The sun., 1900-08-06
MILLION DOLLAR FIRE.
Ashland, Wis. In Danger of Total
Destruction.
PROMPT WORK SAVED TOWN.
Four Thousand Pounds of Dynamite
Used to Destroy Property In the
Reach of the F1ames-Four
Lives Said to lie Lost.

Ashland. Wis, Aug, 5.-Property es-
tima'sd to be worth $1,000,000 was de-
stroy ii by fire in the lumber district of
this eity. The flames were checked after
three hours struggle and before they
reached the valuable sawmills and ore
docls along the water front The wind
favored the fire fighters during the after
noon. and probably nothing else saved
the millions of dollars worth of property
along the waters edge and perhaps a
good part Of the city.
At | 80 p. m. the fire was discovered
in the lumber yards of Barker X
Stewart. 1t spread rapidly to the Key
stone Lumber company's yards and in a
short time had destroyed almost 10000
600 feet of lumber, including six tram
ways. Carried by the strong wind, the
fire brands started blaze in the lime.
salt and cement dock, One-quarter of a
mile away. The dock burned like pow
der 1t was a quarter of Il mile long
and was soon reduced to ruins, together
with a warehouse containing thousands
of dollars worth of merchandise and
several miles of railroad track.
1t was seen that unless heroic meas
ures were taken the fire would spread
until everything inhnmmable had been
destroyed. The authorities acted with
great promptness.
-Four thousand pounds of dynamite was
brought to the scene ard distributed all
around the outer edge Of the fire zone.
Piles of lumber and scores of small
hnidings We're blown into atoms, and
after three hours hard work the flames
had apparently reached the limit. None
IL Il n1
but the loss was easily S1.000.000. Ed
ward Hines said that the loss Of his
firm alone was SS0O,O00, fully insured
The fire was still burning in the yards,
hut ht did not fear amy further damage
owing to the fact that everything within
its reach had been destroyed by the dy-
Mantle.
Changing wind Menace.
At o'clock the wind. which had
steadily favored the fire fighters, sud
denly vcercd toward the city and devel
| oped into Il gale. The alarm was sound
ed again. and every available piece OF
fire apparatus was brought into action
but il appeared probable that the mill OF
Barker x Stewart. Durfee's mill, tho
Ashland Iron and Steel company's prop
erty and the Ohio Coal company's docl
would be destroyed.
At 0 o'clock. when it seemed as if thu
whole city was in the greatest danger
the wind suddenly vecred again towarC
the bay and away from the city and thu
mills. Meanwhile the fire was slowl!
eating through the remaining lumbe
| piles toward the Keystone mill. Sev
eral hundred men worked like demon
with every available line Of hose. !
bucket brigade was formed to pour wa
ter on the frcmen to keep their clothe
from catching fire.
Several million feet of lumber burne
during the evening. but at 10 o'clock tn
fire had been checked. except in tn
vicinity of the Keystone mill.
1t is reported that four employees i
the Barker X Stewart yard. assisting i
the dynamiting. We're pinioned hetwee
burning piles of lumber and, after look
, ing anXiously around and waving thci
hands to the 5000 spectators on shor
in hope of receiving help, were seen to &
down in the fire beneath.