DAVID LAW'S FREIGHT AND OMNIBUS LINE.

In 1857, a Mr. Blosson established an omnibus and baggage line, with his headquarters at the old Harrington House, corner of Third and Pearl streets. At this time, only one omnibus was operated. In 1859, David Law and P. S. Davidson purchased the interest of Blosson, and, in connection with the omnibus and baggage, a freight line was established. These, in connection with a livery which Mr. Davidson had previously owned, were conducted by Davidson & Law for a number of years, till 1872, when their partnership was mutually dissolved, Mr. Davidson taking the livery and Mr. Law the omnibus and freight line, which he has since conducted in the interest and to the satisfaction of all. The line consists of three omnibuses, two baggage-wagons, five freight-wagons and fifteen horses, with a large stone barn on Second street, between Pearl and Jay, and an office and headquarters on the corner of Main and Front streets. The amount of the investment is stated at $7,500.

FIRES.

On Saturday, March 7, 1857, the New England Hotel was discovered to be on fire, and, notwithstanding the exertions of the citizens, the entire block on the east side of Front street, between State and Main, with the exception of Clark's saloon, on the corner of State and Front streets, was burned to the ground. The buildings on the opposite side of the street were badly disfigured. This was the first fire of any importance, causing the heaviest loss, that had occurred in the city. The estimated losses amounted to $30,000, with a total insurance of about $12,000. On Wednesday evening, April 8, a fire broke out in the steam saw and flouring mill in the north part of the city, owned by White, Gregory & Dyer, and in a short time the mill, together with most of its contents, was destroyed. The loss amounted to $30,000, with an insurance of $17,000.

On Monday afternoon, October 4, 1858, North La Crosse was visited by a very destructive fire, which destroyed the steam saw and planing mill, and a large lot of lumber belonging to Buttrick & Brother, and two or three other small wooden buildings used for dwellings and offices. The fire broke out in the fire room of the mill. The mill was built in 1857, at a cost of $21,000, had run all the past summer, and the lumber cut was all destroyed. The entire loss amounted to about $32,000. Only for the timely assistance of the citizens several other buildings would have been destroyed.

Sunday morning, October 20, 1861, a fire broke out in a barn adjoining the livery establishment of T. Davis, and destroyed the following property: Carriage-shed, occupied, lower floor, by T. Davis; upper story, by George Bell as a paint-shop; bowling alley, occupied by Lush, Stevens & Lathrop as a grain warehouse, destroying about 350 bushels of wheat. Mr. Fisher's house and saloon was considerably damaged. The total loss amounted to about $2,000. The disastrous fire of March 19, 1862, which broke forth from the roof of the Augusta House, and raged five hours before it could be subdued, was by all odds the most terrible visitation of the kind La Crosse has ever felt.

The Augusta House, a four-story building, was of wood, and in half an hour the entire fabric was in flames, and in forty-five minutes the roof fell in. The house was full of guests, many of whom lost the entire contents of their rooms. But a very small amount of the furniture was saved, and that in a very damaged condition. The burnt district covered the entire ground between the Pearl Street Block, east of the alley, and to Stanley's jewelry store, east side of Front, from the brick store adjoining Lloyd & Supplee's, to the brick store of N. Hintzen's, on the west side of Front street, from Davis' livery stable, on the south side of Pearl, around to the Elliott brick store on the east side of Front street. In this fire thirteen buildings belonging to John M. Levy were burned. The total loss from the fire was $71,000, and the whole amount of insurance was comparatively small, not exceeding $10,000.

May 16, 1862, a fire was discovered in the barn belonging to Messrs. J. & A. McMillan, which contained 500 bushels of wheat, considerable cable rope, mill saws, etc. The dwelling

house of Mr. McLean was also on fire, but, by the timely exertions of the citizens and fire department, it was saved. The barn caught from fires some careless boys were making with dry grass, etc, contiguous to the buildings burned. McMillan's loss was $1,000; McLean's, $100. Friday night January 8, 1864, flames were discovered in the upper story of Kevin & Tyne's grocery and provision store, corner of Pearl and Third streets, and, in a short time, the entire building was a heap of ruins. It was occupied in the front as a store, in the rear as a dwelling. The flames caught from the stove pipe, where it entered the chimney, which evidently burst from the cold. About one-half of the stock of goods was saved. There was an insurance of $800 on the goods, and $500 on the house-not enough to cover over half the loss.

Early on Saturday morning, May 14, 1864, flames were seen in the rear end of Mr. Hohl's Yankee notion store on Pearl street. The flames spread rapidly, and before it was expected, had reached the building near the corner of Third street. By great exertion, the fire was kept from spreading toward Main street. Had there been any wind, the probabilities are that all the buildings on Main street, between Second and Third streets, would have been destroyed. The buildings were all wood, dry as tinder and burned very rapidly; a perfectly still morning saved the business portion of the city. The entire loss amounted to about $6,000, with a total insurance of about $5,000.

