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Much Grain Burned

Much Grain Burned image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
October
Year
1896
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Chicago, Oct. 27.- Twenty-flve fire nglnes and two steam flre tugs fought a battle royal with a big blaze on Goose sland at noon today. The Pacific elevator owned by W. H. Harper & Co. were found to be on flre at 11:45 o'clock and an alarm was lnstantly turned in. 'romptly as ever alarm was answered, he department was on the spot, but quicker than the flremen could get to work the blaze had all but enveloped he huge buildings and was bursting out In a dozen places from the roof. The locality is as dangerous as could be selected for a big fire. The two Pacific elevators, A and B, were well fllled with wheat, and of themuelves would íurnish material for a goodly eonflagration. Directly to the north is he Armour elevator, the largest in the world, atocked up to the roof with grain. To the northeast is the immense malting house of Hale & Curtís, while within gunshot lie the coal shed and doek of the Crescent Ooal company, stocked with thousands of tong of biuminous coal. Lumber yards in the mmediate vicinity offer further ma-, erial for the spread of a blaze, in addiion to which there are any number of reme cottages scattered around. The dangerous character of the flre was instantly perceived by the captain of the firet brigade to arrive. Second and third alarms were immediately ent out, and before the asslstance sent or was able to reach the spot a general alarm was turned in. To add to the difficulties of the situaiion, approach o the scène of the flre was as nearly mpossible as could be found in the city limits. In the noonday sun the yellow blaze could be eeen a mile away, curling up ike a huge bonfire, and a. score of engines and trucks and ihosecarts clangng pellmell toward the central point of attraction found thelr way blocked, owing to the difflculty of crossing the river. While impatient drivers turned around from within a stone's throw of the great blaze, doubled on their tracks and fought their way through sid streets little better than alleys, the ïuge building stores with a million bushels of wheat had become a veritable cauldron of flre. By the heroic efforte of the flremen the flamea were conflned to the elevators where tk fire originated. The loss will amount to J500,000.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register