, 1889-08-15
NEWSPAPER FRIENDS.
They Express theSDsepest Regret
on Account of Our Great
Calamity.
And With One Voice Proclaim the.
City's Continued Prosperity
and Future Greatness.


| ana 4uture treatnesS,
TACOMA GLOBE.
Within little more than q year seven
towns In this territory have teen visited
by destructive con6agratipns. The first
to suffer was &oidendale, which wt6
substantially all destroyed. Tbe next
was Palouse, the busjhHss portion Of
which was burned May u, at Toss Of
49, and the logs was estimated at $780,
600, 5per cent Of which was covered by
| insurance.
on the 9th of June, this year, the
Seattle fire ooeurred, the remembrance
of which is fresh in che minds Of our
readers. The loss has been vsrionsly
estimated, but the direct and indirect
anoe, which has been adjusted, amounted
to 50, $50 600. A few weeks later Van
couver suffered heavy loss. That fire
was followed, the night of the Fourth
| of July, by the burning Of Ellens-
burgh. Now Spokane Falls has suf-
fered q loss apparently equal TO that
of Seattle. The destruction of all this
property has been hard blow, which
would have staggered older corumuni-
ties, but in new country, with most
hopeful future, it leaves no perg of dis
couragement. All these towns and cities
will recover and in the end be,in II better
and safer condition because OF their suf-
fering. These fires have been attended
by gratifying exhibitions of sympathy
and generosity from the people OF other
more fortunate towns. Tacoma mas
freely given its aid to oil or almost all
the afflicted towns, and found 1t far more
blessed to give under the circumstances,
than to receive.
oREeoNIAN.
The fruits of local industry and thrift
have again beon swallowed up by disas-
ter and another enterprising city of
| Washington territory is In ashes. Spo-
kane Falls, whose phenominal growth
within the past three years has aston
ished even the most sanguine citizens,
after conflict of two hours with the
| flames, shared the fate of Seattle and
| Ellensburgh in the destruction Of the
entire business section. II is remarka-
BILE Tor calamity to tread SO swiftly upon
the heels OF calamity AS 1t has done in
the succession of disasters, tisat in less
than two months has resulted in
the destruction of property OF an aggre.
gate value of many mIiisons in
the three chief cities of common.
wealth, II Is gratifying to note, how
ever the prompt energy with which
these disasters have been met, and the
courage, that, rising superior TO loss and
ulScOurageuellt Dusieu itncii III pidi-
ming new city while viewing the smok-
| ing ruins of the old. The sharp distress
that Is the inevitable result Of II calam.
ity of this sudden and all-eonsuming
| type will be relieved In this as In former
| instances at the earliest possible mo.
ment by full.handed generosity. There
is no need to ask what can we do tp
serve your" in "a stress of this kind,
There is but one thing to do, and that is
| 10 arA an,pltHs us "a ntCt{g nnaaihlg
The prompt action of our citizens
proves that they understand this fully,
and the first installment OF that which
! Is most urgently needed is already on
the way. Happily, the homes of the
people, in this instance, as in the others
cited, are, in the MAN, spared, so that
shelter and clothing on families are not
among the pressing necessities that ap.
peal to generosity for relief. Tempo
rary assistance, help to help themselves,
is all that an energetic people require,
and all that spirited people Will ac-
cept This will be furnished without
hesitation by those who have been for
tunate thus far in this year of misfor-
tunes in escaping disaster from the ele-
| ments.
HELENA INDEPENDENT.
The Independent extra yesterday
morning conveyed 70 the people of tlol-
befalhn Spokane Falls, which ON Satur
day was prosperous city of twenty
| thousand popalstion or more, but where
| to-day there is little but Heaps of ashes.
| The calamity is startling one, and
olicits from the hearts of people here, as
il will from the residents of other cities
throughout the country, the most sim
cere sympathy, which will be sure 10
take the form of substantial assistance,
Already offers on aid have been sent to
the mayor of Spokane Falls by the
MAYORS of other cities and to pgiyate Cit
| izens-meYhants and artisaps-f from
business and personal aequaiMances.
But great rs the calamity is, 1t is not to
be supposed for II moment that II will
be lasting in its effect The example OF
| Seattle is too recent to permit of such a
conclusion. That city, which but few
weeks ago was devastated 81 Spokane
Falls was last Sunday night, is already
springing up more substantial and beau
tiful than before, with every prospect of
attaining a greatness that would not
have been possible under the ante-fire
conditions The same spirit of daunt.
| less courage that was shown in Seattle
will come TO the surface in Spokane
Falls, with the result that year or even
less will see a city of goodly proportions
standing where now but ruin meets the
gaze. Meanwhile, it will become the
people of Helena to remember that there
may be distress in neighboring city
which it is their duty to alleviate so far
as their own circumstances will permit
The citizens meeting last evening re-
suited in the extending of a helping
hand and private subscription papers
will afford others the opportunity TO con
tribute towards the relief of the desti-
tute That there will be suffering, keen
and bitter, there Is no room for doubt
At the urgent solicitation Of friends
1.-the independent has consented to re-
sceive and forward to the proper person
subscriptions for the aid of sufferers by
the Spokane Falls fire. There Is much
need OF food and clothing there, and
Will be for some tirac to come. Chari-
tably disposed people should come for
| ward at once and attach their names to
the independents subscription list.
| SEATTLE TIMES.
Spokane looks up through the smoke
and ashes of the former business portion
and says: 1--WE will build better and
handsomer than ever" Her citizens
rise superior TO their great calamity. H-
lensburgh smiled at its disastrous fire
and proudly advances It's claims as one
of the most promising cities of Washing
ton. Seattle is building up anew city On
the ruins of the'old. Costly business
blocks are springing up on
sthe sites occupied before the
Fire by old tumble-down frame
'shacks." What better evidence OF
the future of Washington could be
given. What better proof of its resources,
It's energesic citizens, its wealth. II con.
veys more to the outside world than
couatless columns Of newspapers could
possibly do. II has been costly and