On Monday night, June 20, 1864, La Crosse was visited by another heavy fire. It originated in the Republican office and reached the building formerly occupied by Walter Brown & Co., on Front street. All the wooden buildings on the west side of Front street were destroyed, except the Walter Brown & Co. building, and what was known as Barron's Hall Block. They were mostly a lot of old, dilapidated buildings, and presented anything but a pleasing sight from the river. The total loss amounted to about $12,000, with a total insurance of about $5,000. On Thursday evening, December 28, 1865, a fire broke out in the Union Stove Factory of Gould & Co., on Front street, and communicated with A. Hirshheimer's plow factory, destroying both buildings. During the same evening, flames were discovered issuing from a building owned by Mrs. Gregory, on Fourth street, between Main and State streets, occupied by Mark H. Kellogg & Co., as a grocery and feed store, and so rapidly the fire extended its ravages, that in less than two hours every building on that side of the street, except the one then known as the Chicago store, on the corner of Main and Third streets, was nothing but a pile of ruins. A few hours after this, and on the same night, a fire broke out in an old building in an opposite block, belonging to Col. Carlton, and, in less than two hours, the Columbian House and Harrington House, with the rest in the block, except the post office building, were destroyed. There was an immense gathering of citizens at these three fires, all occurring in one night, and a general anxiety was manifested to stay the ravages, but all efforts proved unavailing. The estimated loss of these three fires was $56,000, with a total insurance of about $25,000.

September 14, 1863, early in the morning, a fire was discovered raging in a large barn situated on a lane near Pearl street. The wind being high, the fire spread rapidly, and despite every effort soon reached the fine brick blocks on Main street, and ran into the La Crosse House, which it consumed rapidly.

It was the largest fire next to the large fire of March, 1862.

The losses were as follows: Knud Knudson, La Crosse House $2,000; Ole Hanson, furniture in same, insured; T. B. Edwards, brick building, rear windows and doors burned out and building damaged by water, insured; J. T. Van Valkenburg, dry goods, removed in great haste, insured; S. A. Gillette & Son, dry goods; C. H. Eaton, building occupied by Steinam & Co., for dry goods, and Hugh Cameron for law office, loss, $2,500, insured for $1,500; S. Steinam, dry goods, insured; Hugh Cameron, law library and furniture, damaged, no insurance; W. B. Hanscome, brick building, occupied by Batavian Bank, loss $200, insured; G. Van Steenwyk, private property, loss $500, insured; Colton & Whelpley, books and stationery, fully insured; brick building occupied by them as a bookstore, and by Cameron & Losey, for law office, damaged $1,000, insured; Cameron & Losey law library and furniture, partly

removed, fully insured; Bacon's new brick block, damaged $1,000, no insurance-the loss fell heavily upon the contractors; William T. Black lost two horses, valued at $200, and pair of harness and wagon worth $100; American Express Company, one horse worth $150; Lloyd & Supplee, lost a horse valued at $100.

Early on Sunday morning, June 29, 1867, the Wescott House, on the corner of Second and State streets, was discovered to be on fire, and in about two hours the entire building was consumed. The fire broke out from the roof, and was under such headway when discovered, that all hopes of saving the building were at once given up. All the inmates of the building, nearly one hundred in number, escaped. A large portion of the furniture was saved by the citizens, though most of it was removed in a badly damaged condition. The building was owned by three different parties-Mrs. S. M. Boardman owning one half of it, and Theodore Rodolf and B. A. Jenkins one-quarter each. J. G. Robbins & Son were the proprietors. The building was an old one, but it had been lately repaired and fitted up as nicely as it could be. and was a favorite tarrying place for the traveling public. The total amount of insurance on the building and furniture was $14,000, but the total loss greatly exceeded this sum.

May 15, 1870, the most disastrous fire that ever occurred in La Crosse broke out on the Northwestern Union Packet Company's steamboat War Eagle, which plied between St. Paul and Dubuque. She arrived on the 14th, and, about 6 o'clock, proceeded to the depot to take on freight and await the arrival of the midnight train from Milwaukee. The passengers from the train were transferred to the boat, and the freighting nearly completed, before the accident took place. The men were loading some barrels of Danforths' fluid, stowing it on the larboard side about midship. One barrel being found leaking, the cooper was directed to repair it. The barrel was stood on end, the cooper placing his lantern on the head of it, and while driving the hoops, the lantern in some manner was broken, and the whole mass of inflammable material was in a blaze in a moment. The barrel was rolled off the boat, but a barge prevented its entering the water, when the flames and blinding smoke enveloped the boat in a moment. There was but a small passenger list, only about fifty cabin passengers being on board. Of this number six were lost. The fire rapidly communicated to the extensive freight sheds on the dock, and thence to the depot and adjoining buildings, all of which, together with the large elevator, six freight cars, one passenger car, and one baggage and express cars, were destroyed in an hour's time. The dimensions of the depot destroyed were as follows: Main freight and passenger depot and offices of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, 45x250 feet; the elevator, 75x140 feet and 80 feet high; the dock warehouse, 50x250 feet; dock shed, 40x175 feet; dining-hall, baggage and express rooms, 40x150 feet. This loss amounted to $211,000, with an insurance of an indefinite amount. In addition to this loss, there was a large amount of private losses, making the total loss about $250,000.

