USA > Minnesota > Wabasha County > History of Wabasha County : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc. : gathered from matter furnished by interviews with old settlers, county, township, and other records, and extracts from files of papers, pamphlets, and such other sources > Part 64
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On Sunday morning, April 20, 1872, at about three o'clock, an alarm of fire was sounded, and the lurid reflection upon the build- ings and sky, as those who were aroused rushed into the streets, proved only too conclusively that a destructive fire was in progress, and had already made no little headway. The fire was found to be in Bessey & Burdett's wheat warehouse, on the lake shore near the city flouring-mills. The wind was fresh from the north, and carried the burning shingles and other light material for a long distance
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over the city, requiring constant vigilance and the application of water and wet blankets to prevent a general conflagration. The origin of the fire was never clearly ascertained ; the building had taken fire on the afternoon before, probably from the spilling of a can of kerosene upon the floor near the stove, but the flames had been thoroughly extinguished, and a watch kept upon the premises until ten o'clock at night, when Mr. Burdett, who was on watch, went home. There were between eight thousand and nine thousand bushels of wheat in the warehouse at the time, fully covered by insurance. The building was one of the largest warehouses in town, and was a total loss, upon which there was no insurance. These fires had all been in the suburbs, or, more properly speaking, along the lake front of the city, and not in the heart of the business or residence portion.
The next call was nearer home, and up to the date of its occurrence was the most disastrous fire that had yet visited the city, involving a loss of about thirty-five hundred dollars, one-third of which was covered by insurance. This fire occurred in the evening of January 28, 1873, at which time flames were seen issuing from the cellar of Glines & Gould, druggists, on Main street. All efforts to reach the fire were unavailing, and it was only a few moments - so inflammable were the contents of the cellar - before the flames broke out, and it was with difficulty that the books and contents of the safe and money-drawer were saved. The buildings destroyed were, besides the drugstore, an unoccupied building adjoining, owned by Mrs. J. A. Waskey, Oliver Young's residence, which was torn down to prevent the spread of the fire, and for which he afterward claimed remuneration from the city. From the rear of the burning buildings on Main street, the fire communicated to the rear of Wise's block on Center street, cleaning out the saloons there in a hurry, and wrapping Hudderon's brick block adjoining in a sheet of fire. This block was partially occupied by the stock of J. E. Farron, general merchant, who succeeded in saving the greater portion of his goods in a damaged condition. Herrey's brick block (usually known as the Harley block) followed, and this was the last of the buildings consumed. The upper stories. of this block were unoccupied, the corner storeroom was in possession of S. S. Ball, grocer and bookseller. Young's brick block and Her- rey's wooden buildings, on the opposite side of Center street, were covered with wet blankets to keep the fire from licking them up,
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LAKE CITY.
and in this they were successful. Glines, Gould & Co. lost, on building and stock, ten thousand dollars, on which there was about seventy-five hundred dollars of insurance. The occupants of private rooms in this building were losers to the extent of about five hun- dred dollars additional. Mrs. Waskey lost one thousand dollars, insurance eight hundred dollars ; Mr. Young's loss was five hun- dred dollars, of which about two-thirds was, after much delay, paid by the city council ; Were's block was valued at five thousand dol- lars, insured for sixteen hundred dollars. The saloon losses were about one thousand dollars, no insurance ; Mr. Huddleson's loss was over seven thousand dollars, uninsured. J. E. Farron's damage was covered by insurance. Gen. Herrey was insured for four thousand dollars, about one half of his loss. Other losses were all of a minor character, and did not aggregate much in excess of one thousand dollars.
The north side of town was the next visited, and again it was a grainhouse, this time upon the tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway. The Boston elevator was the fated structure this time, which was discovered to be on fire about three o'clock on the morning of March 12, 1875. The origin of this fire is also involved in mystery. It was first discovered by the watchman. breaking out overhead in the office, and doubtless originated in the end of the elevator adjoining the engine-room. The watchman, who was sleeping in the building at the time, found the fire had gained too much headway to leave any hope of saving the building. This ele- vator was built in the season of 1873 by a company of Boston capi- talists, who had become interested in the future of the city. It was the most conspicuous building on the town site, was thoroughly constructed, well supplied with the best machinery for cleaning and elevating grain, and cost when finished about twenty thousand dol- lars. The insurance on building and machinery was twelve thou- sand five hundred dollars. There was a large amount of wheat in store at the time tlie fire occurred, probably about sixty-five thou- sand bushels ; nearly one-third of this was saved in a damaged condition. Insurance upon grain was sixty thousand five hundred dollars. The company promptly adjusted all claims of farmers for wheat stored and resumed business in a rented storeroom, pending the erection of a new elevator. The smoke of this fire had hardly cleared from the sky, when the cry of fire again resounded upon the night air ; this time a little nearer the business of the heart of the
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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
city, and among its manufacturing industries. This fire occurred not quite two weeks after the destruction of the Boston elevator. The fire broke out March 25, 1875, at the corner of Franklin and Center streets, in the large wooden building occupied by J. H. Emery as a blacksmith-shop. The wind was blowing a moderate breeze from the east, right in the direction of the other shops in the block, and the hotels on the other side of Lake avenue, kept by Messrs. Neal and Sexton, which were so seriously threatened that their destruction was regarded certain. The fire next spread to John Dobner's wagon and blacksmith shop, and then took in A. N. Curtis' carriage-making establishment, which, with Neal's barns with their contents in the rear of the shops, were totally destroyed. The fire had now reached Lake avenue, just across which were the hotels. Here a determined opposition to the further progress of the fire was made by the volunteer pail brigade, and after a heroic fight, in which men were completely exhausted and many burned, the fire was prevented crossing the street. The aggregate losses were in the vicinity of ten thousand dollars, upon which there was little insurance. Mr. Emery's loss was five hundred dollars, in tools ; no insurance. The building he occupied was owned by David Timmerman, of Utica, New York, and was insured for twelve hundred dollars, about one-half its value. Mr. Dobner's loss, mostly in seasoned material and manufactured stock, aggregated six thousand dollars ; insured for eighteen hundred dollars. A. N. Curtis' loss was fifteen hundred dollars ; no insurance. Neal's barn, insured for four hundred dollars ; loss above insurance, five huudred dollars. As before said, these fires, following so soon one upon the heels of the other, awakened public attention to the need of an efficient fire department, and its speedy organization was the result.
The fire department had been organized a little over three and a half years when it was called to battle with the most destructive fire that had heretofore visited the city, and whose ravages were not stayed (owing to an unfortunate circumstance over which the depart- ment had no control) until the First National Bank building, a brick structure, corner of Center and Washington streets, and seven wooden buildings were laid in ashes, involving a total loss of nearly seventy-five thousand dollars, about one-third of which was covered by insurance. The origin of the fire was never definitely ascer- tained. The flames were seen in the back part of J. E. Favrows' store, and spread rapidly in every direction. The alarm was given
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about one o'clock on the morning of November 16, 1879. The fire department was promptly an hand, and a telegraph despatch for aid was sent to Red Wing, which, owing to delays on train, did not reach here until abont four o'clock, by which time the work of destruction was as complete as it was likely to be. The new arrivals did good service in cooling off safes and quenching the smouldering flames, for which the exhausted firemen of the city were deeply grateful. The fire gained headway through a whole hour, in which the fire engine was rendered absolutely useless by the supply pipe becoming choked with sand. Abont three years before the fire, after the other fire cisterns had been completed, it was deemed expedient to provide a water supply near the corner of Center street and Lake avenue, which would save about one hundred and fifty yards of hose con- nection with the lake in case of fire in the eastern or southeastern part of the city. The well was dug in the low ground east of Neal & Johns, to a point considerably below that to which the water would rise through the sand in case of extreme low water in the lake. This well was not cemented on the bottom, and the snction of the steamer's supply pipe drew the sand into this pipe and into the engine pumps, completely choking the engine, in fact packing it solid with sand and rendering it absolutely useless. During the hour spent in getting ready for even such work as in its damaged condition it could perform, the fire made fearful headway, sweeping round the corner of Washington street, and making clean work of everything between the bank corner and the heavy stone and brick- work of Patton & Son's store. The fire on Center street was not so destructive, and its progress was checked by the pail brigade and Babcock extinguishers so effectively that only one wooden building on the street adjoining the bank was burned down. Others were damaged, and stocks of goods so materially injured as to involve almost total loss ; but the progress of the fire was stayed without spreading through the block to Main street. With the exception of the bank building, the structures consumed were wooden, and old city landmarks, representing the early palatial stores of pioneer days ; and in their destruction some old relics were forever swept out of existence, the original Masonic and Odd-Fellows' halls among others. The First National Bank block was the pride of the city. It was erected in 1873 on the south corner of Center and Washington streets (the streets all running diagonally to points of compass). The bank was on the corner, with stores on Center and Washington streets.
