The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1911-01-27
A 100000 FIRE
MiLWAUkEE'S HEADQUARTERS
FREIGHT AND PASSENGER
DEPOT, ABERDEEN
WORST FIRE in HISTORY
Property Destroyed Entails Greatest
Loss Ever Sustained by any
South Dakota City in
States History

Aberdeen. S. D., Jan. 23.-Special:
The total destruction of the division
headquarters, the store house, the
freight depot and the new passenger
station of the Milwaukee railroad IN
this city. a financial loss OF $500, 600,
and great damage to the stock of
furniture carried by the Croker d
owen is the result of fires in this
city today. Both blazes came in the
forenoon. and part of the depart
ment was called from the Milwaukee
fire to ave the furniture store.
The destruction of the railroad
property was one of the worst fires
in the history of Aberdeen. and be-
cause of the highly inuamable ma
terial that was blazing, the depart
ment was unable to make much
progress toward getting it under
control.
III fire fighters were called TO the
scene soon after a small oil heater
exploded in the freight room, and
in d very short time the fire had
spread to several cars of gasoline and
kerosene with were standing on the
house siding. 1t was not only dan
gerouS but almost utterly impos-
sible for the fremen to get to
points Of vantage to throw water on
the seething building. The ker sene
and gasoline was packed in barrels,
and every few moments one of these
would burst. throwing the fame in
all directions. This soon set tire to
every part of the freight hous and
the building in which the h~eadquar-
4 np. nf Tho road for this state re
located
The firemen fought hard to keep
the passenger station. which sits
some seventy-five feet to the north
of the freight house, from burning,
but after the south buildings were
nearly destroyed. the station took
fire and was reduced to ashes in a
half hour.
The freight house and %headquar-
tiers are ole buildings burned
readily, there being no effort at fire
proof construction. The passenger
station. practically a new structure.
withstood the item heat for a long
time. Though the greatest financial
loss to the company is found in the
passenger station. the loss of records
in the office buildings will put it to
no end Of trouble.
The passenger station. aside from
the two waiting rooms and the ticket
office. contained a small restaurant.
a large baggage room, a checklng
room, and offices for minor nt7c'ais
of the n freight station
was a long narrow building. sitting
in the rear of the two story structure
used as headquarters. In the two
story Quilting were the oftices Of the
Superintendent. working rooms TOT
a large corps of clerks. and assls-
tants to the sunerintendent, and the
despathers Offices.
The Second Fire.
Within an hour of the time that
the alarm was turned in for the IRE
at the Milwaukee offices, a blaze was
discovered in the furniture store
owned bv the Crocker & Owen com,
panv. The department. exhausted
bv it's work at the first blaze, put up
another hard scrap there.
The building was saved. ho"gn
the stock was badly damaged by
smoke and water. The fire was To-
Gated in the basement and the ent're
structure soon hlled with dense
smoke. The actual fire damage ~
nominal.