, 1889-08-22
SPOKANE PLUCK.
Observations OF an Eastern Journ-
alist Just After the
Fire.
A Remarkable Exhibition of a
Characteristic American
Trait.

wrote to that paper under date August
6th
"The worst fire in the history Of the
world according to population" is the
way the Spokane people speak of their
loss. Figures sustain them. propov.
tionately Spokane has suffered worse
than Chicago did, and far worse than
Seattle did few months ago. The
Northern Pacific track is upon an eleva.
tion through the southern part of tho
city. One can stand where the depot
was and overlook waste of ruins five
blocks wide, extending through to the
| Spokane river. 1t was not Il fire which
left building here and building there.
1t was n clean sweep. Upon thirty
blocks, which comprised the business
heart of the city, not one structure is
left standing.
Forty-eight hours ago this city's vol.
ume of trade was $50, 100000 q year. If
the Northern Paciiic's business at Spo-
kane had continued from August to
December 81 what 1t was from January
to the time OF the fire the freight bills
| 'ollcttcb iltlt ny lllut lOOR MoulO llhNc
reached 81 5000 There are nine banks
here doing business on capital of S2,-
| 100000. The &. IL G. Touring mill,
owned by Clark N Curtis, e property
which cost $35, 600 two years ago, cleared
100000 the last twelve months and fur
nished the basis for the claim that flour
can be made cheaper at Spokane than
anywhere else in the country. The Echo
| -four mill paralleled the q. d G. record,
and the Spokane planning mill, of which
| Il. j. Brickell is president, cleared $00,-
coo, Within less than year Spokane
has given in cash, raised by private sub
| scription $275, 900 to railroad enterprises.
One of these bonuses was 100000, and
was raised in three days. The invest
ment in street improvements has been
100000. Nine bridges span the Spo-
kane river, costing from $4,000 to $40.
600 each.
These things are mentioned to show
WHAT MANNER OF CITY
Spokane Falls was with her 10000 popu.
lation. 1t has been a common saying
for some years that Helena, Mont, was
the wealthiest CITY, in proportion to
population, in the country. Spokane,
barely ten years old, was setting lively
pace for Helena. The Cuur Il Alene
mining country and the far-famed Pa
lousc agricultural region have been pour
| ing in wealth, and it has remained here.
| The district burned over was not q col
lection of shacks. 1t included the
ls 9. l. ia. st.,l
! That block was built by two young Ger
mans named Goctz and Baer, who made
n big strike in the Cnur d. Alenc mines,
/ and chose such an investment There
was the Washington building which cost
$1,000 and represented the profits
made by ]. d. Sherwood, who came here
from Harvard college six years ago and
went into the real estate business with
| capital of few thousand dollars. This
| building was receiving the finishing
touches, Theodore Cushings bank and
office building, to cost Sl25,Oo0, was
up to the second story, but it did not es-
cape. The actual loss on buildings and
stocks destroyed was $4,000 600 an
amount equal to $3.50 for each man,
woman and child in the city.
| There are people who have never
heard of Spokane Falls but twice, once
when the horse of that name won the
Kentucky derby and again when the
NcWs ol tuls IRE went ABROAD. ms Is
not so strange, for ten years ago there
was no Spokane. Tire falls of the river
We're here, spread out into half a dozen
streams, and rushing down descent of
/ l5O feet in quarter of q mile. Harm
less Spokane Indians had their lodges
along the river, and few whites were
I scattered about.
There was not $40 in cash within
radius OF five miles of this place." said
MR.. A. NJ. CANNON,
who Is one of the three fathers of Spo.
kane. Mr.. Cannon is Monmouth III.
man. lie came here in company with
J. J. Browne of Ohio in 1878. They
looked at the falls and decided that
these high plains, dotted with clumps of
basaltic rock, looking like so much scat.
tered lava, We're the place for city
James Nj. Glover had preceded them and
| had acquired all of the land about the
! falls by entry and otherwise. Glover
| had the land, but nothing else. Cannon
and Browne gave $1,000, which was about
all they had, for u half interest in the
land. That was tensyears ago. Can.
non, Browne and Glover are to-day the
presidents of the three leading banks
and are millionaires.
The Cmur d. Alene mines helped Spo.
kane. The Palouse agricultural country
also helped. The water power and the
natural energy of the pioneers did the
rest. This water was recently passed
upon by Tanning the Mi neapolis en-.
gineer. He told the Spokan. people that
they had 10000 horsepower at the low.
est stage of water; that the falls were
equal for all practical purposes to the
falls of st. Anthony, and that 300 estab-
lishments might be s,pplied by power
from this source.
The water in the Spokane spreads into
half Il dozen streams before il goes over
the rapids, as If nature had determined
| 70 give all the advantage possible TO the
Washington Water Power company
which controls the falls. The power is
already applied In variety of WAYS.
| One fiume leads to wheel beneath The
bridge and runs the cable railway. An
other turns the wheel which grinds out
the electric light of the city. The who.e
water works system is run by this
power Flour IL made, lumber IS sawn,
sash and doors are made, and all this is
only the beginning.
RAPID TRANSIT.
Besides cable road Spokane has an
electric road with overhead wires. The
electric road reaches park about two
miles northeast. Both of these enter
prises We're backed by local capital, And
now n New York man, Mr. Ledgerwood,
has bought 600 acres north of the city
three miles, and proposes to build a
second electric road as soon us he can
obtain the desired franchise.
Kansas City and Wichita may look to
their boom la,,rels when the history of
Spokane is written. A young man
named Heath came here few years ago
and had little newsstand in the post
L