The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-17
FIRE SWEEPS A CITY
Twenty-Five Blocks in Muske-
gon, Mich, Lie in Ruins.
THE LOSS HALF A MILLION.
Three Hundred Dwellings Gone, and
Many Business B1ocks-Hundreds
of People Made Destitute.

MUsEEGoN, Mich, May Is. - Twenty-Five
squares OF business buildings and dwellings
were swept away tonight by the most disGs-
trous fire Muskegon has ever seen. The fire
started at $50 at the Launkoweu hotel barns,
just off Pine street, and, aided by a strong wind,
swept with lightning rapidity to the blocks up
Pine street, one of the chief business streets.
Then, by a sudden shift of the wind,
the flames were driven toward Terrace avenue,
one OF the finest resident streets in the city,
where they were swept unchecked until the
southern portion OF the city was reached, where
the buildings were not so close. There the fire.
men, aided by engines and men from Grand
Rapids, succeeded in getting the flames under
control. although at a late hour some buildings
are still burning ficrcely.
The Pine street business houses for ten blocks
are entirely wiped out Among the more
valuable blocks were: The Pine street house,
Phiiaboruni block, Eckerman's drug store,
Matthew Wilson's residence, Sedgwick's hotel
and store McMichaeps shoe store, and the
Launkowell hotel
No less than $50 residences, including some of
the finest in the city, are in ashes. The 100000
courthouse was Quilted, but the public docu-
ments were saved The prisoners in the county
JAIL which occupied the basement of the court
house, were liberated. Several cows and hor ses
were burned, and child sleeping in the Laun.
HOWELL hotel is missing.
A conservative estimate of the total loss Is
over $4,000.
Hundreds OF families who were rendered
homeless are being cared for by people in the
part OF the city which escaped the fire. The
scenes on the streets tonight are terrible
Homeless people are running frantcally about
trying to save some little portion of their
most valuable effects, which had been dragged
from houses, but in most cases tho spread OF the
flames was SO rapid that, as in the case of the
Chicago fire, little or nothing could be carried
away. Above the cries OF women and children
and the shouting OF men could be heard the ex-
plosion of dynamite used by fire.
men to blow up buildings in the hope
OF staying the flames, and again the heavy
concussion of boiler in some usiness build
ing would explode, throwing the debris in all
directions. The firemen iabored under diff
Guilty from the start A gale which was blowing
scattered huge blazing brands far beyond where
the men were working, causing new fires to
spring up.
Among the sad incidents was the death of
was i'll with pneumonia, and when the flames
approached the house, had to be moved. The
shock was too great, and he died while being re-
moved to a place OF safety.
Tonight women and children of the poorer
classes wander homelessly along the streets,
moaning and weeping over their losses. If the
city authorities do not Immediately interpose
and make some arrangements to house these
homeless people extreme suffering will GER
tainly follow.
The first residence in the vicinity that fell
victim to the fire was that commonly called the