Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1883-11-22
FIRE IN LEWISTON.

The city Of Lewiston was blessed with
fire on Monday morning last. At hali-past
4 o'clock am. an alarm OF fire was given i'll
our strsets. We forthwith arose and went
to the door and discovered a big light which
to Us seemed to proceed from the rear of tie
store of j. Alexander, We returned and
dressed onrself and proceeded down Second
street to ID street and discovered that one
building in the China row on the North side
of d street was all in flames. A very few
had reached the scene till the building was
80 far advanced i'll burning that all attempt
to check the flames were useless. Men gath
cred rapidly with buckets and the hook and
ladder men were soon upon the ground and
commenced the work of tearing down the
buildings adjacent, but owing to the imper-
feet condition Of the means they had the
process was slow, and the flames spread so
rapidly as to attack every building before 1t
could be levelled to the ground Meantime
the new store of j. Alexander became great
~ heated on the north side, opposite the
fire, and line of men with buckets was
soon II rmed to convey water from well
to the east otthe biocAla nd water was thrown
upon the Alexander building, and blankets
were suspended and kept wet till the well
was exhausted. They then changed the
bucket brigade to reach the well near the sa-
loon of Taylor j. Payne Oh ID street The
fire kept close up to the hook aud ladder
men till all the buildings on the north side
OF ID street between c and ID streets had been
burned, and all i'll the block but three be-
tween c and ID and First and Second streets
were either burned or pulled down. There
were ID burned. they were all houses oc-
cupled by Chinese, save wagon shop occu
pied by Lot Wiggin and a dwelling occupied
by Mr. }. L. Sheppard. The latter two
was able to rescue most ot the valuablcs
from their buildings and save them from the
flames. There was no wind, had there been
wind from the north or west, nothing that
the city possessed, in the way Of means to
check the flames, could have saved the des-
truction Of nearly all .hc buildings between
street and the bluff and First and Sixth
streets. One Chnaman was so besotted with
opium smoking aud could not be in uced to
get out Of his bed and escape. They then
attached one of thehooas to his pants and
dragged him from the burning building to
the street. Precisely how the fire originated
10 one yet has learned some suppose it was
set on fire purposely. The Cinnamon IN the
building do Lot know. or if they do they
Will not disclose. Our citizens generally
were prompt and many OF them dil very
efficient service without any organization
As good fortune would have it, the portion
burned was Of little value to anyone, save
the rental they were gettin, tro,n the Chin
csc. as the land naked is worth more than
with the buildings upon it. The block had
been An eye,sore to the majority of the cit.
zens of the town for long time, and many
seem glad that these buildings have been
burned without the flames spreading to 9TH
er parts OF the town Of much more value.
1t Is about the only time we have known
almost an entire block in town containing
so many buildings to barn that could be
deemed blessing to town instead of a per
manent injury MIR, Shepperd had his dog
barped and the Cinnamon had nunber O,
ducks aud chickens burned.