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These stores were the property of the then cashier and president, respectively, L. S. Van Vliet and L. H. Gerrard. It was built of Milwaukee white pressed brick, iron columns, galvanized iron cor- nice, white draped stone caps, sills and trimmings, plate-glass windows, etc. The banking office was elegantly finished with solid black-walnut counters, desks, doors and casings, and was a model bank office. J. E. Favrow, who suffered so seriously in the fire of 1872, in the adjoining block on the south, was this time completely wiped out. The "Sentinel " office was so completely consumed that not a shooting-stick even was saved. The law office of Stocker & Matchan, over the bank, with its library, was consumed, including account books, old journals, etc. The losses of building were : First National Bank, seventy-five hundred dollars ; Van Vliet's & Ger- rard's store, seven thousand dollars ; and the store of Peter Beck, H. C. Bronco, S. Lindgreen, Mrs. A. W. Ditmars, D. C. Corwin, H. L. Halsey and George Patton, each valued at from twelve hundred to two thousand dollars. The value of the buildings destroyed was about twenty-five thousand dollars, upon which there was an insurance of nine thousand five hundred dollars. The damage to buildings not burned was probably not more than fifteen hundred dollars, and upon these there was ample insurance to cover all loss. The heaviest losses in merchandise and other stock, fixtures, etc., were : J. E. Favrow & Co., sixteen thousand dollars, insured for four thousand dollars ; H. D. Brown, printing-office, ten thousand dollars, insured for fifty-five hundred dollars ; Stocker & Matchan, law library and furniture, sixty-five hundred dollars, insured for seventeen hundred dollars ; Henry Miller, druggist, five thousand dollars, insured for fifteen hundred dollars ; E. M. Everson, twenty-five hundred dollars, fully insured ; S. Lendgreen, two thousand dollars, no insurance. The total loss on buildings was about twenty-seven thousand dollars, on stocks forty-eight thousand dollars ; upon the former of which there was an insurance of eight thousand seven hundred and fifteen dollars, and on the latter of seventeen thousand seven hundred and forty-five dollars. The morning light of Monday had scarcely broken before the débris was being cleared away and prepara- tions made for rebuilding and resuming trade. These fires, disastrous as they were, and severely felt as they must have been in a town of twenty-six hundred population, were so com- pletely overshadowed by the calamity of 1882, that the plucky business men of the city are wont to say, "We never had
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but one fire here that amounted to anything, and that was in 1882, when we were all wiped out clean as with a sponge." This fire, technically known as the "great fire," originated in an unused room of the old Sexton House on the Point, which was discovered to be in flames at about two o'clock on the morning of Saturday, April 22, 1882. The wind was blowing a fierce gale from the lake, and carrying the flames into the old wooden rookeries in that part of town, sheds, barns, etc., fanned them into a roaring conflagration, and swept the cinders, shingles and burning material of all kinds right over the western and northern parts of the town, threatening the whole with speedy destruction. The workmen in Neal & John's establishment saved that manufactory by almost superhuman exertions, and thus prevented the spread of the flames across the block to the west, and no doubt saving the blocks between Washing- ton and Franklin streets, on the west of Center. The wagonshops of Curtis & Richardson Bros. & Co. were speedily wrapped in flames, which almost instantly leaped across the street to John Dobner's blacksmith-shop, and to the buildings on the east side of Washington, between Center and Marion ; all of which, though good substantial brick structures, were consumed. Nothing was left standing thus far from the starting point of the fire east of Washing- ton, between