The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-05
LACK WATER TO PUT
OUT THE FLAMES
Flremen Are Seriously Handi.
capped Fighting Fire at
9TH and Bradley Streets.

Lack of water seriously impeded the
hre department yesterday morning in
lighting fire that destroyed the three
story brick Wild block, Seventh and
Bradley streets, and two small frame
buildings, damaged a number of other
buildings and caused loss of $4,000.
half covered by insurance.
The largest building burned was that
Of the United States Bedding company
at $50 East Seventh street, between
the railway tracks and the south side
Of Seventh. Ten feet back of the build
ing a one-story frame structure was
destroyed in which the bedding COM
pany conducted a mattress factory. AT
$50 East Seventh street the frame
dwelling Of J. Pulano was burned.
More than a dozen houses were dam
aged, chiefly small dwellings.
On the Wild building, owned by
Samuel Bronstein, the total loss was
$22,50O. Mr.. Bronstein owned also the
building in the rear worth 81 600 AS
proprietor of the bedding company
Mr.. Bronstein sustained an additional
loss of $4,000 on stock and $4,000 on
machinery and fixtures. The loss on
the Pulano house and contents, not in
sured, was less than $1,000 Mr.. Bron-
stein carried with J. O. Haas agency
insurance Of $4,000 on the brick build
Ing. $4,000 on the stock and $1,000 on
the machinery and fixtures.
Including $4,000 or $500 loss on the
buildings damaged the total loss was
thus about $4,000, and the insurance,
approximately, $4,000.
How Fire Started.
Cause unknown" perhaps sparks
from a locomotive, started the fire
about 1920 a. m. among mattress ma
terial in the frame factory back of the
Wild building to which the flames
were quickly spread by strong south
wind. Flying sparks blazing frag-
ments of wood, cloth and straw soon
ignited the roofs Of houses on the north
side Of Seventh street. Dwellings two
and three blocks distant caught fire,
and at one time fully a dozen roofs
were burning. The construction Of the
Wild block and the nature of it's con-
tents were such that little hope was
entertained of saving this structure.
But abundant apparatus was sum-
moned to check the spread Of the
flames to the northward. Seven en-
gines were called, three nook and lad
der trucks and two chemical engines.
The first four engines to arrive found
themselves temporarily helpless They
could get scarcely any water from the
hydrants at Seventh and Woodward
streets, Seventh and Bradley streets
and Bradley and woodward streets,
and no water at all from the hydrant at
Seventh and Brook streets, opposite the
Lindeke flour mill
While the engines We're seeking 9TH
err hydrants the hremen resorted to the
use of axes and eXunguisher grenades, 4
and even formed bucket brigades to
put out flames on roofs.
Eventually, in response to a tele-
phone message, the. city water board
turned additional water into the mains
near Seventh and Bradley streets. Thus
after the first hour of their struggle
the f1remen were relieved Of unusual
exertion.
Wild Block Wall Falls.
At noon the west wall of the Wild
block fell upon the railway tracks,
crushing several cars Of a passing
freight train.
Among the buildings damaged slight
ly were Hagen & Johnsons saloon,
Seventh and Bradley streets; J. B.
Mathieson's cigar store, 581 East Sew
enth street; Vanderbie's ice house,
Burr street, near Partridge and dwell
ings at 549 Burr street, $40 East Sew
enth street, 499, 533 and SIT Grove
street; 492, 49S, 400, 502, 504 and 500
Woodward street; All, 473, ATT and 485
Partridge street.
Among the usual incidents Of fire
in a residential district were the
spraining of Mrs. Ida Anderson's back
while she was trying to drag a bureau
from the second floor of 579 East Sew
enth street; the going away of another
Mrs. Anderson, who locked up her
house at sos Woodward avenue to keep
the flames out, and departed; the dis
appearance of year-old Willie Will
- 4~.1,l
presumed by the women to be burnt
up, but who was found after a while
trying to mend leaking hose with
mud.
AS to the lack of water for the fire
engines, Secretary John Caulfeld, Of
the city water board, said last even
ing:
Only One Main.
There is only one six-inch main to sup
ply all the Observation-Disclosures or eight
blocks-Where the fire was today. Up to
eight years ago there were three slx-inch
mains for the same locality. Then the
board decided to cut off two mains and
divert them into the high pressure sys-
tenn leaving main with low pressure.
So there must have been little water
today in the pipes tapped by three of the
hydrants that wouldn't work, though not
enough water, apparently, to be Of any
use.
deke mill on Seventh street connected
with a pipe that was one Of the many
pipes frozen by the severe cold last winter.
We notified the fire department at the
time that this hydrant was frozen; we
haven't been able to thaw out all the
frozen pipes.
AS soon as / was informed today by
telephone that there was not enough wa
ter at Seventh and Bradley | drove over
towards the fire. threw into my buggy
before starting the tools for opening adj
ditional mains if that should be found
necessary. 1t was so hot when / got down
near the fire that couldn't drive through
Seventh street, but / turned about and
hurried down town to a place where some