Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-14
TEE LAST FIRE AT TuE CAPITAL
Icy OUR OWN REpoRrxR

At $50 a. m. yesterday morning fire
broke out in the otfioe of the Surveyor
General and Land Office, on Main street,
aud before supply of water could be
obtained the entire building was wrap
ped in flames. Nothing whatever was
saved in the upper story (the Surveyor
Generals Department., and but little in
the Land Office. Mr.. u. g. Israel kept n
law office in the lower story, and barely
succeeded in saving his library Of law
books. Soon after 2 O'Clock the roof Of
the Unitarian Church caught fire, and
it also becane a prey to she devouring
monster. While the firemen were at
work endsavoring to save Gen. McKen-
uy's residence, the stable a, d carriage
house south of the Land Office caught
fire and was soon totally consumed.
Had il not been for the exertiOns used
upon General McKenny's residence and
the fact that the wind did not begin
blowing hard until the fire began to die
down, l have no doubt the entire west
side of the street would have gone, and
perhaps half Of the town besides. This
is the second fire that has taken place
inside of few weeks, and comes hard
on rs Just when We were beginning to
build up little. The Carlton House
has been more of q loss, especially to
the travelling public, than people would
at first imagine; and what We are to do
with our legislators few weeks hence
il more than can tell. Bot this last
fire il of far more serious consequence,
az it involves the whsle Territory in our
common loss. amounting 10 perhaps
800, 900, AZ it will take many months TO
pav,la a the Is,r0 IN ante Iaas rnvoA and
and many of them can never be replaced
at all. Some OF the books and docu-
ments of the Land Office were saved,
while the personal property owned by
considerable. The furniture in the
previous to the time the building took
The stable Vas the property OF Mr..
Herbert McMicken, who lost several
hundred dollars thereby. Az usual, there
we're q number of loafers standing
around with their hands in their pockets
looking idly on. while cries were going
mp for help on all sides. some were
even bad enough to advise the police 10
seek warmer climate than We enjoy
here, when asked 10 help at the engine.
Such conduct is too bad. and our citi-
Gems should keep their eyes on such fel-
lows, and give them wide berth here
after. IL 10 generally surmised that the
IRE was caused bv IN incendiaTy, for
the purpose Of destroying the records
of some Of the efiices, and IL % II 10 ia
b hoped that the perpetrators will yet
BE- found, and hanging would b none
too good for them. Had there BEEN q
proper supply Of water the church could
easily have boeo saved. and al.o the
stable, but the cisterua Are only hum
bn0 ana might As veil be closed up Alto
Qether.
Il II likely now that our citizens Will
take some steps towards peocurinR q
steam IRE engine and enough hoss
(say 5000 feetl 20 resch any ere within
the city limita. and then by having eis-
terms along the water front, filed from
the bay, there viii no longer b any
danger. such ~ - nov lie under.
The lnsses are about - follows /:
Judge Hoyt, vho owned the buildin9
uaed BY Surveyor General and Land
Ofsos. $s500. insursd for $500; Unita-
RAN Church. 5000. no insnranoe; g. @.
Israel, unknown; Herbert McAiokeu,
$50; Surveyor Generals department,
ti0,00o; General AcKsany, considerable
loss By brsakaee. damage b. vAter. ETC.
TAken Altngsshsr this h the mast serious
6rs that has happsasd here for some
time, and 30 hoss Is will be the last.
OLrMPiA, Sept Is, ISIS.