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

from this engine 70 the rear u the build
ing On Weller street
Aeauu lille the Oregon Improvement
C0mpany's engine. on south Third. was
pat in service, and hose Vas stretched from
II through the machine shops and round
house 20 the South second street side
With these different streams playing On
the ere il vas held hack and slowly gave
way.
Hook and ladder No was early dis
patched to the West street houSe. and
brought Ahrens engine No. TO the foot OF
Jackson street, where il was backed down
on TO the brick slip, bat was not used, the
ire being well in hand by this time.
In making this second run one Of the
horses Of the hook and ladder team fell on
Commercial street and narrowly escaped
serious injury. the momentum OF the
heavy engine pcshing the animal along At
least fifty feet.
On the Ssetson- Post building. on the
northeast corner Of Commercial and Wei
Ter streets. were stand pipes. which were
worked from the Stets0n-P Post mill. These
undoubtedly saved this building.
The fire Was at its height about Sis
O'Clock. when, 70 MI appearances, the en-
tire block Was doomed.
The flames and intense heat forced the
fremen hack on Weller street, and the
buildings on tie south side began smok-
ing.
Five minutes brisk and hard work turned
the flames back, and the smoking fronts
on the south side were out of immediate
danger.
With two streams playing on the Com
merciai street front. the flames were here
checked. The Weller street front was now
surely confined to its original limits and
then began the fight to force back the fire
from the rear. The streams from the hy-
drants and the O. P. Company's engine
had checked great portion OF tho north
eastern corner Of the confiagration.
Hare came the real fight, Is in the rear
OF the buildings was q seething sea of
flames. A concentration of forces drove
back the flames and in ten minutes vol
umes OF white smoke rolling from the CEN
trail portion Of the ERE showed that the Gre
was practically extinguished. Nothing
more remained but to drown out the half
smothered flames. which was soon done,
and ct quarter to o'clock orders CON-
menced to be given TO shut off the water.
The old engine No. I was the only piece
engine was in the repair shops.
Old engine No. had Just been repaired
on Wednesday, but the strain of lifting
water twenty feet from the harbor was
too great for the pumps, and she was
was taken later to the machine shops for
repairs.
Ahrens engine No. 2, working on the
wharf, lifted the water through her suction
twenty feet and kept q steady stream
playing throughout the fire.
A number Of laborers engaged in looting
saloon were severely handled by having
the hess turned on them.
The firemen were hitched and ready for
the run when the alarm came in, having
heard the locomotive whistle blowing.
The first alarm was sent in from box "a,
ct Twelfth and Lane streets. While this
alarm was coming in. the telephone opera
tor sent in message that the fire was at
the Stetson-Post block. This message
came just in time, rs the apparatus would
have gone up Main street to the hill to get
70 Twelfth and Lane streets. Alarms then
came in rapid succession from boxes IS.
Fifth and Jackson, and IS, King and Com
mercial streets.
The fremen were greatly handicapped
on Weller and Commercial streets on &C
count Of the planks in the center of the
street being torn up.
A fireboat could have been used to great
advantage during the fire.
Manager Shepherd, Of the Spring Hill
waterworks. who was present at the first.
asserted that there was at least 100 pounds
pressure on the plugs. Be this as it may,
the water at times barely left the service
pipe noxzles. and the firemen found them
selves baked several times when they prac-
tically had the fire under control by the
water supply failing them.