The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-12-08
THE FARGUSSON FIRE.

It was Friday, December %,
1892, rather an unlucky combina-
ton Of day and date. At about
2:30 p. M, an alarm of fire set
things in motion at the central
station Of the fire department.
The alarm came from the hard
ware house of Chaplin Wells, in
the old Fargusson building, just
past the corner Of Fourth avenue
West, on the lower side of Super
ior street.
Chief Thomas Smith got on
the ground and the quick progress
Of the flames compelled him to
turn in a general alarm. The fire
presumably started from ignition
Of gasoline and the large quantity
Of oils, gasoline and other infamm-
ables soon made the Chaplin W ellis
hardware store a roaring furnace.
The fire fiend climbed from floor
to floor with all the agility and
speed of a monkey up a mast.
The members of the fire-depart-
ment responded promptly with all
available equipment. When the
first line of hose was laid and the
hydrant opened, the pressure just
about brought a weak stream up
to the second story.
Fire engines gave much better
results but the roaring flames
were uncomfortable by any water
supply and pressure available at
that time. Explosions of inflamm-
ables from time to time speeded
up the seething flames.
One especially bad explosion
blew out all the windows and
doors on the Superior street front
and sent flames and smoke clear
across the sidewalk, into the
street. Jim Dunbar, a fireman,
working close to the front of the
burning building, literally was
blown out into the street and
against a ladder truck with such
force as to cut a bad cash in the
back of his head.
The Fargusson building had a
maximum height of four stories
in those days. There was an old
part and a new part, with sheet
iron doors between. When that
fire broke out, no one ever thought
that the portion facing Fourth
avenue West and Superior street
would burn. But the the flames
so quickly Quilted the westerly
portion Of the structure that they
made their way into the other
portion, either through windows
or doors blown open by explosions.
AS result, all the tenants Of the
easterly portion neglected to re-
move their possessions until too
late to do so. About everything
was lost except what was in the
heavy vaults.
The Duluth Evening Herald
then was printed on a press in the
endorsement of the Fargusson
building, although the composing
room was in the Henderson build
ing, nearly a block away. The
press escaped the flames but was
completely covered with water.
Hatley & Harvey had a saloon,
bowling alley and billiard rooms
on the Michigan street floor,
which were completely drowned
out but not burned.
On the Superior street floor, in
addition to the Chaplin W ellis
company, the Schiller-Hubbard
company, the Northwestern Fuel
company, Beatty's Sarnia line OF
steamships, Charley Kimball's
railroad ticket office and Thomas
Dowse were quite well cleaned out.
The Duluth, Missabe & North
ern Railway then had headquar-
tiers in the Fargusson building
and quite a good many records
were lost but, unexpectedly, field
notes were found safe in the vault
and a duplicate profile was dis
covered outside the office.
The Fargusson building was a
popular place for lawyers, real es-
tate men and brokers in iron lands
and stocks. Thomas Dowse, Ste
phen L. Merchant, E. G. Gridley,
Judge J. w. Bull and George
Wetherby were a few of the many
whose names are remembered to-
day by the writer.
Up towards the top Of the build
~ II