Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-06-12
SEATTLE WIPED OUT.
Stxtv-four Acres of Business Blocks
Swept Away.
The Town Suffers a Loss Estimated at
$12,000,00O.
Thousands of People Made Homeless by the
Conhagration.
Chfcago's Disastrous Visitation Repeated
in the Far West.

SEATTLE, w. T., June TT is now es-
timated that the total loss to the city
by the fire which started yesterday af-
ternoon, in buildings alone, is $40, 000,-
600, and that all personal losses will
probably reach Sc, 900 900. 1t is thought
many persons must have persisted in
the flames. Giant powder was used to
| blow up buildings in hope of staying
| the progress of the flames, but to no eff
feet. 1t is reported two men have been
lynched for stealing. The fire is still
| burning.
The entire busin ess portion of Seattle
is nothing but smoking ruins. About 8
| P. NJ. yesterday some turpent1ne caught
| fire in the basement of a two-story frame
| building on the southwest corner of
Front and Madison Streets. The build
ing was owned by Mrs. Margaret J. Pom
thus. The volunteer fire department
was unable to make any Roadway against
the flames. This building, like most
of the others of it's kind in the business
center, was not detached, but was cor
ner one of a row of frame buildings all
| joined together, and of various heights.
Valiantly did the fire department fight
| the fire, but without avail, for the build
ings of finder were an easy prey to what,
| within ten minutes from the time it
started, developed into conflagration.
| Adjoining the first building was a
wholesale liquor store, Dietz & Meyer,
and as soon as the fire reached the bar
| rels of liquor exploded with terrific
force. and scattered flaming timbers far
and wide. The Denny Block, in which
was wholesale confectionery store,
| Gilmore & Co.'s real estate office, and
several other establishments, including
a number of professional offices, and
some lodging apartments, were soon
| licked up completely. This cleared out
the entire square.
The efforts to flood the Coleman build
ing, on Front Street, to the south, were
utterly useless, for the flames leaped
| across Marion Street with greedy rapid
| ity, TO two saloons, the Palace saloon
and Opera saloon. and in less than
thirty minutes another square was
| burned to ashes, taking in Addison s.
Smiths grocery, Merchants wholesale
confectionery and fruit store. j. w.
Lang & Co.'s drug store, John Spencer's
plumbing and steam fitting establish
ment, e. j. Graham's tailor shop. Ed
ward Bryan'e pawn shop. Palace res
taur1nt, Semison Bros. shoe store, Ger
ing & O'Konnell's jewelry store,
Shuster's barber shop, Lesly's clothing
store, and Dohully & Marion's clothing
store.
While this square was burning, the
i Opera House Block, on the east side of
Front Street, between Madison and Ma
rion, and extending up Marion half way
to Second Street, caught fire in the up
per story. This building, fine three
\ r< II e,%v. a{Y nv
F. Frye, and valued at $4,000, soon
yielded to the irrepresslble tongue of
flame. With it went the Seattle phar-
macy, the warehouse of the Golden
Rule Bazaar, Harris & Co.'s large
dry goods and clothing store,
Abernathy's shoe store, Crosse & Co. g
undertaking establishment, Latour's
large dry goods house, Broadman's
paints and oils establishment, clearing
up another square. The Kenyon block,
north of where the fire originated, had
to 60 too, Notwithstanding the wind
was from the east, little by north. In
lishment of the Evening Times, Yemen
& Vaugh's music store, and Barie's tail
or shop.
From the Opera House Block the fire,
now last becoming a monstrous confla-
grafton, swallowed up the square to the
south, consisting of ali the two-story
frame buildings occupied by E. Lobe's
Golden Rule Bazaar, the California
Clothing House, Gordon Bros large
tailoring establishment, the Oriental
Bazaar, and several other big concerns.
Notwithstanding the progress of the
flames, the fire department struggled
with determination to save the most
valuable portion of Front Street to the
South, between Columbia Street and
Yesler, which contained magnificent
row of brick buildings of two and three
stories high. where four banks had their
offices-the Bank of Commerce, the
Merchants National, the First Nation
al and the Washington Guarantee
and Loan Association and Savings
Bank. This row consisted of a
Singerman & Co.'s gigantic wholesale
dry goods emporium, the Union Block,
the Parin building, the San Francisco
Clothing House, Star Block, the Arcade
building, and Yesler Block on Central
Square. AL the telegraph Offices were
in Central Square. It was generally
supposed that the entire water front
would go, but it was hoped, if such was
inevitable, these buildings could be
saved. The Safe Deposit Company also
had building in this row.
| Inc explosions OF giant powder were
fruitless to prevent tho awful spread of
the flame, and clouds of binding, suffo-
eating smoke hung over the city. On
ward the confagration went cracking,
roaring, almost shrieking. The three
story building to the rear of Toklas.
Singerman & Co., which was Welton &
Co.'s sail factory, was an easy prey to
the terrible heat and cinders from the
burning commercial mill and lumber
yards. The fire soon communicated
to Toklas, Singerman & Co. The water
was giving out, and the streams from
several lines of hose only reached the
second story
The Tacoma fire department came
over IRON Tacoma in sixty-two minutes,
on the Puget Sound Shore Railroad, but
both departments combined were pow
erless, and the attempts to blow up the
Union block were more disastrous to
the valiant fire fighters than to any,
| thing else. All this row of buildings
succumbed, although the occupants had
| time to get out most of their valuable
| effects. The square north gave way
| to the fire easily, and soon the