Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1872-08-29
THE GREAT FIRE AT HELENA.
Upwards OfsSixty Buildings De-
stroyed.
Loss Estimated at $4,000

valued at $4,000. have been DESTROYED b
: the destructive clement. Seven entire bl ock
! nave fallen prey to the evouring flames
and once again great portion of the metro
! polls Of Montana presents the appearance @
eharred and. blackened mass of ruins. |
!, seems that Helena is subject TO periodical
j visitation from the fire-fiend, CARRYING de
struction aud desolarion to the town and 1T
inhabitants.
The following graphic description OF The
file We take from the Helena Herald:
Helena has again been swept by a destruc-
tive conflsgration. Yesterday, Friday, Au.
gust 23d, about 3 o'clock D. M, all incipienl
, fire was discovered in the rear part of the
North Pacific Hotel, on Main street, below
Broadway. The alarm was Immediately
given By citizens in the vicinity, and taken
up by the Waterman In the fire tower aud
sounded oyer the city. Multitude5 of people
hurriedlv gathered from all parts of the me-
i tropolis, and with buckets, hose, axes, tackle.
and such other articles and implements AZ
were useful and to be had, commenced a
prompt anu gorns fight with the Fire
Flend. But small and seemingly lnsignifi-
cant puffs OF smoke We're first obseryable is
suing from the root above the kitchen range
Numbers OF men, cOnspicouSly active aud
efficient on all occasions of similar danger
whose names are known and whose services
| are fecOg nized by all our peopIe--precipita-
ted themselves upon the building, and with
axes and water buckets endeaeored to reach
and extinguisll the smouideiing fire. Their
efforts, however, proved unavaiing; the
pent up fire speedily burst fourth i'll angry
blaze. anu wrapped the roof fl an extended
sheet of flame. Driven from tile hotel top,
the corps of ''fire-iIghters'' retired to the
roofs of contiguous buildings, and, assisted
by large numbers of citizen workers. COM
menced rapid demolition of the temporary
board and shingle coverings of adjoining
fire-proof business houses. But IA few Minti-
ties franspired before the North Pacitic, "a
vast Undertook ia itself and the frame bull
ding adjoining, occupied by the junior Hol-
ter as saloon. were enveloped ii, ltlrid
flame. and produced All intense heat. The
wooden covers above the fire-proofs of Mur-
ply, Neel s. Co., Hall q Hagadorn, on the
one side, and Of J. Fl. Curtis OIL the other,
were removed, but the contiagralon had too
great mass of finder material to work on to
successfully cope with it, and tire fire wound
around the rear of Taylor's stone block, and |
fastened itself upon the frame building cor
ner OF Main street and Broadway, occupied /
as a grocery house by Hall 81 Hagadorn.
This speedily went down, but not unIiI;most
OF the merchandise had been got out OIL SAFE
" STORED in he rear fire-proof. Buta mo-
10.
municating with the frame residence Of Mr..
u s. Ellis, Immediately back and across
Jackson street, set that building ablaze ASH
also the extensive carpenter shop ut Ellis
Bros, adjoining. destroying edifices, furni-
ture, tools, machinery, and lumber in fright
fal haste; The wind, blowing strong from
the west, veered to southwest and back again
sweeping the fre'straight ahead. and right
and left to Broadway and Grand street.
Human effort seemed utterly impotent to
stay the ravages of the memorable demon. +,
IN firery embrace many structure
and swiftly spreading over a goodIy portion
81 the business and resident portion of tile 4
sity. simultaneously, the elegant new cot
.age-house of Rev. DIR. CnrIlss and the res .
dencc of Mr.. Rae. on Grand street, and the
rame business houses on Broadway above
Jackson. took fire. and were enYeloped IN ]
lie furious flame. The Gazette office. loca {
ed IN the stone building OH jackson street
vas sandWichcd betWeenb burning buildings. ,
,ut it was thought that the thick walls and .
cement root Wonld save the house anu con- !
ents. Not until the imposing Whitlateh !
,lock, corner OF Broadway and Jackson. tnok :
liH and got under full Roadway, was the Ga !
ette establishment deemed in imminent dam e
'er. Mr.. Roman and his employees, assisted !,
y other ready help, worked lieroically TO :,
ave the building and property, but oyerpow- +
red by flame and heat, which penetrated :
hrough the exposed windows, they were Z Z
,rced to desist from their labors, with only Z
efficient strength left to extrcata themselves !.
ronl their perilons situation. The cenfiag- :
alton, extending across Broadway. wiped :
ut every building. with the execution =
Vawter's stone block, on either side from =
ackson to Warren street. Crossing Warren =
rect on the north side of Broadway. ii i
Yept every one of twenty three houses. :;
lostlv residences, big and small, located mn !.
A M he
houses destroyed IN this upper swath. Il
ere the gothic cottage residences Of Rem -
[ickney. Jr., and Mrs. Mcfarland, and the = !.
sly aud comfortable houses Of Marshal =, =,
heller. DR.. Billiard, Mr.. Nolan Mrs. Adj =, :,
pms and others. Dense columns Of smoke =.
ID flame were lifted by the wind hundreds -
feet in the air. and blazing shingles were I. Z.
llirled in upper space for blocks away. III i;
1 he new Methodist Church South. corner ~ i,
Grand anu Warren streets, was several II,
mes on IRE. but was promptly pxtinguished ~
courageous men, who worked themselves =,
the lofty roof and delnged the smoking j.,
ingies with buckets OF water. The root Of II.
house OF Mrs. Norris, on Fifth Avenue. -;
q o. Mr. Gorbin's house. corner OF Ewing &,
'eet and Seventh Avenue. also took fire -,
m the distributing brands; but, discovered ~
once, these residences and MANY Others in ~
70 part Of the city, we're Wrested from Iess> ~
letl0n. The elegant houses OH Fifth. Sixth
q Seventh avenues, and on lower Rodney
eel, Wee threatened ut one time with lac
aring the common calamity which before 10,
. homes of near ncighbors, and the alarm no
families was general and intense III all that 81 81
rtion Of town. Tho fire had spent It's fury -.
y upon reaching Conr. House Square. and co,
blowing up aud razing TO the grouad of 20,
and frsme buildings facing tile square ali
ne sHfficesi to save the public building. 81.
hiding the court house, county jail. etc. s sp
we'll is tile adjacent residences fronting IA
'ekenridse street On the rorth. apl