The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1889-06-13
A CITY IN RUINS.
The Business Portion OF Seattle,
w. T., Completely Destroyed.
Fire vies la the West with the Flood In
the East-A Loss OF Upwards of
Twenty Millions of Dollars.
WIN Rebuild.

SEATTLE, w. T., June What W as tho
business part Of this city is this morning
nothing but smoaidering ruins and de-
bris. Fire broke out yesterday afternoon
In the basement OF q two-story frame
building on the southwest corner Of Front
and Madison streets. owned by Mrs. Mar
garet J. Peutz. The fire originated in
some turpentine, which caught fire in
some way. The first story, which was
leased by the Seattle Shoe Company, the
upper floor being occupied for offices,
was soonlablaze. Although tho volunteer
fire department responded promptly to the
alarm they could do little or nothing to
check the flames. The building, like
most others of its kind in the business
center, was not detached, but was the
corner of row of frame buildings all
joined together and of various heights.
They were dry as tinder, and proved an
easy prey 10 the flames. Adjoining the
first building was Dietz q Myers whole
sale liquor store. The barrels OF liquor
exploded with terrific reports as soon as
the fire reached them and scattered the
contents far and near.
The entire square composing the Denny
Block, in which was confectionery store,
Gilmore 81 Co.'s real estate office and
several other establishments, including a
number Of professional offices and some
lodging apartments, were soon destroyed.
An effort was made to food the Coleman
building on Front street to the south,
but to no avail. The flames spread
across Marion street to the Palace and
Oper-house saloon. In less than half
an hour another square was
laid in ashes. This took in A. S.
Smiths grocery, Merchants whole
sale confectionery, a fruit store, J.
w. Lang &c Co.'s drugstore, John
Spencer's plumbing aud steam fitting es-
tablishment, r. J. Graham's tailor shop,
Edgar Brayan's pawn shop, the Palace
restaurant, Gsring s. O'Connell's jewelry-
store, Souster's barber shop, Lesly's
clothing store and Dobells Sc Marion's
clothing store. While this square was
burning the Opera House block, on the
east side of Front street, between Madi-
son and Marion, caught fire in the upper
story. The building, three-story brick
structure, owned by Geo. Frye, and
valued at $l20,000, was soon de-
stroyed. With it was the Seattle Phar-
macy, Golden Rule bazaar, Harris g.
Co.'s dry-goods store, Abernathy's shoe
store, Grouse & Co.'s undertaker's estab-
lishment Latour's dry-goods house,
Broadman's paint and oil house. The
Kenyon block is also reduced to ashes.
In this block was the job-printing estab-
lishment Of the Evening Times, Veuen g.
Vaughn's music store and Barie's tailor
shop. From the Opera House block the
fire spread and quickly swallowed up the
square to the south. This square consisted
,NPt fra Ar,; l.
e. Lobe's bazaar, the California clothing
store, Gordon Bros tailoring establish
ment, the Oriental bazaar and several
other big co ncerns.
The fire department struggled bravely
to save the most valuable part of Front
street between Columbia and Yesler
streets, which contained q fine row of
brick buildings two and three stories
high, where four banks had their
offices - the Bank of Commerce,
Merchants National, First National
and the Washington Guarantee and Loan
Association and Savings Bank. The row
consisted Of corner block occupied by
Toklas, Singerman g. Co. wholesale dry
goods store, the Union block, the Parin
building, the San Francisco clothing
house, Star block, Arcade building and
Yesler block on Central square. In Cen
trail square all the telegraph offices were
situated. The Safe Deposit Company also
had building in this row.
From initial points the fire spread north
and south u distance of one mile. Every
newspaper, hotel, telegraph Office, rail-
road depot and wharf in the city was
totally destroyed. The entire water
front, including all wharves and docks,
coal l-bunkers and railway tracks, the
wholesale quarter and every thing
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 $4,000, 900 and
the personal losses will probably reach
$40, 100000. Whether there is much
loss of life can not yet be as GER
talned. There is great privation
among the poor, as nearly every restau-
rant and grocery in the city was con-
sumed by the fire. The burnt district,
comprising sixty-four acres, now pre-
sents the aspect OF a huge oven OF burn
ing Goals, and threatens even further de-
struction. The fremen, reinforced
by Tacoma and Snohomish, are on
the alert. The streets all through
the night were crowded with peo-
pie, wandering about penniless and home
less. The militia and extra police are to
be seen on every corner guarding the
property against thieves and vandals.
One hundred arrests have already been
made. All of the daily newspapers will
publish to o-morrow.
Words fail to describe the awful picture
of the fire and desolation. 1t is like the
Chicago fire, and like Chicago, will be re-
built Everybody seems in good spirits
as it is bard to realize the dreadfulness of
this sudden calamity. When the Toklas
Singermans &Co'sbuilding fell about thir-
ty people were near ii and many of the m
were crushed. Similar accidents befell
most of the large buildings.
PORTLAND, Ore, June Slate reports
from Seattle indicate that the total loss
by the fire will reach anywhere from
$l5,000,00O to $40, 0O0, 600. The people decld-
cd at a meeting yesterday morning to re-
build the city with brick and stone. The
military are guarding what property was
not burned. The city is quiet and every
body is hopeful. The Governor has issued
proclamation appealing 10 the people
Of the Territory to send aid for the suf-
ferers by the fire.
-< -