The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-18
FIRE WIPES OUT
DIAMOND SAW MILL
LOSS Is ABOUT $4,000, WHILE IN.
sURANcE rs $21 900.
The Mill Was to Run This Season on
Custom Work and the Machinery
Was Then to Be Removed to Lou
isiana-The Plant Not Likely to Be
Rebuilt.

Fire of unknown origin destroyed the
old Diamond sawmill at Eighteenth ave
nue. N and the river last night. The
loss was about fifty thousand dollars
and insurance $4,000. The min will
" Altho the Diamond mill was one of
the Oldest in the city, it had been al
ways kept up as to its equipment. This
ST. WORTH Of te butt Fl T by the Is
Diamond Iron Works and waiting ship
ment to Nova Scotia.
The: fire was discovered in the sort
ing she'd by Mack Smith, the Waterman,
about 1880 pm. He turned IN the
alarm and on the arrival Of Chief Can.
terbury Q second alarm was sounded.
This brought large part of the fire
department to the scene and soon fifty
lines Of hose were playing water on the
Of the burning structure. The old mill
was easy fuel for the flames, as it was
built Of wood which was bone dry.
Fire Did Quick Work.
The fire had good Roadway when the
fremen reached the mill. A strong
wind blew the flames from one end to
the other of the infammable structure
and in twenty minutes it's doom was
mill is situated On railroad trackage,
the firemen had half a block clear space
on three sides. On the fourth side was
the river, and no danger to property IN
that direction was feared. The fire was
extremely spectacular, sparks rising to q
great height, and the red fire being mir
rored against the pillars of smoke and
| steam. z1.#,.-3 &# r. e f.
The power plant between the mill
on6 tho riuar vuoc foir1x, nv,
it's stone and brick sheathing and was
not so seriously damaged as the ma
chinery in the wood part of the struc-
ture. Considerable attention was di-
rected to the small power plant south
Of the mill proper, which is used in run
ming the Diamond Iron Works on First
street. The steam Kissed from it's safe
ty valve, threatening boiler explo-
sion unless the extreme heat was modi-
fed. Well directed streams of water
soon relieved the. situation. "
| Thousands Of Spectators. ~
The streetcar system was hard taxed
from the beginning Of the fire until it
was well under control. The angry
persons on their, way home from the
theaters,, the Kneisel quartet concert
and the Minnesota Congregational club
meeting. Thousands Of passengers
were carried to the scene Of the fire
and full and dinner dress was not un-
common among the spectators. ~.
| H. II. Smith owned the Diamond mill
He built it twenty-four years ago
Thirteen years later it was burned and
was rebuilt in 1894 with enlarged ca
I pacity. It had two carriages and a
gang of forty-two saws. The daily ca
| pacity was about 100000 feet Of lum
Der and when running full about 25C
men were employ edy Last season ii
cut, a, 0oo,o o0 feet: ! The mill was sc
I feet wide and 165 feet long. =. ~,
Mr.. Smith expected to begin saving
in a day or two on some Of his own
logs in the boom and for custom work
/ Yesterday he had about closed the dea]
to sell one-half Of the mill machinery
to be shipped to Arkansas in thirty
days. This would have been replaced
with machinery made by his Diamond
1 Iron works adjoining, and in the fall
the entire equipment would have beer
shipped to Amite. La, for setting up,
Insurance Had Been Reduced.
4 The insurance on, the Diamond mill
was distributed among several agencies
About six months ago the insurance was
cut from $4,000 to $4,000, and Mr.
Smith had about decided to reduce that
amount about one-half. AS soon as
pOsSlDle ne WILL nave Cne machinery eX
amined for salvage. .~-..- $780,.
Two weeks ago the mill was saved
from destruction by, active work Of the
fire department.. Flames started in al
oil house north of the mill on the bank
of the river, but the blaze was confined
to the open structure. -. -.
The Diamond mill was one of the
great distractions to Omaha railroad
yard improvements when it bought thu
half block along the river. nearly two
years ago. 1t was allowed to remain
but it is not expected that the company
will at once extend its trackage ove1
the site Of the MILL
.a. ..E 20. INSURANCE. A
Minneapolis, Insurance lAgency-Scottish Unto
, & National. $1,000: National, $4,000; Queen
81 500: Firemen's New Jersey, 81 900; Colonial
$500; North German, $500: Scottish National
$1,000; Phoenix, London, 81 800: Missouri Fir
sylvania 81, 900; Atlas, $1,000; Kings County
G.. B. Shove & Co.-Natonal Union, $500; Star
/ r. A. Jameson & Huss Agency-security Q
Baltimore, $4,000; National Union, 81 500; Glob
& Rutgers, 81 $780, Atlanta, Birmingham, 81 ,OOO
: ALLEGHENY $500; Hamilton $500: British Dc
Minions. 81 900; Metropolitan of Chicago. $500
| total, $500. ' ~ ..f "a 4 ,-:
st10O Patterns Neckwear Mot foun
5 on Nicollet av. Hoffman's Toggeries.