The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-04
FLAMES SPREAD LIKE THE WIND.
On Three Hundred and Twenty Acres
Everything Was Destroyed.
All the Northern Pacific buildings
Burned. Including the Roundhouse.
Where Twenty-Four Engines Were
ost-one-Fifth at the People Lost
Even Their Clothes - Appeals ior
Aid sent out.

SprsSue. Wash. Aug, S.-The entire
business portion OF Sprague is IN ashes
Hundreds are homeless tonight and tho
losses VIII aggregate $l.25e,0oo Tho town
Is almost destitute OF food. and Mayor
SanGerSon has sent messages 10 the lead
tng cities appealing FOR AID The people
are appalled, by their friehtful losses.
and Il VIII he several days before they
viii know whether 10 try 10 rebuild tho
city or not.
AT noon today the fire alarm was sound
ed for a blaze in BTysnts chop and feed
mill, at the corner OF Railroad avenue and
II street. The department responded
promptly. hut the blaze was quickly fam
ned into a roaring furnace. and the fire.
men We're driven back from the scene al
most as soon as they arrived. With light
ning-lke Tapiditv the flames ieaped from
one building to another. and inside OF five
minutes IL was seen that the entire town
was shr54tened As the flames reached
the corner OF q street they forked. one
branch going north Of the railroad track
and consuming on its way the Northern
Pacific grain warehouse, the National ho-
tel and the entire row Of wooden build
ings 10 the corner Of Is street. Here it
turned off 10 the Pacific hotel and
the row Of wooden buildings to the rear
OF f. From there II jumped 10 the old
headquarters and Pofaks < brewery, totally
destroying tt and hts residence. Mean
pidty. consumed tho buildings on Rail-
road avenue. First and Second streets. in
Guiding the Commercial hotel. the Her
bring opera house, the city hall. X. New
man & co. 3 and the Masonic hall. From
here the flames leaped TO tho buildings
west of the ear shops. and in another mtn-
ute they burst into flames.
1t was impossible to do anything to save
the railroad buildings. as tho water pipes
had burst in this part of the city, Five
minutes later terrific explosion occurred
as the oil tanks burst. and the tinahers
and flames rose high in the air. The
FIRE was checked on the west side By the
brick buildings of the First National
bank and Jansen. King & Co. the. oceu-
pants of these buildings placing wet
blankets over the windows and lighting
tho flames desperately.
Mayor Sanderson AZ this time arrived
from Medical Lake and ordered the
building of Ben Ettelson, on the corner
of g and Firat streets. blown up with
dynamite This was done. and the en-
tire row Of business houses on G street
between First and Second was saved.
The flames here took southeasterly di-
rection and destroyed the drug store OF
w. +. Putnam, the Masonic hall. tina
county Jail, the old opera house and the
residences Of II. R. Jones and y. ~
stanton. The flames were stopped here
in westerly direction
yards. completely celebrating in it's
course every residences and business houSe
in that portion of the city. FtilIy 20
acres Of land were burned over. every
building thereon being completely wiped
out. Families rushed hither and thither
with household goods and wearing appar-
el seeking son7e safe place to deposit
them. a few minutes later the safe place
had become a dangerous ono. and they
would grasp what they could. leaving the
rest 10 be destroyed by the devouring
flames.
Fully one-hfth of the 5000 Inhabitants
Of the city lost not only their household
goods but most OF their wearing apparel.
The excitement was terrific. especially at
the time Of the burning of the armory of
Troop A. when tho ammunition WAS dis
charged and bullets were whizzing out
through tho windows, frightening tho
crowd and driving them hack 10 the next
block Although the fire ragged with great
fury and travelled with remarkable We
locity there were very few accidents.
Archie Macintosh. a blacksmith. was
Knocked down by falling timbers, and be-
fore he could "a rescued he was severely
burned about the face. neck and arms.
James Montgomery broke his leg i'm
jumping from cne Of the engines on the
turntahle
The prisoners On the county iaii were
released when the fire was about ono
IN assisting tho nclghhorlng business
houses 20 get their goods 10 place OF
safety. but after the FIRE was under con
troll they disappeared.
Among the first buildings 20 go was
the Northern Pacific railroad station. IA
many of the books and papers as possible
were taken 30 place OF safety and
Operator Young l5st no time IN connecting
the wires in one of the fields east ~
town. where. seated on an iron wheel
barrow. with the telegraph instruments
on n wooden box. he sent and received
messages rapidly as possible.
Engine after engine was run out Of the
roundhouse. only 10 be met by the adj
vancing flames and the driver obliged 10
jump and fee for bis life.
Twenty four locomotives were de esrov-
Cd. only seven being saved. -Four nours
after tho fire started the town presented
a scene Of utter dcsolatlon. few Emoul-
dering ruins alone marked the spot ~
what had been the prosperous city OK
SpraEue.