, 1889-06-13
ONLY SMOKING RUINS.
Summary of the situation AT Il Late
Hour.

Hour
The following ~ q copy Of the San Fran.
CISCO Examiners report OF the great fire OF
seattle. he entire business portion of
seattle ~ now nothing but smoking RUNS.
About . 4. Nj. some turpentine caught fire
III the basement of the two.stofy frame
building ON the south west corner Of Front
ana Madison streets. The building, which
was owned by Airs. Margaret J. Pontius,
ana the first story OF which was leased by
the Seattle Shoe Co., the upper floor being
occupied for offices. was seen ablsze An
alarm was instantly turned In aud the
volunteer tire department responded
promptly, but IL was impossible to make
headway with the fierce flames This
building, like most others of It's kind in
the business center, was not detached, but
was the corner one Of row of frame
buildings.
At this hour, 10 80 p. M, the city looks
Ike some doomed Gonorrsh, q ruddy
cloud overhanging the burning
Ing timbers and tomb like ruins There
are now no streets In the burned district.
1t ~ I'll burning debris with lew standing
walls. The Pacific Postal Telegraph Com.
prny had connection with the wires soon
after the office was vacated, placing a table
on the open street. The office has now
been moved into u frame building used as
the office OF the Moore Land Company.
Dexter, Horton s. Co.'S bank
was on the corner Of Commercial
and Washington streets. Like other
banks only It's safe remains. Whatever
the contents may now be. The Pacific
Clothing house, also the New York Cloth.
ing house. are among the larger concerns
10 be completely destroyed. Tie com.
n.ittee had been hard at work up to the
time OF the tire soliciting subscriptions for
the Johnstown sufferers. About 5000
was thought to have been raised. The
magnihcent Boston block in which was
the postottice, is saved. The Canadian
Pacific docks are gone, and nearly every.
,h'ns ,s from the head Of FL.
cumbed, although the occu pants had
time to get out the most of their valuable
effects. The square to the north gave way
TO the tire easily, and soon tie roof of
the three story Occidental hotel,
tue nnest hotel In the city got
ablaze. Before the connagration reached
Ysslsr avenue, Tokias, oingerulan & Co,
Chilbery's wholesale grocery, the banks
above mentioned, Treen's shoe store,
Pumphrey's bookstore, Lowman x Nan.
lofd.s book, stationary and job printing
ss'apnshment went to ashes. On
Pacific Postal and Puget Sound Telegraph
Companies were burned out also the build
ing Of the Daily Post Intelllpencer and the
office OF the Canadian raci6c Railroad
Company. The lawyers and doctors, VINO
mostly occupied this offices, We're burned
out, although there was merciluly allo wed
enough time to get out libraries ana other
valuable personal property. Banks locked
up their currency, coin aud papers in their
hre-proof vaults and safes, and left them
there to be spared by chance, or to be- de-
stroyed with the doomed city.
When the Occidental hotel burned down.
the Puget Sound National bank having
offices on the first floor. at that point made
the nth DAnk suIfer Ruiiar N,tila,,.,
in which was the offices of g. II Kitten.
ger, John Leary and the Morning Journal,
and which WAS just north of the Occi-
dental, communicated the flames from the
burning district to the hotel. 1t was q
three story frame building. The Evening
Press Office was in the the third
story OF the handsome Yesler block.
The Gordon hardware company
and the Seattle Hardware Company,
wholesale houses, were in row of brick
buildings. All that could be done when
these buildings succumbed and water gave
out completely was TO try to save life and
property. People He'd to the hills to the
east. and horses hecked with foam dashed
up 10 the highlands with promiscuous
loads OF everything attached In every
available vehicle. The firs made awful
progress whom 1t crossed Yesler avenue.
Down In the water front quarter, aud ex.
tending to Fourth street, the buildings
were one or two stories and frame. al
though the Korn block, just opposite the
Occidental. and the Newlin building.
hardly completed, on Commercial street,
ard the Squire block, corner Of Second
and Main streets, stood out prominently as
fine new Trick buildings.
The flames rushed and leaped on with
terrific maduess, giving the people barely
including AL the wharvos and docks, coal