The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-04-06

Sunday, February IL, 1894, the
Duluth Board of Trade building was
totally destroyed by fire, entailing
a property loss in excess Of 100000.
The old Board of Trade building
was situated where the Lonsdale
building now stands. It had height
of four stories on Superior st. and
five stories on Michigan st. It was
built of Fond du Lac brown
stone and pressed brick, in 1885, at
a cost of $4,000. Insurance on the
building and contents aggregated
about $4,000.
The alarm reached the fire depart
ment at about 1920 p. m. Many Of
the iremen were at their Sunday
dinners but all responded as quickly
as possible. When chief Jackson ar
rived, he found flames bursting from
every window on the Michigan street
end, therefore he turned in general
alarm.
Found the Hydrant Frozen.
The first hydrant tried, that at the
Exchange building corner, was found
to be tightly frozen up. That state
of affairs caused loss Of five or ten
minutes in getting stream onto
the flames. Lack Of water and water
pressure also made the hose IN the
halls of the building useless in fight
ing the fire in its beginning.
Later on, fire engine No. 8 broke
down, somewhat handicapping the
fight against the flames. A high and
fitful wind also carried huge embers
here and there, greatly endangering
properties on both sides of Superior
street to the Westward
AT I'LL the east wall Of the build
ing fell, leaving only the lower por-
ton standing. Several faremen on
Third avenue barely escaped the fall
ing mass. Steaming bricks and NOR
tar completely blocked the basement
entrance to the Exchange building,
one brick reaching the elevator.
Firemen Had Marrow Escape.
After the east wall fell, the smoke
became more dense, driving back the
firemen. Several who stood on bal
comics at the rear, welcomed orders
to seek safety on the ground after
the side wall fell across Third av-
enue.
It looked for time as if adjacent
built, .ngs would go. The air was
filed with embers that fell on the
tops of nearby structures. Many
men were kept busily engaged on top
Of the King block, the Torrey build
ing and the st. Louis hotel, Heat
broke the plate glass in the Exchange
building and the Burrows building,
now the Columbia. The Boyle build
ing at 319 W. Superior St., was con.
stantly in danger as was the row OF
wooden buildings between that and
the Burrows block.
House hose, machine and hand
chemical engines, bucket brigades
and even shoveled snow were siren
uously. employed to protect exposed
property. Falling cinders riddled
awnings and even burned holes in
the blankets on the fire department
horses.
Strenuous Efforts Imperative.
When conditions looked the worst
the wind subsidized and light sprink'
ling of snow fell, thereby checking
the flames somewhat. The fire had
passed the, height of its f1erceness
by 1880 p M. and by 3 p. m. was
fairly well under control. At p,
m. nearly everything within the walls
of the structure had been consumed
and blazing gas, coming from broken
pipes, illuminated the skeleton OF
the building even more brightly than
had the devouring flames, there be-
ing an absence of smoke.
There was no loss of life and nc
serious accidents occurred. Street
car traffic was blocked but service
was resumed by $3.50 PM, after the
debris of wires had been removed
and the fire brought under control
The confiagration furnished diver
sion for those coming from church
Large crowds gathered to witness the
happenings and it became necessary
for the police to rope off Superior
street on the east. On the Other
| side, falling water and hot cinders
kept the curiously inclined out Of
the way.
Water Froze Quickly.
It was a wintry February day
Water froze easily and quickly
Many people were we'll sprinkled and
even drenched with water that came
from tops of the adjacent buildings
where men were dousing embers ant
cinders. Spray from different sources
drenched the face of the clock ir
front of the jewelry store of F. D
Day & Co. and froze to an extent
that the hands were embedded in g
mass of ice and the clock effectually
stopped. The entire face of that
clock had to be thawed out.
Capt. Kelleher worked without q
rubber coat. AS q result, his long
blue overcoat became more or less
drenched and, of course, quickly
froze. Having occasion to take of
the coat, he was Obliged to break
some Of the ice on 1t before he could
doff it. When he set it on the side
walk it stood straight up, SO stifflJ
was it frozen.
Origin of the Fire.
The fire may have originated froH
! defective wiring on the basement