The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-24

Portland, Or, Sept. 23.-The most dis
astrous fire in the history of this city
broke out at 4:3O this afternoon, in the
dock of the Pacific Coast Elevator COM
pany, and ragged for three hours, destroy
ing property valued at nearly 81, 100000.
All day long a heavy wind has been
blowing and nine alarms were 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
Lower Albina, across the river from the
main part of the city, and it was at
least fifteen minutes before more 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 a mile were on fire. Nothing could
be done but let the fire burn 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,
making a beautiful sight in the twilight
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 Railway &, Navigation company
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 fire boat is an i'm
proviSed old scow and of very little ser
vice.
The elevator contained nearly a half
million bushels of wheat. The new plant
pany. which had just arrived from Lynn,
Mass, was standing In the yards of the
Terminal company on the cars, not yet
having been unloaded. The plant occu-
was of the most expensive kind The
most of it was destroyed and the re-
mainder badly damaged. Two hundred
freight cars, eighty of which were loaded
with wheat, were destroyed.
On the Oregon Railway & Navigation
company's dock, there were 100 tons of
freight, consisting of wool, salmon, gen
eral merchandise and cement, all OF
which was destroyed with the dock.
There were stored on the dock about
1900 cases of salmon from the lower
Columbia river and Puget sound awaiting
shipment to the east. 1t was valued at
about $4,000 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 bone yard, but the
fire was extinguished before any serious
damage to the yard was done.
The large steamboat Willamette Chief
moored at the yard, took fire and was
burned. She was used as tow boat and
was valued at about $4,000.
Three men are supposed to have perish
ed in the elevator. Charles Anderson, a
man named Brown and one named Muir
ray. were seen at the upper story window
of the elevator and it is thought they
were all burned.
The losses as near as can be ascertain
ed at this time are follows:
North Pacific Elevator company, $5Gl,-
600: Portland General Electric company,
machinery, $4,000; coal bunkers of the
North Pacific Terminal company, $4,000;
Oregon Railway & Navigation company,
one dock freight cars and steamer Will
lamette Chief, S250,0CO; merchandise in
docks, $4,000
The insurance carried will reach more
than $780, 900. The Liverpool and London
and Globe Insurance company has large
share of this.
When the fire broke out the British
ships Maxwell and Zinita were at the
elevator and the steamship Willamette
was loading wheat at the oregon Nav
igation and railroad dock. All
were cut loose and drifted into the
stream. All three vessels were some
what scorched. but were not seriously
damaged. A wood scow caught fire
and drifted down the river to Swan
island. where it was beached.