The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-12
heath AND POVERTY.
Twin Misfortunes the Result of
. Midnight Fire.
rwo FAMILIES IN DIRE NEED.
- II the Elliott House Cost Two Lives
s,d Much Property-Aid for the
Homeless Families.

fadre street, and three adjoining dwellings.
"a Of which an account vas publishei in the
seeond edition of yesterdays PosT-INTELLIoEN-
IN vas peculiarly disastrous, for 1t cost two
voune lives and deprived three families not only
a their homes but of almost everything they
poeeessed.
rhe Elliott block was owned by franklin
Eliot, who 10 now in Texas. 1t was q long,
tvo-ssory frame building, extending along the
north side of Lake street and across a gully. 1t
vss divided into cheap lodging rooms, and was
nnly PARTLY occupied. Mrs Elliot and her son
Ralph n. Elliott lived in the McClaire street end
Of the building, Charles Goodale. his wife and
daughter Cora towards the other end, and Mil.
tan Tanner, his wife and four children on the
second aoor at tho east end. Mrs Elliott and
her son had been out visiting until after mid
night aud did not reach home till nearly
10 clock, when they went to bed.
About o'clock the occupants OF the building
vere aroused by the cracking OF flames and
made rush to escape. Ralph Elliott had only
time to put on pair of trousers in addition to
his shirt. and in their bare feet he and his
mother ied. Mrs. Elliott said yesterday:
do not know why, but something caused me
% awaken last night. and as I heard cracking
sound arose and opened the door, No sooner
vas this done than discovered that there was
and aroused him and together we got out Of
: the house. Remembering, however. that there
(. were other people in the house, rushed back to
give the alarm to them, and when came ont
were on fre and my feet
were severely burned. have no
theory q to how the FIRE originated, except that
there are number OF boys who play about In
the hollow over which the house was built and
they ofientimes build fires I'm dangerous prox.
Unity to the house. had to threaten them with
stop setting FIRE to the bushes close TO the house
spark may have been left from one of these
fires that did not fully break out until the hour
Of the fire.
Milton Tanner was no sooner awakened to
the danger than he fastened to carry out his
sleeping children. He got two of them, valmy
and Ralph, out safely. but while he was cross.
ing the hall to the room where the two boys,
Earle and Vernon, were sleeping, the flames
were upon him, and he had to fly to save his
own life. leaving the boys TO die. Mrs. Tanner
was slightly burned about the wrist
Charles Goodale told the following story Of
the fire and OF his famIly's escape:
Ny wife and slept in q room In the second
story on the north side OF the building, while
my daughter Cora occupied room on the oppo.
site side Of the hall. have no idea how was
out of bed and after her as quickly as possible
We could hear the flames cracking, and the
heat did not give rs much time to
s e. ss opna end the
and knew It would be impossible to escape by
the stairs. / then threw up the window, and
We jumped. Luckily neither OF us was hurt,
and after assisting my wife upon the platform
ct the side of the house, I ran around to the
other side where Elliott was. He had ladder,
and we put Il up to the window Of my dauph-
teris room. ! went In AID rescued he:. We
thought of the Tanner children, who slept in
room on the first floor about the middle OF the
north side and rushed to that place. The build.
was impossible to do anything. Tho building
burned rapidly and was soon nothing but en-
bers. The fact that the Tanner boys were miss.
made it almost certain they had perished.
the bods. :'n'a Would tx place 5:
sn6ers and il short time shs s.m. ON en,ers ss
the ruins and discovered the shapsless masses
that were all that remained OF the boys bodice
they were in bed and did not awake IN time 10
attempt an escape. I was also burned on the
neck. have no idea As to the origin Of the ira
spread along its whole length. when got up
from the ground after jumping from the window
! noticed that the flames seemed hottest
de ground opson TIN
IRE started In the room occupied BY the
children who were burned.
From the Elliott block the flames spread 70
the house fronting on McClaire street occupied
BY B. Lynch and owned by r. &. Klieber and to
the one adjoining, which was both owned and
occupied by Kiisber. Lynch's house was totally
destroyed with all IL contained, and Klieber's
was reduced to a mere ehelL Then the flames
attacked and devoured small residence behind
the Elliott block, owned BY William Able, but
unoccupied.
The flames were seen by Q policeman at
Eleven and Yesler avenue soon after they
broke out, and after waiting to see whether the
hrs engines were not already on the way, he
turned In an alarm from box 81 at that corner.
But the buildings were dry a. finder and the
Elliott block was past saving before the FIRE de-
partment arrived. The other houses mentioned
were also doomed, and all that could be done
was to prevent the fire from spreading further.
The losses and insurance are as follows: