Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-10-25
FIRE IN THE WEST
|LWAUKEE SHOPS
PLANNING MILL AND WOODWORKING
PLANT TOTALLY DESTROYED
SUNDAY NIGHT.
LOSS REACHES 500, 900.
City Department Aids Milwaukee Road
Firemen but Supply of Water
Is insufficient.

MILWAUKEE. Wis, Oct. 21.-
Fire destroyed the large planning mill
and woodworking shops of the Chicago,
milwaukee & st. Paul road in the Me-
nominee valley west of the city, Sunday
night causing loss of nearly 100000
to the company and a heavy loss 20
wOrllmcn, whose tools were burned. Ow-
ing to a shortage Of cars the loss outside
of the value of the plant is a heavy one,
for no cars can be built until the build
ing is replaced.
A Mass of Flames.
The cause of the fire is not known and
the theory is that it started through
spontaneous combustion. 1t was first
noticed by John Murphy, night engineer,
and Hubert BrOenon, night Waterman.
A single alarm was turned IN and the
city fire apparatus responded as we'll as
the ire department at the shops. The
shop department soon had five streams
playing on the fire under low pressure,
but it soon got beyond their control.
When the first engine arrived from the
city the entire building was a mass of
flames and the large air compressors IN
the power house west of the main build
ing had blown up tearing huge hole In
the roof.
An attempt was made to confne the
flames to the north end OF the shops, Tor
in the south part much valuable timber
was stored, which burned like finder.
The effort was futile, however, for the
fire spread rapidly over the entire build
ing The lack of wind saved other build
ings of the company from destruction.
Several Narrow Escapes.
A large reservoir containing $4,000
tgallons of water was soon pumped dry
by the engines and two tanks contain
ing each $4,000 gallons were also emp
tied. The fire burned tiercey from 7:15,
when the alarm was turned in, until IL
iocI0ck before it was found possible to
Withdraw most of the apparatus. At
70 o'clock part of the heavy east wall
fell with a crash, narrowly escaping
killing Pipeman John MOroney and
Acting Capt. James Roe of No. 81.
These two leaped back and fell into a
reservoir still containing five or six feet
of water. They were rescued by po-
Iicnmen and OnIOOkers who rushed TO
walls also fell and the north and south
walls only were left standing.
The system of sprinklerS installed at
the woodworking shops, which were
thought sufficient to cope with an Ordi-
mary fire proved of no protection. The
valiant work of the twelve fremen en-
iployed by the railroad company did
rival of the city department. The lack
of sufficient pressure was a serious draw
back to the department in fighting the
flames.
The wooden portions of engines and
wood portions of freight and gOndOla
ears were manufactured in these shops,
and the loss of the building, the timber
and workmens tools will prove a severe
drawback to the company.
The fire started in the drying room in
tbe center of the large building. At the
north end of the mill were stored vaIu-
able patterns which are also lost, al
though many of them had been moved
only a week ago. Some of the engines
were withdrawn shortly after 8 o'clock
owing to inadequate pressure, and after
The each wall fell the fire was soon under
control There was only a smouldering
ruin to mark the spot of the huge brick
structure at midnight when the last en-
.gines left the scene.
To Rebuild at Once.
c. T. Loweth, superintendent of the
bridge and building department of the
Milwaukee road, arrived in the city at
II o'clock this morning from Chicago
He comes to Milwaukee to look over the
to take prompt steps to insure rebuild
ing of the burned structures, and in
the meantime to arrange for shifting the
work For the time being Supt. \. e.
Manchester of the shops will draw on
the cOmpany's plants at Dubuque. Ia,
and Minneapolis, Mimi, for necessary
material to carry on general repair work
at the Milwaukee shops, until changes
can be. made to insure resumption of
regular construction work here. which
will be suspended at the Milwaukee
ShODS