The Penn's Grove record., 1889-06-15
SEATTLE'S DISASTER.
THE ENTIRE BUSINESS PORTION OF
THE CITY DESTROYED.
sIXTY-FoUR ACRES, OR THIRTY-oNE
BLOCKS, BURNED ovER-Loss,
ABOUT TEN MILLIONS.

PORTLAND, Oregon, June Fol
lowing is a copy OF the San Francisco
Examiners report of the great fire il
Seattle:
The entire business portion of Seattle
is now nothing but smoking ruins.
About 3 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
some turpentine caught fire IN the base.
ment Of a twO-story frame building on
the southwest corner of Front and
Madison streets. The building, which
was owned by Mrs. Margaret J,
Peuteus, and the first story of which
was leased by the Seattle Shoe Com.
pany, and the upper floor being &C.
cupied a offices, was soon ablaze.
An alarm was instantly turned in,
and the volunteer fire department re-
sponded promptly, but it was impossi-
BILE to make any Roadway against the
flames. This building, like most of the
others of its kind in the business
centre, vas not detached but was a
corner n of a row of frame build
in2s, all Joined together and of various
heights. Vallantly did the fire de.
partment fight the Gre, but without
avail. for the bnildings Of finder were
an easy prey to what within ten min
utes from the time 1t started developed
ntO a conf agratlon.
Every newspaper, hotel, telegraph
office. railroad depot and wharf In the
city was totally destroyed. The entire
water front. including all wharves and
docks, coal bunkers and railway tracks,
the Wholesale quarter, and everything
south Of Union street and west of Sec.
Ond street, and reaching around to the
gas works, and above Fourth street on
jackson, was completely burned. 1t is
estimated that the total loss to the city
in buildings alone Is easily $40, 600 900,
and all personal losses will probably
reach $40 ,00U, 900.
Whether there is much loss Of life
cannot yet be ascertained. There is
great privation felt among the poor
classes, as nearly every restaurant and
grocery in the city was consumed by
the Gre. The burned district comprises
some "a acres. 1t presents the aspect
OF a huge oven of burning Goals, and
threatens ven further destruction.
The Aremen, reinforced by Tacoma and
Snohomich, are on the alert. The
streets all through the night were
crowded with people, wandering about
peDniless and homeless. The militia
and extra police are to be seer on every
corner guarding the property against
thieves and vandals. O0e hundred
arrests have already been made. All
the daily newspapers will publish to.
morrow.
Words fail to describe the awful
picture of the fire and desolatlon. 1t is
like the Chicago fire, and, like Chicago.
will be rebuilt. Everybody seems III
good spirits, as it Is hard TO realIze the
dreadful fuilness of this Sudden calam-
ity.
When Toklas & Singerman's building
fell about 81 people were near, and
many Of them were crushed. Similar
accidents befell most of the large build
ings.
SAN FRANCISCO. June THE
burned district in Seattle covers an
area Of 81 blocks, The boundary of
the burned district is as follows: UNI.
yersity, Front, Spring to Second,
James, South, Fourth, Wall and Water
streets. This comprises the business
portion Of the city. The residence dis
trict escaped. from the Official 1g-
ures furnished by the local and foreign
Insurance companies, the Coast RevitW.
newspaper, places the property loss at
$1,000. 600. This is covered by a total
insurance of $2,260, 000. OF this
amount 81, 0 1900 is held by compan-
les represented In San Francisco. Six
Oregonian companies carry RISKS rep
~resenting a round total OF S250,UO0.
Fifteen small outside companies carry
risks estimated at about Sl50,000.
PORTLAND, Ore, June THE lat
est dispatches from Seattle state that
the loss from fire yesterday will not
fall short Of ten millions of dollars. 1t
Is estimated that the total insurance
will reach all the way from $l,5O0,000
to $4,000, 900. In many places the
workmen have already begun to grade
and clean up the lots preparatory to
building.