The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-05-30

tbs adjotning HOUSES 20 Tie Commercial
ssrees sjae Sons wers fully el0thsd many
we're half naked
In the meantime the stsoeta be30w h1d
become f5lled with excited crowds OF people.
who shouted out contradictory directions
to the half-dazed victims. Blankets and
mattresses were hastily procured and
stretched underneath the windows- The
heat inside was By this time unendurable
and men and women leaped in Al direc-
tons. preferring death BY the fall 70 the
more terrible death By IRE.
THE Essfxn Akx1vE.
By the time the engines had arrived the
Pioneer house and the weller house Cd
joining were mass Of flames, which were
spreading rapidly toward Commercial
street The European hotel on the north
east corner Of Weller and Commercial
caught next, and il wAs evident that the
entire neighborhood was doomed unless
prompt measures were taken. The fire.
men worked nobly and well. unfortu-
nately water was anything but plentiful.
and strong breeze Was blowing 6tfulIy
from the west. Had the wind been blow
ing fresh the loss 70 life and property
would have1een terrible.
THE DEED OF crave NAE.
While the flames were 1t their height
William Barber, Of Tacoma, who Was
standing In Weller street. saw man and
woman standing in one Of the windows OF
the Pioneer house. There was no way Of
reaching them by ladder. 90 Mr.. Barber
ran up the stairway Of the Trenton house,
adjoining on the west. Reaching the third
floor he found m aileyway eight feet wide
confronting him. Nothing daunted, the
brave man stepped onto the windowsill
and sprang out He just reached win
dowsiil Of the Pioneer house and swung
himself safely in.
Had he fallen Il would have been certain
death. for the drop was forty feet Crop
ing his way over hot floors and through
binding smoke he reached the room of
the people he had seen. They proved to be
Mr.. and Mrs. w. w. Cofbett, Of Chicago,
and their little baby. Mr.. Corbett Is .
newspaper man and had but recently ar
rived. He was clad only in his trousers.
while his wife Was in her night-dress.
They were both partially stupeied by the
smoke.
Grasping Mrs. Co rbett around tAe waist
Mr.. Barber lifted her out of the window
and dropped her into mattress which was
stretched beneath. She was unhurt The
baby had crawled away and was crying in
its terror. Mr.. Barber seized the little one,
and dropped it gently and in safety into
the blanket Mr.. Corbett had waited until
his wife and child were safe before moving
to save himself. The intrepid Barber
grabbed him and after struggle. for he IL
heavy man. swung him safely into the
mattress He then, with the grea test cool
ness, sprsng out and was saved himself
The family lost everything they had in the
world.
OTHER BLOCKS IN DANGER.
At.5:30 the Pioneer house fell in, and
only pile Of smoking ashes marked the
spot where it had Stood the Trenton
house was tottering TO its fall. the Weller
house was . furnace of fame. and Mrs.
Richardson's lodginghouse. the last of the
Weller street row. was on fire in the two
upper stories. The heat was so intense
that the windows Of the frame row on the
opposite side of the street ran down in
molten streams, and the wood work, a.
though covered with streams of water,
smoked and ignited in places. When
the European house fell in. at 5:45, the
danger to buildings on this side of the
street was over. etets0n 4 Posts building.
across Commercial street from the
European hotel, was also in great danger.
The building was provided with . stand
pipe running up to the roof aud by this
means salt water was forced from the mill
and three strong streams kept upon the
building until the danger was over, when
the streams were turned to the burning
buildings.
The IRE department now directed its
energies to checking the fire on CONNER
cial street, between the Scandinavian
house. which with the Montana and Euro
pean houses were completely Quilted, and
the Chicago house, which, although on lire
in the upper story, was not too far gone to
be saved. No. Ahrens engine had been
stationed At the foot OF King street and
pumped two strong streams of salt water.
which were directed upon the Chicago
house with such effect that the flames lost
their hold upon it and II was saved. It
was then the work Of but q few moments
TO quench the flames in the ruins Of the
scandinavian house. and the fire was prac-
tically under control at this point.
In the meantime the fire department had
been doing valiant work in the rear OF the
row. being seconded by the Oregon I'm
provement Company's ire brigade, under
j. A. Dean. foreman. and 4 Northern Pa
cific crew, which used q single line of hose
in saving the turntable and roundhouse.
II looked for a time as if the combined
efforts would be unavailing. A dead engine
in the roundhouse was moved by Jack
Cavanaugh TO place of safety, and the
supply house was emptied OF its contents.
Superintendent Nadeau was on the ground
experimenting operations. 1t was not
until 10 minutes To 90 clock that the danger
was past in this quarter. Not a dollars
worth OF the railroad oompany's property
was destroyed. although the tire burned up
to the line of il on each side
HOW THE FIRE STARTED.
II is not definitely settled how the FIRE
was started. but il is supposed that it was
caused by defective tue in the japanese
''Siiver Moon" restaurant. under the Pio-
neer House. The flames first broke out be-
tween the ceiling and the second floor.
Some say lamp was overturned in e room
over the restaurant kitchen. Others claim
that the cook started the fire with kerosene.
HOW THE FIRENEN WORKED.
Nobiy.