The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-08
The Fire of Thursday Leaves Moth
ing But Ruins in Its Wake.
What Was Forty Eight Hours Ago
Thriving Young Metropolis
Is Now Blackened, Smouldering
Pile of Complete Wreckage.
Tho Losses In Property and Personal
Effects VIII Amount to $4,000
ooo-A Number OF Lives Said
TO Have Been Lost.

q copy oil the san Francisco EIdWu6F 3
report OF the great fire at Seattle;
The entire business portion OF Seattle IL
now nothing but smoking ruins About 3
O'Clock pm. yesterday afternoon some
turpentine caught fire in the basement OF
a two.story frame building on the south
west corner Of Front and Madison streets.
The building, which was owned by Ms.
Margaret j. Peuteus, aud the first story,
which was leased by the Seattle Shoe
Company, and the upper floor being occu-
pied for Offices, WAS seen abla2e. An
alarm WIS instantly turned in and the
Volunteer Fire Department responded
promptly, but it was impossible TO, make
any Roadway against the flames. This
building, like most OF the others OF It's
kind in the business center, was not de-
tachcd, but was a corner one OF u row OF
frame buildings all joined together and of
various nights. Naliantly did the fire de-
parlment fight fire, but without avail, for
the buildings OF finder were an easy prey
TO what, within ten minutes from the time
it started, developed into coniagra-
ton. Adjoining the first building YVES
a wholesale liquor store, Dietz Il Meyer,
and as soon rs the fro reached the barrels
OF liquor exploded with terrific reporIsand
scattered flaming tmbers far and wide.
The Benny Block, in which was q whole
sale confectionery store; Gilmer Il Co. 5
real estate Office. and several other estab-
lislmcn,s, including numbers OF profess
sional offices and some lodging apartments,
were soon licked up completely. This
cleared out the entire square. The efforts
10 flood the Coleman building on Front
street TO the south Wero utterly useless,
Tor the flames lcaped across Marion street
with greedy rapidity N two saloons, the
Palace saloon aud Opera. house saloon, and
in less than thirty minutes another square
was burned to ashes, taking In addition $.
:. Smith'8 grocery, Merchants wholesale
conf 'c,iunury aud t.uit store, j. w.
Lang x Co.'S drug store, John Spcnccr's
plumbing and steam lttihg establishment,
Il. Z. Griham's tailor shop, Edgar liyan's
paWush0p, paluCs restaurant Simpson
llrulicrs' sho1 STORE. Gerring * OConnrlls
ieNclry store. rhusicr's barber shop, lee
Ic'sc.o,hins stpgu anl DDhully6 Maron's
clothing store. While this square WIS
burning, the opcu.hOuso In the block
on tho east side OF lrunt street between
Madison and Marion. aud extending ~
Marion halfway TO Second street, caught
iisr In the upper stories This building, a
fine thrrr.stury brick structure, owned by
Gaorrp ". FRYE, aud valued at Sl2l, 200,
soon Welded 10 the iu,urcssiblc tongue vi
flame. With il went tho seattle phirmn-
cy, the Warehouse Of the Golden Rule
bazaar, Harris 4 Go. r large dry good, aud
clothing store, Abcrnntny's shoe store,
Cross 4 Co.'s undertaking establishment.
Iltour's large dry goods house, BrJIl-
mans. paints anl oils establishment.
Clearing up another square, the Kenyon
block, 10 tie north OF whore the fire Origi-
mated had 90 90 too. notwithstanding the
wind was from the east. n little by north.
In this block was the Job printing cstnb-
li-hmcnt Oi the EucluJ Imo. Yemen 4
Nanghn's music sorc aud Barics's tailor
shop. From the Opcra-llouso block the
fire now iist becoming monTrous conf =
grafton, swallowed up the squirs ~ the
south, consisting OF al the ,WO-slory frame
nMlANAllNNf NNNWtllNHA MN - AHNNN y ANNlNNNAA
liulo Baznr. tho Cyitornia Clothing
llosF, Gordon Bros ,yiaryn tailoring 60.
lnblishmrni, the Contra 70 .lar aud sew.
cril other big concerns. notwithstanding
the progress. Of the flames. the fire depart.
mcnt struggled with determination to save
the most valuable portion Of Front street
10 the south, between Columbia street AMI
lcslrr, which contained a magnificent row
Of brick buildings Of two aud three stories
high, whore four banks had Their oilicrs-
the Bank OF Commerce, Merchants Ma
iional. First National aud Washington
Guarantee aud Loan Association aud Saw
ings Rank. This row consisted oi corner
block occupied by T0klls, singcrman &
Co.'S gigantic Wholesale dfy goods ompg-
mum, the Union Block, the Parin Build.
ing, the San Francisco Clothing House,
star Block. the Arcade Building aud Yes.
Ter Block on Central tqunrc. All the iclc-
graph Offices were IN Central square. IL
was generally supposed that the entire
water front would 20. bat u was hoped, "
such was inevitable, thee buildings could
be saved. The Sale Deposit Company also
had q building In this block. The cxplo'
sions Of giant powder were ifuiilcss 10
prevent the awful spfoad Of the relentless
ilamcs and clouds Ol binding. sufocat-
ing smoke Onward tho c0nlllyraiion
went, cracking aud roaring almost
shrioking. Tho thrcc.stpry building 10
tho rear Of Toklas, singcrman 4 Co,
which was Wclion & Co. sail factory,
was an easy prey 10 The terrible heat and
cindcr from the burning Commercial
Mills and Lumber YHriL Tho hfo soon
communicated TO Tobias. singcfman q Co.
Tho water was giving out, and the streams
from several limos Of hoes only reached iho
second story Tho Tacoma Fro Depart
ment had come over from Tacoma sixty
two minutes on tho Puget Sound shore
Railroad, but both departments combined
were powo-less, aud the attempts TO blow
mp the Union Block were more DISASTROUS
10 the valiant fire fghiNs than 10 any
thing else. All this row Of buildings sue
cumbcd, although th1 occupants had timo
70 get out most of their valuable elects.
The square north gave way 10 the hro
easily, aud soon the ROT Of The thre1ftofy
Occidental Hotel, The finest hotel IN the
| city, got ablnzo Before the c1nll1gati0n
reached Ycsler avenue Tokla', snsolman
4 Co., Coblcfs Wholesale grocery, the
banks above mentioned, Ircchs shoe
sore, Humphno'a book store, l3oNinan q
liamiord's book, Stationery and i9bPiin1'