The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-28
WALLACE is BURNED.
Chief Mining Camp Of CGur
d'Alene Utterly Gone.
THE LOSS HALF 4 MILLION.
Fire Leaves Ashes in the Canyon
Where the Town Stood.
Fifteen Hundred People Left without
Shelter Impossible to Obtain Par
ticuIars-Five Persons Killed by =
Train-The Lawrence Cyclone.

SPOKANE Falls, July 27-News has just
been received here that the town of Wal
lace, Idaho, the great mining camp of
Cwur d'Alene, has been completely de-
stroyed b. fire. At o'clock this even
ing the Union Pacific train dispatcher at
Tckoa, WASH, received word from the
Western Union operator at Wallace that
the town was doomed. and that his Office,
which was in the Union Pacific depot, at
the lower end of the town, was becoming
too hot to work in longer, and he would be
compelled TO remove his instruments to q
cooler place at once.
The fire started at what was Shorty
sDenver's saloon, resort in the upper end
OF the town, and as the Union Pacific
depot is at the other extremity it is sup
posed that the entire town was swept
away. This conjecture isconfirmed by the
report at this hour 70 p. m.) at Tekoa. that
nothing further had been heard by the
Tekoa dispatcher from the Wallace
operator.
10p. NIT is now learned definitely.
through an official of the Union Pacific,
that the entire town is gone, with the ex-
ception of the two railroad depots. The
wires are all down and further particulars
are unobtainable.
The loss is thought by Spokane business
men who are interested in the town to be
half million, If not more.
The town of Wallace was situated 110
miles southeast of Spokane Falls, in deep
canyon il. spur of the Rockies. and was
one OF the most fourishing mining camps
in the United States. No less than dozen
hourishing mine are directly tributary,
among them being the famous Morning
and Evening mines.
At 1918 p. m. a special from Tekoa to
the ReUiew was received as follows:
Through the operator at Wardner it has
been ascertained that the fire started in the
Central hotel and burned north and east
over the entire business part of the town.
1t was also rumored that the Union and
Northern Pacific depots, with cars on
side-tracks. were burned. This cannot be
confirmed tonight.
The following leading houses have
burned: Holly, Mason, Marks 4 Co. the
postoffice building, the Heller house,
White & Bender. general store; McElroy
& Vedder, McNab & Nivers, the telephone
exchange of Wallace. Joseph Carlson, J..
G. McCurdy Carter house, Club theater
and score OF saloons. restaurants, Offices,
etc.
Later.-A private dispatch just received
says: The flourishing town of Wallace is
entirely destroyed, and 1,500 people are
homeless.
II p. ma private dispatch to the editor
of the Review, just received, says that every
business house was burned. with no excep-
ton.
Wallace is the center of one of the richest
mining districts in the West, producing
nearly half the lead supply of the United
States. besides millions of dollars worth of
gold and silver. 1t has a population of
about 600 and is reached by both Union
Pacific and Northern Pacific branches. 1t
is lighted by electricity, has water-works
and is the largest town in the district. 1t
was built on q fat at the junction of the
south fork of the C@ur d'Alene river and
Canyon creek. The fire burned north and
east over the entire business part of the
town.