The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-07-11
ELLESSRURGn's HaRD FATE.
she LSsss the Business Portion OF Ih'
Town BY FlFe..A Complete sweep
ssS.osses About 5000, 900.

| ssbsoeses ABOUT ASyUUuyOOus
While large number Of the good PEG
pie Of Yakima were Incorporating at the
opera house and THE Yakima" on the
nisht Of July I, light was observed over
the Umptanum hills in the direction Of
EllensburRh. Although indistinct at frsl
1t soon gathered color and shortly after
eleven O'Clock the underlined fears of the
watchers became a certainty that dire
misfortune had overtaken our bustling
md pushing sister city Of the Kittitas
valley. Word was soon received by tele-
graph that the business portion Of the
city was in flames. Mayor Reed wired
Mayor Abrams enquiring If. Yakima
could DO Of any assistance and transmit.
ting the sincere sympathy Of the people
Of Yakima at the misfortune Whirh had
overtaken Ellensbur4h.
The FIRE broke out about eleven
O'Clock p. IN. in the grocery store ii J. S.
Anthony, situate on Main street, between
Fourth and Fifth. There had been no
fire in the building during the day and Il
is generally believed that 1t had an incen-
diary origin. There was a strong west
wind blowing nj the time and the flames
leaped from building to building despite
all efforts Of the fremen with their hand
engine. The water supply was totally
inadequate and so great was the heat
that the little water that was to BE- bad
scarcely neared the flames before it went
up In steam. The firemcn, seeing il was
usPlrsS 10 Longer attempt 10 stay the pro-
gress of the fire turned their attention to
the saving OF goods. Within half an
hour the greater portion OF four blocks
had been consumed. That great fire trap,
the johnson House, early fell a prey to
the flames. There was ball in progress
in the hail, on the third floor, When the
fire commenced, and about three hundred
people were present, and 1t wac only BY
the good judgment and determination Of
some leaders that the hall was cleared
without 4 stampede and q great loss Of
life. As il was the building was smoking
before all were out. The ASHER House,
the Davidson building and the Gcddis
block were all on fire at once and the heat
was 30 intense that even the splendid
stone building belonging to Snipes 4
Abrams could not withstand 1t and il too
soon succumbed. The direction Of the
fire was southeast and II Tapped up Krri.
del's ! X L store, the Oriental Hotel,
Nelson Bennett's store, the wholesale es-
tablishment Of the Lloyd Mercantile COM
pany, and the lesser buildings along itS
course, as Il they were so much finder.
At this period the wind yeered and the
FIRE took a westward shoot and soon had
Shoudy's new brick and Creger's veneer
building in its warm embrace. From
here its route was south and east and In
less than three hours after its commence
ment ten blocks had been swept out Of
existence.
The fire started Immediately south Of
the Nash building, brick block which
was commenced over year ago but never
completed, and consuuled every building
In the business portion Of the town ex-
cepting the Lynch block, the First Ma
tional bank building and Blumauer's
store. The latter was saved owing to the
fortunate Circumstance Of having shade
trees between It and the fire.
Every saloon in town, with the excep-
ton Of one, was burned. The saloon