The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-09-29
Destroy Railroad and Other Prop
erty in Portland.
LOSS A MILLION AND A HALF
The Most Disastrous Fire in the History
OF the City-Thre Lives Lost and
Half Mile of Docks on Fire.

1OkILANDt OEss GOepts Co. Inc most
disastrous fire in the history of this city
broke out at 4:30 this afternoon in the
dock of the Pacific Coast Elevator
Company aud ragged for three hours,
destroying property valued at nearly
$1,000, 900. All day long heavy wind
has been blowing, and nine alarms
were turned in. The fire department
was scattered about the city, looking
after small fires, when the alarm from
the elevator was Tung in. The scene
of the fire Is lower Albina, across the
river from the main part of the city,
and it was at least Is minutes before
more than one engine could respond to
the general alarm.
Half a Mile of Docks on Fire.
When the engines arrived the fire
was beyond control, and in half an
hour from the time 1t started the docks
for half mile were on fire. Nothing
could be done but to let the fire burn
itself out. The fire started In the dock
below the Pacific Coast Elevator Com
pany'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 aud soon were a
seething mass of flames. On the east
was the Oregon Railroad d 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 fireboat is an improvised old scow
and of little service. The elevator con-
tanned nearly half million bushels Of
wheat. The new plant of the Portland
General Electric Company, which had
just arrived from Lynn, MBss., was
standing in the yards of the terminal
company on cars, not yet having been
unloaded. The plant occupied an en-
tire train, and the machinery was of
the most expensive kind. The most of
il was destroyed and the remainder
was badly damaged. Two hundred
freight cars, so of which were loaded
with wheat, were destroyed. In the Or
egon Railway d Navigation Company
dock there were hundreds of tons of
freight, consisting Of wool, salmon,
general merchandise and cement, ali
of which was destroyed with the dock.
There was stored on the dock about
IL, 600 cases of salmon from the lower
Columbia river and Puget sound,
awaiting shipment to the east. 1t was
valued at about $50, 900 and was par
TALLY insured.
Every available locomotive at the
Terminal works was set to moving
freight cars out of danger, but the fire
burned so rapidly that all could not be
moved away.
Three Lives Lost
The sparks went across the river and
set on fire the boneyard, 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
burned. She was valued at $45, 600.
Three men are supposed to have per-
ished in the elevator. Charles Ander-
son, man named Brown and one
named Murray were seen at the upper
story window of the elevator, and it is
thought they were all burned.
The Losse.
The losses, as near as can be ascer-
tanned at this time are: North Pa
cific Elevator Company, $500, 600;
Portland General Electric Company,
machinery, $50, 900; coal bunkers of
the North Pacific Terminal Conn
pany, S4O,OOO Oregon Railway and
Navigation Company, one dock, freight
cars and the steamer Willamette Chief,
$3.50, 900; merchandise on the docks,
5000. 000 The insurance carried will
reach more than $500, 900. The Liver
pool and London a. Globe Insurance.
Company has large share of this.