Late in the night of January 18, 1871, the alarm of fire was given on the street, and in a few moments the fire was discovered to be in the large distillery owned by James Langdon, situate on the corner of Second and La Crosse streets. The wind was blowing hard, and the flames soon burst out, and it was soon evident that the building could not be saved. There was in the building a complete grist-mill, a twenty-horse-power engine, and a complete set of distilling implements. The total loss amounted to $10,000, with no insurance.

On Friday morning, April 28, 1871, Shephardson's Mill, on Black River, caught fire and was almost totally destroyed. The mill had just been overhauled, some $4,000 having been expended on new machinery and additions, and had not yet been started for the season. Mrs. Shephardson's loss amounted to $24,000, with no insurance. Dean Smith & Co. also lost about $1,000 in saws and other machinery, which they had in the mill at the time.

Sunday morning, January 19, 1876, the fire alarm was sounded, and in a few moments the clothing store of Mr. Langstadt was found to be on fire. Water was quickly applied, and the flames, which were under considerable headway, were soon extinguished, but not until the stock of clothing had received a thorough wetting. The total loss amounted to $9,000, with an insurance of $6,000.

At about 9 o'clock on Saturday morning, June 17, 1877, a fire was discovered near the furnace in Holway's mill, in the Fifth Ward. The flames quickly ran from the pile of sawdust, where the fire originated, up the sides of the building, which seemed to burn almost as rapidly as tinder, and soon the entire structure was a seething mass of flames. The fire spread with almost inconceivable rapidity, quickly communicating itself to the large piles of lumber stacked on the windward side of the mill, consuming about 100,000 feet. The mill was known as the old "Ross Mill," having been purchased by Mr. Holway from Mr. Ross, only about two months previous to the fire, for $10,000. Mr. Holway's entire loss amounted to $12,000, without any insurance.

The most disastrous fire that visited La Crosse for a number of years occurred on Sunday afternoon, July 27, 1879. The fire was discovered to be in the wagon and blacksmith shop of A. Dittman, on Third street, near the corner of Badger, and the building, a few moments after the alarm was given, was a mass of flames. The building was of frame, lined with brick. The large building adjoining it on the north, owned by Smith & Merrill, and used by them as a storehouse, paint-shop and setting-up-shop for threshing machines, also took fire, and was also completely destroyed. A stiff breeze was blowing from the west at the time, which baffled all efforts of the firemen to stay the progress of the fire, and carried sparks and pieces of flaming wood to the adjoining buildings, setting fire to them also. Among the buildings on fire were the dwelling-houses south of Dittman's shop, the fanning-mill factory of Hart & Norton opposite, and numerous barns and sheds in the rear. The flames were also carried to the frame sheds containing agricultural implements, on the opposite side of Badger street, and thence to the flouring-mill owned by A. Hirshheimer & Co., and operated by Yeo & Clark, also to the paintshop and storehouse of W. P. Powers, opposite on Third street. At this point the fire was placed under control, and no more buildings took fire except the new barn and storehouse of Davis, Medary & Platz, west of Dittman's shop. The building occupied by Dittman was owned by Lloyd & Clarke, the tools and contents being owned by Mr. Dittman. The loss on the building was $2,500; insurance, $1,200. Loss on stock, about $1,300; insurance, $1,200. Smith & Merrill's loss amounted to $10,000, with an insurance of $6,000. A. Hirshheimer's loss, $8,000; insurance, $5,900. Davis, Medary & Platz' loss, $800, with no insurance. P. Powers' loss, $500, with no insurance. The total loss amounted to about $23,000, with a total insurance of about $14,000.

THE STORM FIEND.

W.

