Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-06-07

departments combined were power
less, and attempts to blow up the
Union block were more disastrous to
the valiant fire fighters than anything
else. The square to the north gave
way to the fire easily, and soon the
roof OF the three story Occi !ental ho-
tel got ablaze. The Western Union,
Postal Il Puget Sound Telegraph
company are burned out, also the
buildings OF the Daily Lost IntrNigen-
Ger and the offices OF the Canadian
Pacific railroad company. The lawyers
and doctors, who mostly occupied the
offices, were burned out, although they
were Incredibly allowed time to get
out their libraries and other valuable
personal property. The banks locked
up their currency, coin and papers in
the fire proof vaults and safes, and lett
them there to be spared by chance or
to be destroyed with the doomed city.
The people fled to the hills to the
east and horses flccked with foam
dashed up to the high lands with pro
nlscuous loads OF everything attached,
i'll every available vehicle. The fire
made awful progress when it crossed
lesler's avenue. The flames rushed
ami leaped onward with terrific mad
ness barely giving people time to es
cape, and the entire water front, and
everything south of Union street and
west of second, and reaching arounu
to the glass-wOrks above Fourth street
on Jackson, was completely burned
The Arlington and Commercial hotels
were destroyed, also the coal bunkers
Oh the Oregon Improvement company,
the docks of the Oregon Railway d
Navigation company, the tracks of the
Puget sound shore ami the Columbia
K Puget Sound railroads, the big new
warehouse of the Seattle Transfer
company AMI wholesale warehouses
along the water front, Stetson 4 Posts
saw mil; but to give a list OF every
thing burned would be to produce the
most OF Seattle's business directory.
1t Is estimated that the total loss in
the city in buildings alone is 10000,
OOO and all the personal losses will
probably reach 100000 0.
There is probably much loss OF life !;
cannot yet be ascertained. The city
is guarded by sentinels OF the militia.
Two iiends are said to have been hung
or stealing. Heaven WAS merciiul
that the lire was allowed to occur in
the daylight. thousands of people
are left destitute. They have done
their best to save few OF their goods
Many household goods are pilel up
ami women and children are huddled
in groups about them. Citizens whose
fortunes have gone up i'll the smoke
stand gazing spell-bound at the ruin.
At this hour, no estimate can be
maize 0! the loss. The whole business
portion OF the city is gone, and the
loss will he way up i'll the millions
All that portion OF the city south OF
James street for ten blocks wide is
gone. The fire is out and is only
blazing in the district already burned.
At IL o'clock the walls OF the Cathe-
raj fell. 1t is supposed that two
persons are burned underneath the
ruins. The reports of the burning OF
five men are considered authentic but
"details are impossible at this hour. 1t
is also reported that ten men were
caught by the fire, and as they have
not been heard OF or seen since then
are supposed to be dead. One man
was killed by the blowing up of a
building.
All the daily newspapers are totally
burned out. The Iiost-IntrHigence is
now getting out morning edition in
\ private residence
All there is left stan ling Of the
burnt district is Il part OF the walls OF
the opera house
The Postal Telegraph company was
open for business twenty minutes
after being burned out.
The scenes on the outskirts of the
fire are sad and distressing in the
extreme. Women and children are
huddled in groups around what few
household effects could be saved in
their eager haste to escape the fire.
shortly after the fire started, the
water front was in flames, and they
were working around back OF the
buildings on the west 81 of the
street. The whole westside down to
James street was of brick, and it was
thought that this would check the
flames but soon this was in a blaze
1t was hoped that the Occidental
hotel would be saved, but the fire
reached it on all siies, and at o'clock
| it was one mass of flames.
There is little more to be said, ex-
cept that building after building fell
with crash, and solid sea of fire
over mile in extent and one-quarter
of mile wide, was surging ahead.
The fire ragged with undated fury
until s 80 O'Clock, when it was checked
at the northern boundary, or Univer-
sity street and front, Just as it was
getting into the residence portion of
the town. 1t had burned out more
from lack of material to feed upon
than anything else, and was eating
up what remained of the wharves and
warehouses.
/ Everywhere the loss is total, and
who at noon were worth thousands
are now beggars All the business
f5uses except the postofiice block and
two small bricks ON second street,
were Quilted and thrown into wagons.
Trucks demanded SIS a load and got
it. As the fire kept crowding on down
the street, the goods we're moved and
removed again, only later on to 60 up
in the flames.
There is much thieving among the
houses and the National Guard are pa
troll ing with orders to shoot the
thieves if they resist arrest. The city
Jail AMI city hall, with all records, are
destroyed. The lodging house quarter
and slums of the city are swept out of
existence.
Any estimate of the loss of life would
be simply guess work and words fail to
describe the terrible picture of fire and
desolation. 1t is like the Chicago fire,
and like the Chicago fire will be re-
built. Everybody seems in good spir-
its, as it is hard to realize the dreadful
fullness OF this sudden calamity. The
fire covered an area OF sixty-four acres
and thirty eight blocks are swept
clean
Special to the EVE MING OLYMPIAS.
The Boundary Defined.
SEATTLE, June is A. M.-Begin-
ming at the foot of University street
the boundary line of the burned Gis-
trict runs east to Front street; thence
South half way to Spring street; thence
east to Second street; along Second to
James: IN James to Third. thence