The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-28
READY FOR BUSINESS AT ONCE.
The Firm Has q Building and Stock
Loss and Insurance..


The fire will not phase the firm Of Schwa-
bacher Bros, for it is as firm as rock
financially and has such an enormous
business and SO many friends that
its chief loss will be the annoy
ance of delay in filling orders.
While yet the flames were pouring from
the windows of their building, Vice-Presi-
dent E. c. Neutelder and James Gold
smith and Sigmund Aronson, of the COM
pany, with a big clerical force. were at
work in rooms in the Seattle National
Bank building ordering a new stock by
wire.
The firm owns the Estate" building at
the corner of Main and South Second
streets. 1t is 100 feet square and was built
for wholesale business. AT present it has
but one tenant. the Knapp BurrilI Com
pany, leaving 4 space of 60xl11 feet on the
ground floor, and there are four floors and
basement. The firm will be in this build
ing with a stock of goods in less than a
week. 1t already has a large stock of
staples AT its wharf and warehouse a
steamer load is on the way and other
goods will be here as soon as they can be
shipped from San Francisco.
The building was valued at $120, 900 and
the stock at 1926, 900. and it seems to be a
total loss. 1t is fully covered by insur-
ance, which is placed in various compa-
MES through the agency of Balfour,
Guthrie & Co., of San Francisco. 1t was
impossible TO learn the details of the in
surance last night
Vice-President Neufelder, of the COM
pany, when seen by Observation-Disclosures
reporter, said:
The first intimation we had of anything
wrong was when we heard sounds in the base
ment as ii some heavy bodies had fallen We
went into the store and saw Dense black
smoke pouring up through the elevator shaft in
the grocery department We at once turned on
the hose appliances each floor to attempt to
Hood the building. BY this time the
volume OF smoke had increased to such an
extent that ii was impossible for any
one to get down into the basement.
We Immediately started to close the
vaults, and had several kegs of powder that
stood in the front of the hardware department,
placed on dray and removed to place of
safety. By this time the fire department was on
hand, and started to flood the cellars We
saved all the books and papers pertaining to the
business. We telegraphed to san Francisco to-
night for ship load of hardware and groceries.
and it will be hurried through with
all possible dispatch. We have also a consider
able amount of goods now en- route by rail and
water. This is the third big loss that Schwa-
bacher Bros. Il Co. has had by fire. In Nav,
1854. two warehouses were destroyed. on June
e. 1882 that great ire made n Clean sweep, and
now we are burned ont third time
The burned building will be rebuilt at once.
although we shall probably rot occupv if. es
the quarters were becoming too cramped fo-
our business.
Although Balfour, Guthrie & Co. carry
all the insurance for the firm. great
deal of it was written for them
by local underwriters. Burns & At
klLson have about 10000 in
large number of companies; Calhoun Il
Berrill, $4,000; the Gazzam Agency. S1O.-
coo; Clark & Schroeder, 5000; the Wash
ington Territory Investment COMPANY.
about $4,000, and other sums in several
agencies. 1t will be several days before
the insurance can he Strengthened out.