The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-02
The Okanogan Mining Town
Almost Totally Burned.
LOSS ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND.
The Wind Blew q Gale, and the Peo-
pie Did Not Fight the Fire.
The Town Hall and Two Other Build
ings at Cosmoposis Burned - Van
couver Iron Works Destroyed by
Fire-Bothel Farmers Barn Burned.

SPOKANE, Sept. 1-TSpecial Word has
just reached here that Conconnully, the
county seat of Okanogan county, was
burned 10 the ground between the hours
of ! and O'Clock Tuesday morning.
Nothing remains Of the town proper save
the schoolhouse, the courthouse and q
drug store. Persons who saw the fire
state that ii had its own way unstayed
from the first. Mrs. ]. r. Sumner, who
arrived here tonight direct from the scene
of the disaster, gives the following account
of the fire:
The fire started at / o'clock in a new store
building recently erected by r. Hunter & Co.,
who intended to occupy IL with a stock of gen
eral merchandise. The inside work was not
completed, and painters had been working
there until midnight. when they left The first
iutimation people had of the danger was when
flames broke out all over the building as {
seemed. The entire tovn was illuminated.
The building was o; wood, and burned rapidly.
In a short time the entire population was on the
street Within five minutes after the flames
first broke out in the Hunter building dozen
other houses were burning.
The wind blew perfect gale and carried
blazing pieces of wood several hundred yards
The people stood awestrickan and utterly help
less in their calamity, and nothing
could be done to CHECK the progress of
the fire, which soou extended over the
entire town. 1 don't think there were twenty
buckets OF water used against the fire. The
people realized that in that wind and with that
mass of flames sweeping over the town it would
have been useless to attempt to stay the FIRE
with the means at hand Entire Main street
was swept away in less than an hour, with the
exception of a drug store belonging to A. 7. Nc
Caskey, which is located JUST across the
Nsa
two hours the entire town a desoate
stretch of smoldering ashes and smoking ruins
with the exception of the sehoohouse and
courthouse, which stood somewhat apart from
the other buildings, and they are ali that is ieft
of Conconully. Among the buildings burned
were four sa oons, three hotels, one restaurant,
two general merchandise stores, one hardware
store one butcher shop, one blacksmith shop,
the Okaaogan Outlook printing Office. SIX resi-
dences aud two vacant store buildings About
$500 worthof dry goods was saved out of Que of
the stores.
The following named firms were among the
principal losers: Moore Esh & Co., bankers
and general merchandise: E. NJ Wye. meat
market: Collins, saloon; C. il. Ballard, civil
engineer; Judge Barney. law office; L. S. Bald
win, Jaw office; Fatty Bsrnhardt saloon. In
dividual losses are not known, but it is est-
mated that the total losses VIII reach $i00, 900,
and the insurance is no. over d per cent OF that
amount The town will be rebuilt at once.
The sum CT 500 was RAISED at Ruby the next
morning for the relief OF sufferers
On Wednesday morning at 4 O'Clock, as
the stage passed point one mile east of
Loomiston, Okanogan county, the pas
sengers saw sawmill burning. together
with considerable quantity of lumber,
and it was totally destroyed. Its value is
not known.
lConconuly. the county seat of Okanogal
county, has population OF 500. 1t is situated
a; the forks OF the Conconully river, sixteen
miles west of the Okanogan. II was the first
mining town in the district. and was formerly
known as Salmon City. Mineral hill. on which
are situated some of the best mines in the
Northwest, rises at one siCe Of .he toHn.l