Year: 1875

THE following thrilling account is
from the Oshkosh Northwestern, pub
ished, the next day after the fire, from
the office of the Reporter at Fond du
Lac:


Oshkosh once more drops her head in
mourning. Once again has the dreaded
demon of destruction leveled her walls
and pillars to the dust. Once more has
the fend destroyer tapped his wings
and fed the flames that swept its, busi-
ness centre from the face of the earth.
Once more has the cry of despair and
the wall of desolatiS,a resounded through
our city. Once more has she been laid
low. Hardly had the land marks OF her
great fire OF July been covered over,
when another, the unkindest cut of all,
must strike her. and again paralyze the
effect of her endeavors to heal the for
mer wounds. Before, it was more par
ticularly the resident portion OF the city
which fell, to-day it is the more wealthy
portion, the very heart OF her business
interest. But, bad DIS it is, there is still
reason to be thankful that it is not worse.
There is enough left Of Oshkosh to still
hold her own among the enterprising
cities of the land, and although this is
the worst attack of her chronic ailment,
there is every hope of her quick recov-
cry.


Wednesday, the 28th of April, 1875,
must be marked as the day of our great
est loss by fire. The day was propitious
for a col.fagration. The hot suns of
the previous day had dried the surface
of the earth, and the great piles of lum-
Der that gliStened along the river banks
were tempting to the fiery elements.
The wind began blowing very strong
shortly after sunrise and increased It's
fury until noon, when it blew a perfect
gale. 1t was one OF our old fire days.
The air felt Ike 1t, the atmosphere seem
ed to predict a connagration AID every
body was expecting it. bad day for
fire, F." was the safutation which was heard
on every hand, and yet with all the
warming, and all the salu5ations, and all
the indications OF a day for fires, it was
graciously and gently allowed to come
at last. The warning OF past years was
forgotten and the terrific wiad swept
unheeded by the ears OF some whose
duty it was by law and by right to shut
down their mills on such day as this.


It was about l o'clock and while the
wind had reached its greatest fury that
the startling whistles screamed out the
alarm Of fire ali along the line of mills
and steam factories. 1t was fearful
day, and ten thousand souls started in
wild excitement as they heard those first
peals of the alarm whistles, and well
they might. The deep volumes of
smoke, thick and black that rolled up
from Morgans mill showed too plainly
what danger might be expected. Hard
ly had the great crowd gathered from
all directions when the spreading flames
were already coiling and winding around
the huge lumber piles that lay adjoin-
ing the mill. The wind was too strong
and the volume of flame too sudden for
effective operation on the part Of any
body. Great chunks of burning cinders
came floating over into the lumber piles
more adjacent to Main street and they
quickly caught. A fierce fight was waged
among tn 9se piles, but the cinders be-
came too numerous and the ignitions too
frequent, SO they had to move their
goods, and every available truck was
engaged by the dry goods interests IN
that vicinity to remove their goods to a
place of safety. But in spite of their
untiring efforts the dry goods men suf-
fered large losses. The smoke became
Oun0lng ana Tie SIrl1e along Maln SUreeU
was terrible. Unbridled horses let
loose from the livery stables came dash
ing through the crowded streets, rrna-
way teams came tearing by while the
yelling and screaming from man to man
became perfectly terrifying. It was a
wild scene which pen cannot picture.


The fire had easily crossed the street
and was deyoming the Commercial and
First National Bank buildings. The
frequent booming of bursting gun pow
der in Frank Percy's gun store added
but another aspect to the carnage of fire
and the wild fury that prevailed along
the street. Show cases came crashing
to the pavement, silks and ribbons from
the fancy stores foated along the side
walks, articles of every description few
and tore in every direction, driven by
fierce wind that raved like mad man.