Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-07

sASED-rHE Loss ESTIMATED AT FROM FIFTEEN
TO FoRrT MILLION OF DOLLARs-raE FLAMES
BArFLED THE EFFORTS OF rHE FIRENES.
SEATTLE, W. T., June What was the busi-
ness part Of this city is this morning nothing
eut smoaldering ruins and .bris. Fire broke
out yesterd.y Y afternoon in the basement % .
| two-story frame building on the southwest cor
ner OF Front and Madison streets owned by
Mrs. Narst tret J. Pontius. The fire originated
! IN some tdrpentIne which caught fire in some
way The nrst story, which was leased by the
Seattle shoe company and the upper floor be-
| ing occupied Tor offices, was soon abiaze. Al
| though the volunteer ire department respond
| ed promptly to the alarm. they could do little
| or nothing 20 check the flames. The building.
| like most OF the others OF Its kind in the busi-
| ness center. Was not detached. but a corner
! one of a row of frame buildings all iolned to-
gether and OF various heights. They were Of
/ tinder and proved
AN EASY PREY TO THE FLAMES.
Adjoining to the first building was Dietz d
| Myers, wholesale liquor store. The barrels OF
liquor exploded with terrific reports as soon as
the fire reached them, scattering the cinders
| far and near. In short time the entire square,
comprising the Denny block. IN which was Q
confectionery store, Gilmore Go. s real estate
office, aud several other establishments includ-
| ing number OF professional offices and some
! lod ylng apar lmCnts. were soon DESTROYED. An
effort made TO d pod the Coleman building
| on Front street to the south, but to no avail.
Tbs flames spread across Marion street 10 the
Palace and Opera houses at once. In less than
half an hour
| ANOTHER SQUARE WAS LAID ASHES.
Ths took in A. :. Smiths grocery. Mor-
chants Wholesale confectionery. a fruit store j.
/ W. Lang & company's drug store. John Spen-
Ger, plumbing and steam fitting establishment,
X. j. Graham, tailor; Edgar Bryan. pawn shop:
the Palace restaurant. Geriug a O'Counelfs
jcwelry store, Houster's barber shop. Lesly's
clothing store. and Dobells & Marions CLOTH
I lnS store. While this square was burning. the
! opera house in the block on the east side Of
! Front street, between Madison and Marion,
| caught fire in the upper stores. The
building, three-story brick structure.
/ owned by George Frye, and valued at
slz0.O00, was soon destroyed. With il
| Went the Seattle pharmacy. the Golden
rule bazar, Harris & Co.'S dry goods store,
Grouse & Co.'S undertaking establishment, La
! tour dry goods house. ErOadman's paint aud
OIL establishment. The Kenyon block. a little
/ to the north OF where the h.e begdh, also
reduced TO ashes. ln this block was the job
! printing establishment of the Ec,f,u,g Times,
| Neucn Naughs music store, and Baine's
tailor shop. From the opera house block the
fire spread and quickly swallowed up the square
10 the south. has square consisted OF fwo-
story frame buildings, occupied by l.. Lohe's
baZar, the California clothing. GoruJn Bros.
] Ii4AJI 'sldBll,flllltuA paLdI.
! several other big concerns.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STRUGGLED BRAvELY
to save the most valuable pSrt of Front street.
between Columbia and Yesler streets. which
contained a fine row OF BRICK buildings. two
ana three stories high. and where tour banks
had Their offices: 1he Bank of Commerce,
! Mercha nts' National. First National. and the
/ Washington Guarantee and Loau Association
and Savings bank. The row consisted Of q
corner block. occupied by Toklas. Singerman
| Co. Wholesale dry-goods store, the Union
| block, the Parin building, the San Francisco
clothing house, the Star block. the Arcade
building and Iesler block. on Center square.
In Central square all the telegraph offices we're
1 situated. The safe deposit company also had .
building in this row. Explosions of giant pow
der were useless to prevent the awful spread Of
| the flames and clouds of suffocating smoke.
The three-story building to the rear of Tok-
las. Singerman Co.'S store an easy prey
/ to the terrible heat and cindcrs from the burn
ing commercial mill and lumber yards. The
water was giving out and the streams from
several lines OF hose only reached tie second
/ story.
| QUICK ASSISTANCE FROM TACOMA
| The fire department of Tacoma came over by
the Puget shore railroad making the journey
in 81 minutes. However. the local department
and that of Tacoma combined we're unable to
stay the progress OF the flames. and the attempt
to blow up the Union block inticte more in
jury upon the firemen than il did damage TO the
building and the block consumed by the
flames. Some of the more valuable OF the con-
tents of Union block were removed 70 places
| of safety. The square TO the north
was then swept and the fire communicated 70
the Occidental hotel. the largest IN the city.
| In the course OF the fire on Foylers avenue,
| Toklas Singerman * Co., Coberg's wholesale
grocery, the aforementioned banks, rreep's
shoe store. Humphreys book store and Low
man * Santords book, stationery aud job print
ing concern were burned. The offices OF the
/ Western Union, Postal. and Puget Sound tele-
graph companies. on Yesler avenue were
burned. together with the building occupied
/ by the DGiy Post, IitteLtg,nctT the Canadian
/ Pac itc railway offices and number of lawyers,
doctors and other professional men.
AMONG THE OTHER LOSERS
of buildings quarters are the Commercial
Mill company, the Mechanics Mill company,
the Seattle Ship Building and Dry Dock COM
pany, the Ferry estate. Hillary Butler, Isaac
/ korn, j. 5. Bailey. Captain Starr, L. 5. j.
! Hultt, Angus Macintosh, the Seattle Land
| Shore and Eastern, Gordon Hardware COM
pany. Seattle Hardware company. Moran
Brothers, Sutcliff Baxter. j. +. Mcknight A. r.
] Hotellng, W. ;. Ladd. John Collins. who
4 owned the Occidental hotel. valued at 100000,
! with only 900 insurance; John Leary, Viii
4 liam Shoudy, Harrington & smith. L. A. Hat
| field, L. Lobe Levy A Co.
| The losses on everything variously esti-
mated al from cl0.UUO.UuO 10 c4OOUOUOO.
| Ii is estimated that the total loss to the city
in buildings alone is easily Sl0.00 600. and an
personal losses will probably reach $4,000 900.
| WHETHER THERE Is MUCH LOSS OF LIFE
cannot yet be ascertained There is great pri-
walton felt among the poor classes, nearly
every restaurant and grocery in the city were
consumed by the fire. The burned district
comprises GA acres. 1t presents the aspect of
huge oven OF burning Goals, and threatens
| even further obstruction. The fremen, REIN
| forced by Tacoma and Snohomich, are on the
alert. The streets all through the night were
crowded with people wandering about penni-
less and homeless. The militia and extra police
are to be seen on every corner guarding the
property against thieves and vandals.
| One hundred arrests have already been made.
| All of the daily newspapers will publish 70.
morrow. Words fail to describe the awful pic
! ture of the fire and desolation. 1t is like the
Chicago fire, and like Chicago, will be rebuilt
Everybody seems in good spirits, as it is hard
| to realize the dreadful fullness of this sudden
calamity.
When Toklas a Singerman's building fell
about thirty people were near il and many Of
them were crushed. Similar accidents befeu
af he LARGE huildnUs