashes. hay
/ ing caught IRE from sparks issuing from
the chair company : plant across the riy-
Cr. Several small buildings belonging 10
smith Bros, near the iron works were
also consumed.
The greatest danger. however lay in
the spending Of the fire to the north. "a;
that threatened TO destroy the entire
business portion Of the city. and re+
pcratc effort was made to check tho
/ flames IN that direction, but they muIc
such rapid headway that there was uo
hop" Of hindcrinC them with the small
streams that the fire department could
use. Ii it mad been possible to employ
the help which arrived later from other
critics at this iunctUrc no doubt the FIRE
could have been confined to the small
| buildings Immediately adjoining the char
company, : plant.
II t''Sb III hCn ES hiItne III
While the milwaukee, fire company was
/ throwing a stream on the Ncindorf bHILl-
4 ing 4 large chimney fclI unexpectedly aud
caught three Of tine tircmcn. One Is
/ capped with only hruisc. but Michael
/ Ilackctt and Patrick I.inchah were scrI-
/ OuSiy injured and II lS feared that Hack
! ett's injuries may be fatal
4 Tn" Postal Telegraph company's office
/ was destroyed, and the fire spread along
Ill. L.
! OF business after another. The Milwau-
1 llcc was working on the fire At this point
Will" the Sh"hoygan company was work
7 in- on Picrc" street, where il succeeded
/ in saving the property on IN" sid" OF the
! street opposite from which the fire had
/ got good start.
4 1t WAS not until nearly 2 a M. that
I tn" fire was gotten under control. In
! that time il had wiped out all of the
! buildings on Franklin Stro"t. extending
! to the lake and including the three blocks
/ from Wisconsin to Pierce streets The
1 large tann"rA Of which Mayor Miller OF
! this village holds q controlling interest.
! was saved by the department, though II
! had Il close cali; in fact most of the
| buildings on the west side of Wisconsin
street got of with only Il severe Scorch-
ing.
The contents Of nearly all the build
ingS were saved and the losses are prac-
tically all covered by two-thirds insur-
ancc. most of the Insurance being in the
West Bend Mutual Insurance company
The loss Of the Wisconsin Chair com
pauy and tho Western MHllcabn Iron
WORMS Is complete with about four-tift
Of tn loss covered 10y insurance" The
Mall"arlc Iron works establishment was
not being UErd ut the time About >
G'h'Om feet Of hardwood and about 1OO
cords of cordwood belonging To the chair
company were consumed Most of III,
h, lN-l ~
houses wrr" only tenants and, with
few exceptions. these houses wer,. TWEEN
~ ur tWrufE-iIv" years old and not very
expensive They viii probably not lac re
, hWit until u iS certainty that III" chair
company will rebuild az they were most
" occupied ny employees Of tha, COM
pany.
The. losses are as follows:
Mrs. Martin, two dwellings. S.......... 81 COO
| I"ui, Mrhrens. brick building. g........ 5000
| N. FURNISH. two buildings. ........... 2.uoD
Peter f"ull. dwelling ana blacksmith
NJ EoIh. brick building. ............ 1.Sno
Mrs. Lauhcrf, brick hutldinr. ........ LOCO
Smith Bros. ti~hcrmru. .............. .OB
W,rrS'yIln Malleablc and Grey Iron
Martin 4 wrstcr faun,ry............... 4,""5
/ Edward Neiudorf three houses. ..... 2.9op
Joseph EidcnhcrE. building ......... -nU
Peter Sturm. building ...-.......... | 2Gp
g. W. Foster estate. huilding. ........ 900
Louis Wambold. building ........... 900
j G. Schrorling. building ....... l. 900
y : Rodr. two buildings. ~............ Ion
NJ ScliuVcr. TWO buildings .......... 2.OpO
Joseph EidcuhCr-. livery barn .....-. coo
fctrr Becker. building ............. 500
over twenty-five families have been
LETT homeless by the fire. hut they have
all been taken care of. The loss to the
village Is very heavy and il win take "a
long Will" To recover from it. If the
chair factory j. not rebuilt il will hc u
severe blow To the village and at I'll
events the burnt spot surrounding il viii
continue tu remind the city of "A ti>aS-
trouS fire for some time 10 come.
+. y bennett. u state senator and the
founder nf the Wisconsin Chair com
paUH : establishments. stated to 4 Wis
cou>iu representative that the company
! had not decided to rebuild and it i posi-
/ III" that it will not do 50. The inSuranc,
! viii hc enough Ia pay of all Of the com
| pary'S liabilities but would leave tho
company no remuneration FOR the ton
years IT has been working To build up III,
/ establishment IF We rebuild" he SAID.
] 1T viii take US ten years to place the.
| establishment on its present footing
/ again II iS too early 10 make any def
/ iairc statement in regard L. when III
/ company will decide upoa this matter.
/ hut the loss fails heavily on the men in.
/ tcrcSted.
Milwaukee Company Kept at Work.
The Milwaukee company has been here
! all morning throwing streams ON tn"
/ ~mnulterlu= ruins and the piles Of coal
! and lumber are still burning. Tn" She
/ beygan company left for homo 1t . n. II.
! FIREMAN BADLY HURT.
! Pipeman Hackett Seriously Injured
at Port Washinston-Capt. Line
han Also Hurt.
Milwaukee. Wis. Feb. 20 Special !
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