, 1889-06-13

TO the burning city.
The Holocaust
SEATTLE, June g. Special.--A great con.
aagration is now sweeping this city. 1t
has been burning since 80 this aftern oon
Atsthis evening II is burning more hercely
than ever. Almost the entire busine 81
part Of the city has been destroyed. Help
has been called for in every direction.
PORTLAND, June 8, Special. "A special to
the Oregonian from Seattle at 0:45 p. NJ.
rays: The business portion OF Seattle, the
largest city in the territory, Is in ashes.
Every bank, hotel, place OF amusement,
sil the leading business houses, all news.
paper offices, railroad depots, mills. steam
boat wharves, coal bunkers. freight ware
houses and telegraph offices, burned. Fire
began near the corner of Front and Pearl
streets In the Seattle Candy factory build
iogs at 2;3O P. N and before midnight
had consumed the whole business section
OF the ci,y northward to Stetsop & Posts
mill along Front and Second streets to the
water front, involving loss OF over S.
100000. The city is literally wiped out ex-
cept tho residence portion on high ground.
Az q 80 p. NJ. the flames had reached the
wharves and the steamboats, and shipping
were compelled to haul out In the stream.
A stiff breeze was blowing from the north
west when the FIRE first began, and 1t soon
gos the best Of the fire department. The
water supply gave out within
two hours after the Hre be-
gan, and then the flames had
nlpar al l,aI fn, 30.
Tacoma. ana q rain started with hre ap.
paIatus at 4 :35 p. NJ, reaching Seattle in
siatythree minutes, a distance OF forty.
two miles The ocean stesmers, Mexico
for San Francisco, and the Ancon Tor
Alaska, escaped destruction by pulling out
into the ha Dor. A great deal ol property
was saved, only to be burned up again, 80
quickly did the flames spread.
still later account says the fire broke
out NJ Seattle. w. I at $3.50 =. M, in the
Pontius building, and Is now iaging over a
district OF nve or six blocks, and the indi.
cations are that the whole business por.
tiOn OF the town, involving millions of
dollars OF loss will go. The magnificent
San Franci.co store, also other stores are
on ire. The fifemen are helpless, and
have telegraphed In all directions for help
A later dispatch from Seattle says: A dis.
astrous fire is now sweeping through the
heart OF the business part OF the city.
Two blocks have already been
destroyed. Many other buildings
are IN, flames and the confagration has
passed beyond the control oi the fire de-
partment. To add to the city's peril
smart breeze Is blowing oH the bay, fan
ming the flames, and lOOU feet VI hose have
been burned. AT present no idea OF the
extent OF the loss can be formed TIE op-
era house block, the block oppos TO and the
warehouses 1T the foot OF Columbia street,
and also four buildings in the rear OF the
Post.lntellis. ncer are burning. The peo-
pie in the Yesler block, occupied by the
Western Union and the observation-disclosures
are moving out. At6 o'clock tonight the
best engine in the department, fully
equipped with a crew, etc., and 1000 feet
OF hose started on u special train and will
probably .'each Seattle at midnight.
From insurance agencies III this city IL Is
learned that thirty-one blocks so far have
been burned IN the very business portion
the loss OF about twenty blocks more.
The fire is not yet ut all under control.
The very latest dispatches state that the
hre has reached the great coal bnnkers,
Should these be destroyed IL IL certain that
the flames will be communicated to q very
srge number of wooden buildings
sll Joined together and OF various heights
Vaiiantly did the department light the fire.
but without avail. for the buildings OF
timber were an easy prey to what within
ten minutes from the time IL started de-
veloped into n contlagration. Adjoining
the first building was the wholesale liquor
store of Dielz & Meyer. AS soon rs the
fre reached IL the barrels of liquor ex-
ploded with terrific reports and scat
tered flaming timbers far aad wide.
The Denny block, in which WAS q whole.
sale confectionery store, Gilmore q Co.'s
real estate Office and several other estab.
lishments including number of profess
sional offices and some lodging apartments,
were soon licked ny completely. This
cleared out one entire square. Efforts to
Hood the Coleman building ON Front street
TO South were utterly useless, for ,he
flames leaped across Marion street with
greedy rapidity from two saloons, the
Palace saloon and Opera house sa-
loon; and in l.ss than thirty min
utee another square burned to
ashes, taking in Addison Smiths
grocery, Merchant's Wholesale confecti0n-
cry and fruit store, j. w. Lang & Co.'S
drug store John Spencers' plum bing and
steam lifting establishment, X. }. Graham's
tailor shop Edgar brysn's pawnshop, Pal
ace restaurant, Siminson Bros. shoe store,
0oring & O'Donnell's jewelry store, Shus-
tsr's barber shop, Levy's clothing house
and Dohully Il Marions clothing store.
This squsre was burning the opera house.
The Tacoma fre department had come
over from Tacoma in slxtytwO minutes on
the Puget Sound Shore railroad. but both
departments combined were powerless.
A lYv.ir hl.,nly