, 1889-08-15
A SOLEMN WARNING.
The Lesson Taught by tho Calamity
In Spoka ne Falls.
From the Baker City Reveille.l

From the Baker City Reveillel
The story of the dire calamity that
has befalien one of the most beautiful
and enterprising cities in the west that
reads just like that which forms q part
OF the history of Seattle and several
other towns recently visited by the de-
srroyer With every note of warning
sounding in their ears, the citizens
clothed themselves in q feeling of secur-
ity as with garment, and In almost
every instance, when the flames were
sweeping from the face of the earth
their stately structures, filed with mer-
chandise, and their comfortable homes
holding the accumulation of years of
toll, the appalling fact appeared that
they were totally unprepared for the
stroke.
Only the day before Spokane Falls in
all her glory and beauty went down in
ashes, the REVIEW published an account
OF plaze that destroyed u pile of rub
Dish lying in a back street, communi-
Gated with an adjacent frame building
and came near causing a contiagration.
DID that remind those whose backyards
ana alleys Were filled with dry goods
boxes and scraps of paper that they
should get rid OF these combusti aids
Of the destroying clement Not much;
they had seen these little fires before,
and they had never done any harm fur
thcr than TO give the fire department
little exercise. They are the results of
accidents, only a fire that sweeps the
city clean ID the work of an incendary.
Spokane Falls is out to-day S14, ,o00, 900,
ana the press unanimously charge her
the same gang as the incend lar
burned Seattle, HALEY
and other fre-swept towns.
Each of these towns thought they
were prepared for fire. We read in the
detailed report of Spokane's destruc-
ton: The fire department were on tho
scene quickly but owing to lack OF
water, the hre quickly spread to adjoin-
ing frame buildings, and was soon be-
yond control" There should have been
no lack, of water just then, but there
space OF three hours the fire had con-
sumed everything in its path to ashes
including the entire business portion of
the once beautiful city. We are also
told that 'the city superintendent of
water works was roundly censured by
the council for neglecting his duty and
being away at the time of the ire The
big pumps were not connected, and at
the time of the fire there was scarcely
any pressure. Had there been, the fire
would have been under control"
II there is anything connected with the
recent disaster for Baker City To learn il
is this: The best time in the world to
hbi'' iilet UT 10 uNcTt COnIlHgrNtlOIl, is
before II occurs. If IL Is forty years of,
SO much the better We have as many
old rickety fire traps here in our city as
any other town of its size on the coast.
Some of them, long since fallen into
disuse, are left standing out of respect,
we suppose for their old age, and they
are likely to remain until fre or the slow
hand OF decay removes them. We have
alleys and back yards filled with rubbish
OF all sorts and lust hack of otIr runin
street with It's costly buildings and their
valuable contents, we have lot of board
shanties which represent Chinatown.
We believe that we are fnirly well pro-
vided against fire; we have such faith in
ourselves that, strictly speaking, we
take no prcCaution against accidents,
whatever Baker City needs fire war
den. some one who should have othing
else to do but look out for her safety,
and enforce the law as regards the accu.
mutation of rubbish about premises in
the city limits.