The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-06-13
FIRE FIEND
Another Terrible Disaster Treads
Quickly Upon the Heels of
Johnstown.
A Whole Town Destroyed and
sSo,ooo,ooo Worth of Property
Destroyed.


1t is now estimated the total loss by the
fire in this city yesterday in buildings
alone ia ten millions, and that all personal
losses will reach probably twenty millions.
1t is thought many persons persisted in
the flames. Giant powder was used to
blow up buildings in the hope of staying
the progress OF the flames, bat to no ef-
feet 1t is reported that two men have
been lynohed for stealing.
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
SAN FBLNoIsoo, June THE Examiners
report of the great fire in Seattle says the
entire business portion of Seattle is now
nothing but SIN oking ruins. About p. m.
yesterday some turpentine caught fire in
the basement of story frame build
ing on the southwest cornerF ront and Mad
ison streets. The building was soon ablaze.
An alarm of fire was sounded and the de-
psrtment responded promptly, but it was
impossible to make Roadway against the
flames, for the buildings Of finder were an
easy prey to what, within ten minutes
from the time it started, developed into q
conAagration. Adjoining the first build
ing was the Wholesale liquor store of Dietz
Meyer, and, as soon as the fire reached
the barrels OF liquor, they exploded with
terrific reports and scattered far
ing timbers far and wide, and the
whole block was soon licked up
Efforts to flood the Coleman building on
Front street to the south were utterly
useless, for the flames leaped across Ma
rion street with greedy rapidly, and in
less than thirty minutes another square
was burned to ashes. The block on the
east side of Front street, between Marion
and Madison, and extending up Marion
half way to Second street, next caught fire.
A three-story brick, owned by George
tTrye, and valued at 100000, soon yielded
o the flames, and with it went the entir Q
Square from the opera house block. The
fire, now having become monstrous con
Migration, swallowed up square after
square until the entire business part of
the city, including Water, Front and
many residence streets, covering between
thirty and forty blocks, was consumed.
Among the buildings destroyed were:
The Bank of Commerce, Mer-
chants National, First Ma
tional, Washington Guarantee and
Loan Association Savings banks,
Toklas, Singerman & Co.'s gigantic whole
sale dry goods emporium, Union block,
Parin building, San Francisco clothing
house, Star block, Arcade building and
Great Yesler block on Central square, all
the telegraph offices, Safe Deposit COM
pany, the Occidental hotel, the finest in
the city, valued at 100000, and scores of
other big and little buildings. Explosions
of gaint powder were fruitless to prevent
the awful spread of the relentless flames,
and clouds of binding, suffocating smoke
arose. Onward the oonfagration
went, cracking, roaring almost
shrieking until almost everything was
swallowed up. The Tocoma fire depart
ment had come over in sixty-two minutes
by railroad, but both departments COM
bined were powerless. Among other con-
Germs destroyed were Colberg's wholesale
grocery, Lowmons & Hanford's book, sta
tionery and job printing establishment,
the Daily Post and the Intelligence office,
Canadian Pacific railway com any, Com
mercial mill, Mechanics mill, Seattle
building and Dry Dock company,
Ferry estate, Gordon Hardware company,
Seattle Hardware company and Moran
Brothers.