One of the most fearful thunder storms that has ever been experienced in this vicinity, visited La Crosse on the night of Wednesday, July 20, 1881. It commenced to rain at about a quarter to 9, and increased in violence until shortly before 11, when it reached its highest pitch. The rain fell in torrents-in perfect sheets-the thunder roared with deafening proximity, and the flashes of lightning were rapid and vivid. The large audience that was in the opera house suffered a slight wetting, but most of them had reached their homes when the storm commenced to howl, so that they escaped its fury. At about 11 o'clock, the thunder and lightning were doing their worst. It was evident that the lightning was striking somewhere in the city, and the subsequent day's developments proved that it had. Dozens of places were struck and more or less damage done. The most damage, however, was done by water, which poured down the streets, overflowing the sewers and running into basements. Great consternation prevailed throughout the city during the prevalence of the storm, chiefly among the female population, and many persons spent a sleepless night in fear of personal harm. The rainfall here was three and three-fourths inches, and the effect was to cause a rapid rise in the river. The rise was twelve inches. Sergt. Emery, of the Signal Service, reports that the storm extended from this city southeast to Chicago, a heavy rainfall being reported over the entire territory. Great damage was done to the railroads, and all trains running into this city were delayed.

About 8 o'clock the clouds commenced gathering on the horizon, but did not look formidable until an hour later. About 9 o'clock the rain commenced beating down upon the roofs like the tramp of a marshaled host, and soon after reverberating peals of thunder and vivid flashes of

lightning followed. About 11 o'clock, the fury of the storm reached its climax. The thunder seemed to be one perpetual roar, and the lightning one incessant flash, lighting up the sky and causing the drops of water on the trees to flash with a thousand resplendent rays. The majority of people, however, failed to observe the beauty of Nature in her terrible majesty, and, as one peal became louder than another, would jump a foot from their seats. Numbers who had already retired and failed to find rest in slumber, rose and dressed themselves, fearing a fate similar to the New Ulm disaster was in store for the city. There was not much to fear from that score, however, as there was not much wind, the storm being mostly rain, thunder and lightning. The storm extended over a great space of territory on all sides of the county. It reached every division of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul road.

The damage done in the city, by the lightning and water combined, was considerable. In the telegraph office, the operators could hardly work. The lines gave out for awhile, and worked badly afterward. The operators were startled every few minutes by reports like a cannon, as the bolt would strike the wire. The damage done to the telephone lines amounted to but little. Six drops burst in the office, and six or seven bells were rendered useless. A number of the drops on the telephone switch needed to be entirely respooled. The wind came from the southeast, shifted to the west, and finally changed to a southwesterly direction. The Bright Light, which arrived up from St. Louis, lay at the depot all night, owing to the severity of the storm. It was reported that a house had been struck at Onalaska and burned to the ground. Frank Pooler, who was in the city the next day, stated such was not the case; that a farmhouse to the west, however, had caught fire from the lightning, but the fire was put out. A number of places in the city were struck by the electric bolt, but not badly damaged. The roof of John Franckle's building, on Pearl street, was struck in the very center, and a split made in the front parapet of the roof, but the damage was only slight and easily repaired. Early during the storm, a tree in front of the Washburn residence, on Seventh street, was splintered into kindling-wood. Four men under it at the time were knocked senseless upon the sidewalk. They were, fortunately, not seriously injured. William Hoefling's brick dwelling, near the Eagle Brewery, was visited. The ball struck the roof, went through the ceiling and floor of the top story, striking the ground floor in the bedroom where the owner was sleeping, within two feet of his bed. It must have stunned him, as he did not know anything about it until the next morning. The wire belt connecting the mill of the La Crosse Lumber Company with the planing-mill conducted the lightning into the engine-room of the mill, and a blaze sprang up which was soon extinguished without much damage having been done. The culvert in front of Birney's barber-shop, in the basement of the old post office building, became clogged, and the water poured in through the two side windows, breaking two windows and covering the floor to the depth of eleven inches. A number of tonsorial necessities were swept about promiscuously, and mostly ruined. The heaviest damage was sustained by Quinn & Batchelder, at their boot and shoe store, corner of Main and Second streets. The sewer becoming clogged, the water found an outlet by washing away the sand on the Second street side and washing through the basement wall, a portion of which gave way. The water entered two feet deep, and did much damage among the heavy stock of boots and shoes which were stored in the basement. The contents of the lower tier of boxes were almost entirely ruined, and the loss can safely be estimated at a minimum of $2,000. All signal offices were out of working order that night, in the territory which was visited by the storm. The rainfall, from 10 o'clock in the evening to 9 o'clock the next morning, was three and three-quarters inches, and the river at 9 o'clock had raised ten inches. The water in the Mississippi was tinged and presented all the appearance of a June rise.

The barn of Christian Drager, on the North Side, was set on fire by a stroke of lightning. An alarm of fire was sounded from Engine House No. 3; but the out of the way place in which the barn was situated, and the condition of the elements, prevented the fire laddies from arriving in time to quench the flames, and the barn was burned to the ground. Kieselbach's saloon, on Third street, on the North Side, was slightly touched by lightning. It struck just below the cornice, and burned two holes there; but otherwise inflicted no damage. The rain washed about