Telegram-herald., 1889-06-08
IN ASHES.
The Best Part OF Seattle. w. T.
Destroyed by "a Conragration
SEVERAL LIVES REPORTED LOST.
Property Estiaa-ted Ia Value .t from
oi0.oOOsoOO ~ $4,000 ,0Vo Swept
Away tntiro squares wiped
Out-Ihe pstaiia
= sEloNp cHlcAao -


Sx.TrLE " 4. June T. Tho most de
strueti,e ire ever experienced ou the Pa
cino coast broke cut ia this city al g.
o clock Thursday afternoon Ia row Oi
wooden buildings On the west side of Front
street. between Marion and Madison
streets The first large bullciag
10 90 Was tIye's Opera house.
Prom this initial point the ire
spread north and south, extending
from second and Third streets - the bay
distance of over mile and com
prising tho entire business portion
OF tho city. livery newspaper ofiice,
hotel telegraph office, railroad depot, and
wharf in the city was totally destroyed
There is great priyation among the poorer
classes, nearly every restaurant aud gro
Gerry In the city was consumed by tho ire.
The burned district now presents the aspect
OF a huge oven Of burning Goals, and thTea aten
even further destruction The firemen, re
inforced by help from Tacoma and Snoho-
mich, arc on the alert The militia and
extra police are 10 be seen on every corner.
guarding the property against thieves.
The burned district comprises sixty four
acres One hundred arrests for theft have
been made. Every thing south of
Union street and west of Second
street reaching around TO the gas
works above Fourth street. TO Jackson,
was burned The Arlington and CONNER
cial hotels were destroyed. IL is estimated
that the total loss 10 the city in buildings
alone amounts 10 sl0. 900, coo and the per
sonal losses will probably reach so, ,0Ov oOO
Ii is thought that many persons must
have perished in the flames Giant powder
was used 20 blow up buildings in the hope
of staying the progress OF the fiames, but TO
no effect IL is reported that two men have
been lynched for stealing.
The large building occupied by Toklas
< Singerman fell Thirty people were
near it at the time. and it is said that many
were crushed Any estimate or the loss OF
life would be mere guess-work-
Words fail To describe tho awful picture
OF desolation IL is like the scene at Chi
cago in 1871. Like Chicago this city Will
have to be rebuilt Everybody seems to be
in good spirits, Us 1t is hard to realize the
dreadful fullness Of this sudden calamity.
The Seattle. Lake Shore & Eastern Rail
road Company is heavy loser Those
who will lose the most are H. l. Yesler, ex
Governor Watson C. Squire, j. NJ. Coleman,
the Oregon improvement Company, A. A
Denny, the Seattle Transfer Company
the Oregon Railway & Navigation
Company, several banks, Bailey Gatzert,
Schwabacher Brothers 4 Co. TOklas Sing
erman & Co, the Safe Deposit Company.
Puget Sound Shore railway, Columbia q
Puget Sound railway, Judge Thomas Burke'
Dexter Horton, T. Saunderson, George f.
FRYE and Stetson Post
The fire caught from burning turpentine
in the basement OF a two-story frame
building In the southwest corner Of Front
a I'LL. HI
was owned by Mrs Margaret
Peuteus, and the first story of which was
leased by the Seattle Shoe Company. 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 headway against the flames i his
building like most others OF its kind
in the business center, was not de
tached. but was the corner one of u
row of frame buildings, all joined together
and Of various heigh5S Naliantly did the
department fght the fire. but without
avail for the buildings were an easy prey
10 what, within ten minutes from the
time il started. developed into con
fagratiOn. Adjoining the first build
ing was the wholesale liquor store Of Diet
4 Meyer As soon the fire reached the
barrels OF liquor the latter exploded with
terrific reports aud scattered flaming
timbers far and wide. The Denny block
in which was "A wholesale confectionery
store. Gilmore 4 Co + real estate offices
and several other establishments. includ-
ing q number of professional Offices and
some lodging apartments, was soon licked
up completely This cleared out the
tire square Efforts 10 food the Coleman
building on Front street To the south
proved utterly useless, for the flames
leaped across Marion street with greedy
rapidity from two saloons. the Palace
Saloon and opera house Saloon. and in less
than thirty minutes another square burned
10 ashes
The flames rushed and leaped,on with ter
rife madness giving people barely time 10
escape. and the entire water front
including ali the wharves and docks.
coal buukers aud railway tracks.
the wholesale quarter and every thing
south Of Union street and west Of second
ard reaebing around 10 the gas works and
above Fourth street on Jacksofl was com
pietelv burned The Arlington and Com
rpercial hotels. we're DESTROYED. also the
coal bunkers Of the Oregon Improvement
Company the docks of the Oregon Rail
way 4 Navigation Company. tbe tracks of
the Puget sound Shore and Columbia 3
Puget sound railroads. The big new ware
house q the Seattle Transfer Com
panv. Mechanics Bill. branch q the
agricultural house Of staver &
Walker. ali the corrugated iron. com mis-
zion and wholesale warehouses along tie
water front Stetson & Posts sav-mil F.
bat - ri give the list ~ eveTv. thing
burned would he 20 reproduce the most Of