Center and the lake, except the big warehouse just across Marion street. Crossing Washington street, Sam Lindgreen's saloon, and the other brick buildings on that side of the block from the First National Bank to Patton's block, were soon in flames, which swept across Center street, through the wooden structures on the northeast corner of Center and Washington, moving down both sides of Center to Main, and leaving nothing standing in its track. Leaping across Main street, it swallowed up the fine brick stores of C. P. Young & Bro .; and on the north side of Center street, carrying destruction with it as far as the building of the Lake City Furniture Company, which was destroyed. The buildings on the lower side of Center street, between Washington and Main streets, were all destroyed except the lower corner room of the Lake City Bank building, a fine three-story structure, in which was the postoffice. The fire had quickly spread over the entire block bounded by Main, Center, Washington and Lyon streets ; the fierce gale blowing the flames in a due westerly course diagonally through the block and across the corner of Lyon and Main streets to the Commercial hotel, which, having been destroyed, the destruction was stayed in that
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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
quarter for lack of material. The efforts of the firemen were prin- cipally directed to saving the block bounded by Center, Washington, Lyon and Franklin streets, in which was the Merchants' hotel, an immense three-story wooden structure. The burning of this block would in all probability have involved the destruction of the entire northwestern portion of the city, as far down as Center point, as the wind was blowing a perfect gale, and buildings were taking fire sev- eral blocks from the center of the conflagration, fired by the burning shingles which were whirled blazing through the air, only to fall on some dry roof and kindle it into a blaze. The firemen made a stand at Richardson's corner, where their brick building interposed some obstruction to the progress of the flames through the block ; and though several times on fire, as were also the other buildings of the block, the catastrophe that would have followed their burning was averted by the heroic exertions of the citizens, who had turned ont en masse to save the town ; many of them so intent on fighting fire at its very center that their own properties were consumed before they were aware of the fact. Another stand was made against the progress of the flames at the wooden saloon on the Main street side of the National Bank Building block, as, had that building gone, nothing could have saved the block across the street, and its destruc- tion would have involved the center of the residence portion of the city, including all the church buildings. The efforts in both cases were finally successful, and the fire was finally stayed after sweeping through six blocks, the best business blocks of the city, in whichi scarcely a structure of any kind remained to tell the awful story of destruction. So complete was the work of annihilation, and so serious the losses sustained, that many seriously doubted the practicability of rebuilding the city. All that remained standing was the row of brick stores on the northwest of Lyon avenue, and the block on the northeast of Washington street and northwest of Center street. It would be utterly useless to attempt to specify the losses on either buildings or goods. There were about fifty buildings burned, involving a loss of property in structures and contents, as nearly as can be ascertained, of at least three hundred and seventy thousand dollars, upon which there was an insurance of about one hundred and seventy-eight thousand dollars. Of this amount, however, consider- able proportion was insurance on damaged goods, and partially destroyed or damaged buildings ; so that the loss may be fairly said to have been about one-third covered by insurance. Thus, within a
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LAKE CITY.
