The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-10
A FIERY VISITATION.
The Business Center of Sidney
Is Destroyed.
THE FLAMES HAD FREE PLAY
Starting In . Closed Store. They sweep
Away Ntneseen Baaiaings-Pre-
pairing 10 Rebald.

The business portion of Sidney, county
seat of Kitsap counsy.is heap OF smould-
ering ruins Fire broke ont in the grocery
story Of T. ]. Sweany shortly after CLOCK
yesterday morning and ragged with unrs-
strained fury for more than three hours.
IL ceased only when there were no more
buildings 10 prey upon. and caused DAM
ages that amount 10 nearly So. co
The IRE was discovered hy G. T. Martin,
who was visiting q sick friend. At 1
o'clock he heard o noise that sounded to
him like the pattersng of rain. He looked
out OF window aud saw flames bursting
from the back addition 10 Sweany's store,
next to the Fandlay house. on Bay street.
Martin ran TO arouse the occupants Of
the hotel, but before be had gone half
block the entire back part of the grocery
store was a mass of flames and volume of
dense smoke was pouring from an open
window in the upper story. In short
time the alarm had spread over the entire
town.
Sidney has no Ere department and the
only way 10 fight the flames was with
buckets. All efforts in this direction were
nc once seen TO be Intellectual, and the
citizens left the tiaFaes TO their ravages and
There was but . slight wind blowing
and the flames spread in both directions,
communicating on one side to the Findlay
house. a three-story frame structure. rum
ming from street to street, and on the other
side to one-story vacant huilding owned
by c. s. Preston, Of Seattle. Within thirty
minutes Of the discovery of the fire the
flames had crossed the street TO Corbett's
drug store, In the middle Of the block, and
from this nav starting point ranged both
ways.
BY this time additional efforts were being
made TO stay the progress of the flames.
The bucket brigades, directed by w. Il.
Howe. Walter NJ. Wheeler, William SUIT
ton. G. r. Martin, George Z. Miller and ID.
]. Davis, commenced vigorous light, one
party at the corner of Sidney and Bay
streets. to keep the fire back from the
store of G. E. Miller & Co. and the law
Office of ]. b. Yakey, and another party in
front OF the NJ. Z. church, facing Prospect
street and Immediately opposite the Find
lay house. Blankets soaked with water
were hung over the buildings and water
was rapidly passed 20 men stationed on the
roofs. The hight In both places was sue
cessful although the church was badly
scorched. The store was provided on the
roof with barrels of water, and TO these is
probably due the arresting of the confia-
grafton. Had the FIRE not been stopped at
this point it would undoubtedly have COM
municated through intervening buildings
10 WheeIer's sawmiil and destroyed every
business house in that part of the town.
During the fight in front of his store Mr..
Miller was overcome by heat and excite
ment A bucket of water was dashed over
him and he was brought to in little
while. He was the only person injured by
the fire.
By o'clock the flames hal consumed
all the buildings within reach, numbering
nineteen, fourteen on the south side of
Bay street and five on the north side.
There was nothing except ruins in what
was before the heart of Sidney.
The losses foot up So. $50. with insurance
of 1888. principally in the Royal and the
Hamburg Magdeburg. of Hamburg. They
are as follows: