Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-06-13
The BURNING OF SEATTLE.
The Loss Said to Foot Up to $50, 600, ,o0o-
Description of the Fire.

The Loss Said to Foot Up to $50, 600, ,Ooo-
Description of the Fire.
SEATTLE, W. T., June S-The loss by
be terrible confsgration will sum up $50
JOO, 900, of which SO, oO0, 900 is in buildings,
md SO, 000, 900 in stock. 1t is as yet inn
possible to work in the smoldering ruins,
md engines from Portland aud Tacoma
nave been working ali day. pouring
streams of water on the burning rmass.
The rnin wrought is beyond ell descrip-
lion. The city is practically in ruins and
here is every reason to believe that
several persons were killed by falling
walls. The wharves are still burning
and vessels that put out to sea to escape
destruction are still unable to make q
'anding in the heart of the city. Miles
upon miles of wharfage has been de-
stroyed. Every bank, hotel and place Of
amusement all the leading business
.ouses, all the newspaper offices, the rail-
road depots and miles OF steamboat
wharves, coal bunkers and freight ware
houses and the telegraph offices were
burned. About thIes o'clock some
;urpentine caught fire in the basement
Of a two-story frame building on the
southwest corner IT Front and Madison
streets. The bpi ding was soon ablaze.
The volunteer fire department found it
impossible TO make any headway against
the flames This building was at the
corner of n row Of frame buildings of
various heights. Adjoining it was
wholesale liquor store, and as soon as the
fire reached the barrels of liquor they ex-
ploded with terrific reports and scattered
flaming timbers far and wide. The Denny
block was soon licked up. This cleared
out the entire square. The efforts to flood
the Coleman building on Front street to
the south were utterly without effect The
flames leaped across Marion street and in
less than thirty minutes another square
was burned.
While this square was burning the
Opera House block, on the east side
Front street between Madison and Marion
street, caught fire in the upper stories
This was a three-storv brick structure,
owned by. George F. Frye and valued at
S120, 600. 1t burned with several other
| buildings, clearing up another square.
The Kenyon block, to thu north Of where
the fire originated, also burned.
From the opera house the flames swal-
| lowed up the square TO the south, consist
! ing of a number of two story frame build
/ ings occupied by business concerns. The
| fire department tried to save the most VAL
liable part of Front street to the south be-
tween Columbia street and Yes
! ler which contained a magnificent
row of brick building, two and
three stories high, including the
Bank of Commerce and the First
National, Washington and Savings banks,
| Toklas-Singerman & Co.'s big wholesale
| dry goods emporium. the Union block, the
Parin building. the San Francisco cloth
! ing house. the Star block. the Arcade
building and the Vesler block in Central
! Square. All the telegraph offices were in
Central Square. 1t was generally sup
posed the entire water front would go, but
it was hoped if such was inevitable, that
these buildings could be saved.
The Occidental Hotel was an easy prey
to the flames. Many persons were injured
by the falling walls of the Toklas-Singer.
man dry goods block. There is great
destSution here, and food and clothing is
arriving from neighboring towns