period of less than ten years, destructive fires had three times ravaged the business center of the city, involving a loss of over half a million dollars in a small town of about twenty-six hundred population. The grit of the little city was fully apparent in this calamity. The common council met immediately, and, refusing all applications for permits to erect temporary wooden structures, extended the fire limits to the lake shore, upon which the fire had originated. Monday evening, following the destruction of Saturday, an enthusiastic meeting of the board of trade was held, and it was apparent that the enterprise and courage of the city was by no means in ashes, if the buildings of the city were. Capt. Seeley, the city postmaster, on the alarm of fire, left his own household goods to destruction, and used all his exertions to save the mails and records of his office, in which he was successful ; all letters, papers and office records being safely removed. The First National Bank were at work immediately, and resumed business in a building they put up on a corner across Center street from their own property. Work upon the bank corner was immediately begun, and the structure was soon ready for occupancy. The Lake City Bank moved into the reading-room in the Merchants' Hotel, and resumed. Their first business after the fire was to receive a deposit for three hundred dollars from A. P. Merrell, of Maiden Rock. The Masonic fraternity lost all their furniture, including their records, the latter a serious loss. The destruction of the valuable museum of Dr. Estes was much to be deplored. Its collection had been the work of a lifetime ; and, besides con- taining curiosities of very rare and valuable character, many of them impossible to duplicate, the Doctor's manuscripts and notes, the work of years, and which it was his intention to have given to the public in permanent form, were all destroyed, leaving him, in his own pathetic words, "Not a scrap of my life work ; not a scrap, sir." This was a loss not to be computed in dollars and cents. The burned district has to a great extent been rebuilt, and the business of the city goes on its prosperous way, in the earnest hope that, having been tried so as by fire, it may henceforth escape the destructive ordeal.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Lake City had no regularly organized fire department until three years after her actual incorporation as a city. Several narrow escapes from disastrous conflagrations had warned the citizens of the pos- sible danger to the business center of the city, unprotected as they
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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
were against any serious fire that might break out in the more densely-built portions of the city ; but the danger passing, the matter was lost sight of. On the night of March 25, 1875, a fire which broke out on the corner of Center and Franklin streets, and for a time very seriously threatened all the lower portion of the town, reawakened the interest of the citizens in fire protection. This fire, which destroyed ten thousand dollars' worth of property, following close upon that of the twelfth of the same month, when the Boston elevator was burned, and which involved the destruction of sixty thousand dollars' worth, very forcibly aroused the public attention to the imperative necessity of organizing and maintaining an efficient fire department. The matter was at once taken hold of energetically, and petitions numerously signed were presented to the council, asking for the immediate creation of a fire department, as authorized by chapter 4, section 38, of the city charter. This petition came before the new council at its first regular meeting after the spring election in 1875, and Messrs. Fowler and Farrow were appointed the council's committee on fire department. The petition was referred to this committee, who were also instructed to negotiate for the purchase of a steam fire-engine, hose and necessary equipments. At a special meeting, held April 16, a proposition was received from Samuel McDowell, of Seneca Falls, New York, to furnish the city with one of Silsby's patent rotary steam fire-engines, third size, two hose-carts, fifteen hundred feet of hose, and all the equipments necessary to operate it successfully, for seven thousand two hundred and fifty dollars ; terms, twelve hundred and fifty dollars cash, the balance to be paid in three equal yearly installments of two thousand dollars each, bonds to bear interest at ten per cent. This proposition was accepted by the council, and the engines and apparatus ordered, with the understanding that they were to be shipped within three weeks. The council also passed an ordinance providing for the organization of a fire department, to consist of one engine com- pany of forty men, two hose companies and a hook and ladder company, to consist of thirty men each. W. A. Doe, L. S. Van Vliet and I. S. Richardson were appointed a committee to enlist suitable members for the companies, and to call a meeting for organization so soon as twenty members were received for each company. Saturday, May 1, 1875, the companies met and per- fected their organizations. Meeting was held in the Academy of
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Music hall, with L. S. Van Vliet in the chair, and H. E. Hum- phrey, secretary. G. D. Post was elected chief engineer of the department and the various companies organized, as follows :
Engine company : E. B. Ellsworth, foreman ; L. L. Fletcher, assistant foreman ; H. E. Humphrey, secretary, and L. S. Van Vliet, treasurer. The members of the engine company were : L. S. Van Vliet, E. B. Ellsworth, J. M. Martin, John Phillips, Geo. C. Stout, Henry Hoth, D. M. Smith, Chas. Forrest, J. E. Doughty, H. R. Warner, H. Gillett, Calvin Neal, J. C. Hassinger, Robt. Romick, H. E. Humprey, I. E. Norton, M. L. Hulet, L. L. Fletcher, John Fletcher, E. H. Center, T. Stout, J. J. Doughty, Geo. Gibbs, H. C. Whitcher, H. M. Powers, C. J. Collins, Charles Knapp, R. B. Gates, Henry Scott, M. T. Stevens, Wallace De Long, C. J. Cogswell, W. R. Muir, C. Sinclair, Frank Bouton, Oliver Young, A. N. Curtis, Frank Phelps, Ferd. Baker, L. E. Thorp.
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