Telegram-herald., 1890-11-05
sPokANE FALLS
W. c. Benton Whites 81 the te~n ozo~
Destroyed by ftre-

A1rr@-1a Al4fcc 4&-3@S-~~--
SAN FRANcIsCo. Oct. s5. a little more
than a year ago. newspaper readers wers
apprised that spokane Falls, Wash. had
been swept By disastrous fire. Com
pared with the population and capital
invested in tAe two cities, Slokane's
Ere was as disastrous as the great Chi
cago tire. That IS % say. about every
business house Of any importance was
swept out Of existence BY single dash.
But judging from tho appearance Of
Spokane today the place has vitality
which FIRE cannot burn up Where be
fore ordinary frontier blocks stood, now
immense granite. stone and brick struct-
ures are standing six and seven stories
high.
The streets for months have been
in state Of blockade 10 ordinary traf-
fic because Of the building material
piled FOR miles along the principal thor
oughIares. Pedestrians are forced 10
pick their way between lumber piles
and loaded trucks in the middle Of tho
streets. a conservative estimats Of the
building operations for the first year
after the fire places the sum Of money
put into business buildings at s., ,OO0, 900.
Many buildings seem 10 be larger than
the needs of the young city would JUS
tify. But when was there was told
that the floors above the fifth in most
all the buildings were used as resi-
dences for the heavy bachelor popula-
ton, being fitted up as sleeping apart
ments, ard many families even are
housed over the large palaces Of trade.
Residences have not kept pace with the
influx of people, and canvas tents and
temporary shanties are seen by the hun
dreds.
The greatest danger from the tall
buildings appears to be the inadequacy
of the fire department system to cope
with fires successfully. The water re-
| sources are said to be deficient, and the
pipes are not strong or large enough TO
meet any unusual demand upon them.
The high hills on the outskirts of the
city afford an opportunity for handsome
architectural effects IN residences. Cone
shaped piles of volcanic stone are incor-
porated in house plans, and fireplaces
are chiseled out in the faces of these
needles, and the effect is striking and
unique.
Many stories of fabulous wealth sud-
denly acquired in Spokane Falls are re-
lated. One man went to the place as a
sewing machine agent, and is now rated
as worth several millions realized on
real estate advances. A clergyman who
went TO the frontier post as @ missionary
bought few acres Of land for home,
| and is now worth q million dollars. But
the days for such phenomenal fortunes
so speedily acquired are past, and the
process of gain is now confined to the
ordinary profits of business.
Socially Spokane is surprise. The
tone of the people is indeed as high as
in the most Conservative eastern city of
equal population. After the great fire,
when it was city Of tents, gamblers
and adventurers nocked there from
every quarter like shower of locusts
on Kansas wheatfelds; but their career
was cut short by raid of the better
classes of business men, who arose as ar
army of determination, and literally
swept the town of disreputablo ele-
ments as fire had swept the town Of
buildings. The gamblers places were
raided, their paraphernalia chopped to
pieces, and they were given a reasona-
bic time TO get ont of the town. They
went. standing not ON the order of theil
going.
Spokane is becoming, or now is, the
| greatest railroad center west Of Mlwau
kee and Chicago. Surrounded by a coun
try rich in agricultural, mineral and
timber resources, it is marked as a nat
ursl point Of supply for q large territory
and Will rank high as manufacturing
and iobbing city The falls afford ampl,
water power for running machinery
and the people have the energy and re
sources which are needed to push the
fame Of the town.
-Four prosperous daily papers keep the
people posted, and the merchants appear
to appreciate the use Of printers ink a.
a helper in building up their business.
Some splendidly conducted clubs az
ford 10 young men substitute for tn,
comfortable homes they have left IN tn,
east Schools and churches are abun
dant and well supported.
w. q. BKSIox.