The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1911-01-26
A 100000 FIRE
MlLWAUKEE'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, 900,
and great damage TO the stock of
furniture carried by the Crocker q
Owen is the result OF fires in this
city today. Both blaZes came in the
forenoon, and part of the depart
ment vas called from the Milwaukee
fire TO save the furniture store.
n destruction of the railroad
property va 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.
The fire lighters were called to the
scene soon after "a small oil heater
exploded in the freight room, and
in a very short time the fire had
spread to several cars of gasoline and
kerosene with were standing on the
iioubt SlhlIS. II WIS not Only udn~
gerous but almost utterly impos-
sible for the tremen To- get to
points of vantage To throw water on
the seething building. The ker, n
and gasoline was packed in barrels,
and every few moments one of these
would burst, throwing the fame in
all directions. This soon set fire to
every part of the freight house and
the building in which the headquar-
tzv. Af thn ,nal For chic EtatA ara
located.
The hremen fought hard to keep
the passenger station, which sits
some seventy-tive feet to the north
of the freight house, from burning.
but after the south buildings were
nearly destroyed, the stati'n took
fire and was reduced to ashes in a
half hour
The freight house and headquar-
tiers are old buildings and burned
readily, there. being no effort at tire-
proof construction. The passenger
station. practically n new structure.
withstood the intense heat for a long
time. Though the greatest
loss to the company is found In the
passenger station. the loss of records
In the office buildings will put 1t TO
no end of trouble.
The passenger station. aside from
the TWO Wdltlng TOpiIlS anu lie t'INVh
office. contained a small restaurant
a large baggage room. a checking
room. and offices for minor officials
of the company. The freight station
was n long narrow building. sitting
in the rear of the two story structure
used as headquarters. In the two
story Quilting were the offices of the
superintendent. working rooms Tor
a large corps OF clerks, and assiS-
tants to the sunerintendent, n the
despathers Offices.
The Second Fire.
Within an hour of the time that
alarm was turned in for the IRE
nj the Milwaukee Offices, n blaze was
discovered i'm the furniture store.
owned nv the Croker a. owen COM
panv. The department. exhausted
by it's work at the first blaze. put up
another hard scrap there.
The building was saved, though
the stock was badly damaged by
smoke and water. The fire was To-
Gated In the basement and the ent're
structure soon nlled with dense
smoke. The actual fire damage Is
nominal.