The Helena independent., 1894-09-24
A MILLION AND A HALF
Broke Out ON the Dock OF the
Pacific Coast Elevator
Company.
Docks, wharvss, Steamers, Cars. Coal ana
Freight We're the Chief Items
OF the Losses.

PORTLAND. Ore, Sept %. The most dlaaa.
tTous nro In The history Of th!s ol,Y broke on,
a.A;sO this afternoon in the dock OF the Pa
cihc Coast Elevator company and rSRed
for three hours. destroying property valued
AZ nearly si,600.0O0. All dsv long a heavy
Wind had been blowing and nine alarms
vero turned in. The fire department was
scattered about the city, looking after
small 0lss whom an alarm from Aha sls-
vator was runR In. The sosns OF the nrs is
Lower Aibina. across the river from the
main portion OF the city. and u was al
least hftsen minutes before moro than one
engine could Iespond 10 the general alarm.
When tho enRinss arrived tho IRE Was be-
yond control, and in half an houf from tho
time the Are started the docks for half a
mile were on fire. Nothing could be done
but to 10, The nre burn itsslf out The FIRE
started in the dock below tho Pacific Coast
Elevator eompany's main building. and
the wind soon drove the flames 30 the
elevator Itself. The flames shot into the
air 200 feet The coal bunksrs OF the
North Pacific Terminal company we're next
attacked. and coon were a sasthing mass OF
flames.
On the east was the Oregon Railway a
Navigation company's wharf, 400 feet long.
and this too was soon on ne. There WAS no
mems OF getting water on the fire except
from the river. and the fre-boat IL an i'm
provised old one and Of very little service,
The elevator contained nearly half a mil.
lion bushels OF wheat The new plant of
the Portland General Electric company,
which had Just arrived from LYNN, Mass.,
was standing In the yards OF tho termin |
company on the cara. NOT yet having been
unlotded. The plant occupied an entire
train and the m achinety was Of the most
expeneivs kind. The most Of IL was do
slroved and The remainder badly damaged.
Two hundred fieieht cars. eighty of
which we're loaded with wheat we're de-
stroTed. In the Oregon Hallway a. Navi.
Of tons Of freight. consisting Of wool. sal
mon ana general merchandise. all Of which
vas destroyed with the dock. There was
seotsd on the dock about 120n0 cases OF
salmon from tho lower Columbia river aud
Puget Sound awaiting shipmsut 10 the east.
ID tas valued at about $4,000. and was
parish ly insured
Every available locomotive al the ter
miual vorks was set TO work moving freight
| tfhtnh out ot uhnRet OUT tue ufe oufnod so
rapidly that all could NOT be moved Away
Sparks wont across the river and set on q 9
n boneysrd. but the nrs was ertinRuished
before any serious damage TO th. rnri was
done. The large steamboat Willametts
| Chief. moored ~ the eysrd. took ERE nad was
burned. She was valued al about $t5. 600.
Three men afs supposed TO have psrished la
the elevator. Charles Anderson, a man
named Brown and one named Murray we're
seen al the upper story window OF the ele-
vator. and II 10 thouQht they were all
burned.
The losses. as near a. can be ascertainod d
at this time are; North Pacific Elevator
company. $500. 900; Portland General
Electric company. machinery, $4,000;
coal bunkefs OF the North Pacific Tsi minal
COMPANY. $4,000; Oregon Railroad a
Navigation company, on dock. cars and
steamer. $3.50 900; merchandise on docks.
500, 0O0;. The Insurance. carried will not
reach moro than s50u000. The Liverpool
a London a Globe Insurance company has
largo share OF this.