Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-06-08
THEFLAMES.
Many Millions Go Up In
Smoke.
SEATTLE IS IN ASHES.
Destruction Of Washing
toms Metropolis.
ACRES OF HOUSES ABLAZE
The Fire Departments
Efforts in Vain.
Great List Of the Losses The Lowest
Estimate Puts Them at Ten
Million Dollars.

Million Dollars.
PORTLAND, June Late dispatches
from Seattle state that the loss from fire
yesterday will not fall short ofS1O 600, 600
It is estimated that the total insurance
will reach all the way from 1900, 900 to
$4,OOO,OOO Already in many places the
workmen have begun to grade and to clean
mp preparatory to rebuilding The people
have decided to rebuild the city with
brick and stone. This decision was
reached quickly and almost unanimously
at meeting.
PORTLAND, OREGON, June THE en-
tire business portion of Seattle is now
nothing bat smoking ruins. About 3 p.
N yesterday afternoon some turpentine
caught fire in the basement of a two-stOry
frame building on the southwest corner oi
Front aud Madison streets. The building,
which was owned by Mrs. Margaret J.
Penteus, and the fret story which was
leased by the Seattle Shoe Company, and
the upper floor being occupied for offices,
was soon ablaze.
An alarm was instantly turned in and
the Volunteer Fire Department responded
promptly, but it was impossible TO make
any headwsy against the flames. This
building, like most of the others of its
kind in the business center was not de-
tached but was corner one of row Of
frame buildings, all joined together, and
Of various heights Yaliantly did the fire
department fight the fire, but without
avail, for the buildings of tinder were an
easy prey 10 what within ten minute:
from the time it started, developed into q
great conAagration.
Adjoining the first building was the
wholesale liquor store of Dietz & Meyer,
and as soon as the fire reached it the bar
rels of liquor exploded with terrific reports
and scattered flaming timbers far and wide.
The Denny block, in which was a whole
sale confectionery store, Gilmore & Co. IS
real estate office and several other estab-
lishments, including q number Of profess
SIGNAL offices and some lodging apartments,
were soon consumed completely. This
cleared out the entire square.
The efforts to food the Coleman building
on Front street to the south were utterly
useless, for the flames leaped across Marion
street with greedy rapidity to two saloons
the Palace saloon annd Opera House sa-
loon, and in less than 30 minutes another
square was burned to ashes, taking IN Ad-
dison S. Smiths grocery, Merchants
wholesale confectionery and fruit store,
J W. Lang q Co.'s drug store, John
Spencer's plumbi7 and steamhtting es.sb-
hshment, r. J. Graham's tailor shop,
Edgar Brysns pawn shop, Palace restau
rant. SemisOn Bros. shoe store, Gering x
O'Connelps iewelry store, Shuster's barber
shop, Lesly's clothing store and Dohuliy q
Marion's clothing store.
While the square block on the east side
Of Front street, between Madison and
Marion, and extending up Marion half
way to Second street. caught fire in the
upper stories. This building, fine three
story brick structure, owned by George
FRYE, and valued at 1920 900, soon yielded
TO the fame. With it went the Seattle
pharmacy, the warehouse of the Golden
Rule Bazaar, Harris & C1.'s large dry
goods and clothing store Albernathy' 3
shoe store, Gross & Co. Is undertaking e.
tablishment Latour's large dry goods
house. paints and oil ESTABLISHING,
clearing up another square. The
Kenyon Block, to the north of where
the fire originated, hsd 10 90, too, notwith-
standing the wind was from the east. a
little by north. In this block was the ob
printing establishment OF the Times, Ven
& Vaugh's music store, and Barle's tailor
shop.
From the Opera block the fire swallowed
M the square 10 the south, consisting Of
ali the two story frame buildings occupied
by F. Lobes. Golden Bula Bazaar, the
California Clothing House, Gordon Bro'.
large tailoring establishment, the Oriental
Bazaar and several other big concerns.
Notwithstanding the progress Of the
flames the fire department struggled with
determination to save the most valuable
norton of Front street to the south be-
tween Columbia street and Yesler, which
contained a magnificent row Of brick build
ing o. two and three stories high, where
four banks had their Offices, the bank Of
Commerce, Merchants National, First
National and WashinR'cl Guarantee and
Loan Association and Savings Bank. This
row consists of corner block occupied by
Toklas. Singermsn & Co.'S gigantic whole
sale drygoods emporium, the Union Block,
the Parin building, the San Francisco
Clothing House. Star Block, the Arcade
building and Yesler Block on Central
Square.
All the telegraph offices were in Central
Square. Il was generally supposed that
the entire water front would 20, but it WAS
hoped. if such was inevitable, these build
ings could be saved. The Safe Deposit
Company also had building in this row
The explosions of giant powder were
fruitless to prevent the awful spread OF
the relentless fame and clouds OF blind
ing. suffocating smoke. Onward the con-
fagration went, cracking roaring, almost
shriekine. The threestOrY building to
the rear Of Toklas, Sengermsn & Co., which
was Welton & Co. g sail factory, was an
easy prey to the terrible heat and cinders
from the Commercial mill and lumber
wards. The fire soon communicated TO
Toklas, Sengerman & Co.
The water was giving out, and the
streams from several lines OF hose only
reached the second story. The Tacoma
fire department had come over from
Tacoma in sixty-two minutes on the Puget
Sound Shore railroad, but both depart
ments combined were powerless, ond the
attempts to blow up the Union block were
more disastrous to the valiant fire fighters
than to anyone else. All this row OF
bulldogs succumbed, although the Occu-
pants had time to get out most OF their
valuable effects. The squsre north gave
way to the fire easily, and soon the root OF
the three story Occidental Hotel, the fin es