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1883 - O. R. Winton elected mayor for two years. His political leanings toward one of the two factions are not obvious.The police station and city jail are destroyed by fire in the greatest conflagration of the century. The fire starts at Collinsville and Division Avenues and destroys twentytwo houses and a number of business establishments. John Bowman's quick action is credited with saving the city from total destruction. He jumped into his carriage and made a "Ben Hur" chariot drive across the Eads Bridge in order to secure help from the St. Louis fire department. Funeral home is founded by Joseph A. Kurrus. Railroad war breaks out January 20th due to a bitter struggle between the East St. Louis Connecting Railroad and East St. Louis Union Railway over rights to lay track on Front Street. The war involves factions from both lines as well as a large group of city and state marshals. At one point, men from the Wiggins Ferry Company come in and rip up tracks already laid since they were too close to their economic interests on the river.
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