Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1884-09-11
No. ~
THE FIRE CARNIVAL.
The Demon of Destruction at Spokane
Falls.

The Demon of Destruction at Spokane
Falls.
The Spokane Falls Reriao of August Sc.
gives the following account OF a great fire
that occurred at that place on Friday
morning.
THE ALARM
AT two o'clock on Friday morning the
sleeping city was awakened by the ap-
palling yells of fire, and in few moments
afterwards the greedy lips of the glowing
hell were encompassing that beautiful and
striking piece of architecture, the Sprague
house. Those VINO were first on the ground
say that the flames were coming cut from
the cellar, and the central location of the
hre seemed to be in the store room at the
northeast corner OF the handsome build
ing. Had there been an engine and water
at that time the building could have been
saved. AS 1t is, people soon gathered in
VAST CROWDS,
and did what they could to save the furr-
ture and prevent the Ere from spreading 10
adjacent property. The smoke was very
dense in the building, and only a small
portion OF the contents of the front rooms
could be reached. Again, there was not a
particle of wind, and the flames spread
steadily over the doomed structure, and
within an hour and half after the first
alarm only pile of smoking ruins marked
the spot where stood one of the most COM
plete and elegant hotels in the Territory.
SPECULATION
is rife as to the origin of the fire. but the
general impression is that it was the work
of an incendiary. We have talked with
those first on the ground and it is evident
that the fire broke out in the store room or
cellar. Mr.. Lewis arrived at an early hour
and he says the entire lower sash of the
window of the store room facing Post
street was gone and that was before the
flames burst out. 1t is conjectuTed that the
building was either set ON fire, or some one
in attempting to rob the store room started
the fire through accident The fumes of
kerosene oil were very perceptible early in
the fire, and the man who fell down on the
sidewalk at the corner where the flames
broke out was much surprised to find his
hands
COVERED WITH COAL OIL.
When we reached the grounds the fire
had made but slight headway, and while
it was breaking through the rear windows
it was also creeping up from beneath the
walk as though from the cellar The first
intimatiOn of the fire in the hotel, the
night clerk who was doing, was attacked
by what sounded to him like bottles break
ing and going into the dining room he was
confronted by heavy smoke. With most
praise-wOrthy presence of mind the young
man at once ran to the third story and
awOke every guest in the house. By that
time the alarm was general and the fire
making rapid progress, so that the inmates
barely had time to
SAVE THEMSELVES,
and that without carrying away any prop
erty. Some of the escapes were very mar
row, and it was only by the promptness Of
the nightwatchman that no lives were lost.
LOSSES.
The building destroyed, although of
frame, was one of the best constructed
houses in the city, and no expense was
spared in the material. 1t covered consid-
cradle ground, and was finely finished, both
inside and out. Mr.. Kaiser puts his loss at
$4,000, with an insurance of $4,000.
Besides the loss sustained by Mr.. Kaiser,
Charles Weeks meets with considerable
loss by damages to residence and furniture
to the extent of 5000, while the damage to
the other buildings in the vicinity may fig
ure up to as much more"
Among the guests at the Sprague House
was Mr.. We'll, travelling salesman of Green
hood, Bohm & Co., who lost a trunk of
samples.
The Reriep says that this was the second
time that Spokane Falls was visited with
disastrous confagration within week.
Submarine Telephone Company.
NEW YORK, September A company
of New York capitalists has been formed to
establish telephone line across the Allan
tic ocean. 1t is to be supplemented if the
patent rights of the Bell Telephone Com
pany permit, by telephone line from New
York to San Francisco. Among the stock
holders and directors are John II. Reed, of
the firm of Bates, Reed & Cooley; F. II.
Skinner, of Hazen, Todd & Co; George Nj.
Braves, Vice President of the Bank of
the Metropolis; VIM. Foster, Jr.. formerly
President of the Metropolitan Elevated
Railroad, and several Boston capitalists.
The company is to use the new Mackey-
Bennett cable first for experiments in sub
marine telephOning, which Will be made as
soon as the Mackey-Bennett cable is ex-
tended from Halifax, N. s., to Gloucester,
Mass. The distance between these two
ports is $50 miles If the experiments on
this part of the international strand are
successful experts and instruments will at
once be sent to Valentia, Ireland, and at
tempts will be made to telephone across
the Atlantic Ocean.
New York Central Earnings.
NEW YORK, September 5.-The Posts
financial article says: The weakness of
New York Central is due to selling
from London, where it was announced yes
terday evening that the company declared
a dividend of II for the quarter to June
30th instead of the usual per cent. The
official announcement to that effect was
not made here until to-day, but in view of