The morning call., 1894-09-24
UP IN SMOKE.
Fire Destroys Part of
Portland.
ELEVATORS in ASHES.
Wind Famed the Flames
to Fury
AND SCATTERED CINDERS.
Three Men Supposed to Have
PeriShed.
AND SCATTERED CINDERs.
SHIPS AND STEAMERS BURNED.
AS Near as Can Be Estimated the
Loss VIII Reach About Two
Millions.

PORTLAND. Or, Sept. 23-The most
disastrous fire 10 the history of this city
broke out at 4:30 o'clock this afternoon in
the dock of the Pacific Coast Elevator
Company and ragged for three hours, de-
strOying property valued at nearly $780,
OOO
All day long heavy wind has been
blowing and nine alarms have been turned
in. The fire department was scattered
about the city, looking after the small
fires, when the alarm from the elevator
was rung in. The scene of the fire was
in lower Albina, across the river from the
main part of the city, and it was at least
fifteen minutes before mora than one
engine could respond TO the general alarm.
When the engines arrived the fire was
beyond control and in half an hour from
the time the fire started the docks for half
mile were in flames. Nothing could be
done but to let the fire burn itself out.
The fire started in the dock below the
Pacific Coast Elevator Company's main
building and the wind soon drove the
flames to the elevator itself. The flames
shot into the air 200 feet.
The cOal-bunkers of the North Pacific
Terminal Company on the west were next
attacked and soon was a seething mass of
flames. On the east was the Oregon Rail-
way and Navigation Company's wharf.
400 feet in length, and this, too, was soon
on fire. There was no means of getting
water on the fire except from the river,
and the fJeboat is an improvlsed old scow
and of very little service. The elevator
contained nearly a half million bushels o
wheat.
The new plant of the Portland General
Electric Company, which had just arrived
from Lynn, Mass, was standing in the
yards of the Terminal Company on the
cars, not having yet been unloaded The
plant occupied an entire train. and the ma
chinery was of the most expensive kind.
Most of it was destroyed, and the re-
mainder badly damaged.
Two hundred freightcars, eighty of
which were loaded with wheat, were de-
stroyed..
In the Oregon Railway and Navigation
Company's dock there were 1900 tons of
freight consisting of wool, salmon, general
merchandise and cement, all of which was
destroyed with the dock.
There were stored on the dock about
900 cases of salmon from the Lower
Columbia River and Puget Sound awaiting
shipment. to the East. 1t was valued at
about $40, 200, and was partially insured.
Every available locomotive at the Ter
minal works was set TO moving freight
cars out of danger, but the fire burned SO
rapidly that all could not be moved away.
Sparks from the fire went across the river
and set on fire the boneyard, but the fire
was extingutshed before any serious dam
age to The yard was done.
The large steamboat Willamette Chief.
m bored at the yard, took fire and was
burned. She was used as towboat and
was valued at about S45, 900.
Three men are supposed to have per-
ished in the elevator. Charles Anderson.
a man Damed Brown aud one named MUIR
ray, were seen at an upper-story window
of the elevator and it is thought they were
all burned to death.
When the fire broke out the British sbips
Maxwell and Zinita were at the elevator
aud the steamship Willamette was loading
wheat at the Oregon Railway and Nayi-
CATION dock. All were cut loose and drifted
into the stream. The three vessels were
somewhat scorched. but not seriously dam
aged. A wood scow caught fire and drifted
down the river to Swan Island, where It
was beached.
The losses. as near as can be ascer-
talned at this time. are as follows: North
Pacific Elevator Company, $780, 600; Port
land Electric Company, machinery, $50
600; coal-bunkers of the North Pacific
Terminal Company, $40.0 900; Oregon Rail-
way and Navigation Company, on dock,
freigbtcars and steamer Willamette Chief.
S250,00o merchandise in docks, 5000, 900.
The insurance carried will reach more
than S500,000. The Liverpool and London
and Globe Insurance Company has large
share of this.
The burning of the Pacifi Coast Elevator
will seriously Interfere with wheat ship
ments from this point. The company's
property is we'll insured, though at this
time it is impossible to ascertain the exact
amount Another elevator will be con-
siructed Immediately, but at this season OF
the year the loss of the elevator will
greatly retard shipments.