The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-06
AFTER THE FIRE.

Starting Out to Build Up the City Of
Brick and Stone.
Early on the morning of the 9TH, the cit
liens, to the humber Of 500 or 600, gathered
at the Armory. Mayor Moran presided,
and at once the work of reconstruction
was begun, upon the basis of Strengthened
and widened streets and substantial build
ings. Judge J. p Hoyt promised, on be-
half of the financial institutions he in part
represented, every inducement to build of
brick. Cheers greeted his declaration that
the banks might be depended on to aid
with all their power.
G. Morris Halter, Jacob Furth, Angus
Macintosh, Judge ]. r. Lewis, Governor
Ferry, Judge Rochester, Watson G. Squire,
Chief Justice Hanford and others adj
dressed the meeting, all with the same
purpose in view. A committee was ap-
pointed, w. e. Boone, Thomas Ewing, G.
III. Hanford, G. Morris Halter and j. P.
Hoyt, to prepare replat of the city.
There was such demand for stores that
many people favored the erection of tenn.
porary wooden buildings, but Judge
Rochester said not cent of foreign CAPT.
tai would come in unless they positively
decided against such structures, and Judge
Hanford reminded them that there was
plenty of room outside the fire limits.
"Those people who cannot do business in
tents" he said, lean move outside the fire
limits and wait until there is a fine brick
store for them to move into"
The motion was then put by the chair
man: "All in favor of the erection of
wooden buildings within the fire limits
will stand up" No one stood up, but .
derisive shout shook the rafters. "All OBJ
posed signify 1t by saying ave." "Aye,"
was responded with yell; and although
1t was not in the usual parliamentary form
the intention of the future was declared.
The burned district presented desolate
appearance that day. The smoke from the
ruins of thousand structures still poured
forth in volumes and added to the dreari-
ness. Smoke-blackened ruins, with here
and there a jagged wall or stump of .
chimney, were all that remained. The
northeast wind swept the smoke hither
and thither; and the air was heavy with
the stencil of smouldering goods of every
description.
At every corner leading to the charred
area stood armed sentinels keeping back
all who had no permit. On the block
bounded by Yesler avenue and Washing.
ton street, South Third and South Fourth,
there were only two houses standing. One
was the butcher shop of NJ. S. Bittencourt,
a one-story building, and the residence of
George +. Frye, which escaped destruction
by means of small grove of fruit trees
which intercepted the flames.
On this block, on South Third street,
stood the old city hall, of which nothing
but tottering wall remained. CITY Clerk
Ferris saved nearly all the records. but
smoke was seen to issue from the safe
next morning, and many papers were de-
stroyed. The destruction of block be-
tween jackson and King, all built on
piles, and entirely consumed, led to the
remark that, as churches had not been
spared, saint and sinner suffered alike.
The block between Washington and
Main was about twelve feet below grade,
and it was so thoroughly cleaned ont that
it looked like the crater of a volcano.
The block between Jackson and King,
Second and Third, on which stood the
Washington Iron Works and Columbia
and Puget Sound Machinery Depot. was q
mass of tangled iron. The old Plummer
residence, and the stables of the Seattle
Transfer Company had occupied the block
between jackson and Main, but safe and
the upturned stoneware bottles of the
garden walk were the only indications
left. Between Washington and Main
John Cort's theater and the Puget Sound
laundry had left nothing but a memory.
The same might be said of the Yesler
avenue and Washington block, where the
Lake Union Furniture Company, Royal