The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-17
KENDRICK IN ASHES.
Fire Breaks Out and DevOurS
Whatever It PleaseS.
BURIAL OF THE HARRIS VICTIMS.
British Columbia INdians Establish .
Shotgun Quarantine Against Victoria
The Weather and Crops.

Moscow, Idaho, Aug. 16.-lSpecial.E
Kendrick, Idaho, is in ashes. Out OF
the thirty-ive business houses, residences
etc, which comprised the four principal
blocks of that thriving little town, only
four remain standing. Business is
paralyzed. and the town has
suffered loss from which 1t
will take months to recover. No lives
were lost. nor was there any one seriously
injured. Kendrick is town OF about
1000 inhabitants, situated in canyon az
O considerable distance from Moscow. The
business portion Of the town consisted
of four blocks lying between the rail-
road and the hillside and extending along
the canyon, forming a rectangle four
squares long by one square wide. There
are residences on either end of this
portion of the city for quite
distance in both directions. Unfortunately
for the property-owners, no fire service
had been perfected there, and once fire
started, unless 1t was soon checked, 1T
meant the destruction of the building in
which it originated, for the primitive
methods employed to extinguish a blaze
could not cope with any large fire. Shortly
before o'clock this morning Captain ]. NJ.
Walker and w. z. Nichols saw flames
issuing from the second-story windows Of
the building in which are located the
Advocate and Frost's law Office. Their
cries soon aroused people and those who
answered the alarm saw at once that If the
block in which the fire started was to
be saved prompt work must be performed.
By the time the bucket brigade had got to
work the flames had spread to three other
buildings on that side of the street, and
were rapidly eating through the houses in
both directions. When the roof of the Frost
office fell III shower of sparks assembled
and these were driven by the wind all
over the adjoining blocks. The streets
are narrow and the intense heat of the fire
on one side ignited the stores and resi-
dences on the other. Soon the town
was on fire in dozen places and
seeing that terrible conflagration
could not be averted, the merchants left
oil fighting the flames and began trying to
save their goods. Half an hour after the
fire was first discovered two blocks were
in ruins and two othere were
burning. To prevent the spread of
the flames several buildings were
pulled down, and in this manner the
four buildings which remained uninjured
Were saved, but this course was not re-
sorted to soon enough TO prevent the de-
struction ofthe thirty-one buildings which
were situated in the very heart of the
town. 1t was only by the greatest efforts
that the residences farther down the cam
yon were saved, as the sparks driven by
the wind ignitcd number Of houses In
that part of the town.
The cause of the fire is mystery and
the people of Kendrick are almost unani-
NOUS in the belief that it was the work of
fire-bug. Every effort will be made to
learn the cause Of the blaze, and already
the business men who lost heavily have
begun quiet investigation which they be-
lieve will result In the discovery of the
guilty persons. There are certain suspi-
cious circumstances in connection with
the fire which the people do not like, and
in their present humor the discovery of
the identity Of the frebug would mean q
lynching.
In spite of the damaging blow to bust
ness which the fire will prove to the mer-
chants Of the town they will rebuild at
once; in fact, some of them have already
began cleaning away the debris Of their
ruined houses with view to erecting
thereon more substantial structures. The
losses and insurance are as follows: