Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-08-09
SPRAGUE IN ASHES.
BUSINESS PORTION OF THE TOWN
DESTROYED BY FIRE.
Loss Over a MilliOn-Iuudred of
People Were Rendered Homeless
land DeStitute-A Graphic Ac-
count OF the Disaster.

EOSs ONeF a M1iI1On-htu uudredS O
, People Were Rendered Homeless
land DeStitute-A Graphic Ac'
count OF the Disaster.
A dispatch from the scene of disas
ter dated Saturday states that at moor
on that day fire broke out il
Bryant's chop and feed mill on Rail
road Avenue. The department re-
sponded promptly, but the blaze was
quickly famed into roaring furnace
and the fire boys were driven back
from the scene almost as soon as they
arrived. With lightning rapidity the
flames leaped from one building to
another, and inside of five minutes it
was seen that the entire town was
threatened.
| AS the flames reached the corner
of & street they forked, one branch
going north of the railroad track and
consuming on its way the Northern
Pacific grain warehouse, the National
hotel, and the entire row of wooden
buildings to the corner of Il street.
There il turned off to the Pacific ho-
tel, and the row of wooden buildings
In the rear OF it. From there it
jumped to the old headquarters build
ing, and Porak's brewery, totally de-
stroying the latter and the proprietor's
residence.
Meanwhile, the southern fork, with
equal rapidity, consumed the build
ings on Railroad avenue. First and
Second streets, including the Com
mercial hotel, the Herbring opera
house, the city hall, II. Newman &
Co.'S and the Masonic hail.. From
there the flames leaped to the build
ings west of the car-shops. and in
another minute they burst forth into
flames. 1t was impossible to do any
thing to save the railroad buildings.
for the water pipes had burst in that
part of the city.
Five minutes later u terrific explo-
sion occurred as the oil tanks burst
and the timbers 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 of Jensen, King &
Co., the occupants of these buildings
placing wet blankets over the windows
and fighting the flames desperately.
Mayor Sanderson at this time ar
rived from Medical Lake, and ordered
the building of Ben Ettleson, on the
corner of C and First streets, blown
up with dynamite. This was done,
and the entire row OF business houses
on c street, between First and Second,
was saved.
The flames here took southeastern
ly direction and destroyed the drug
store OF W. P. Putnam, the Masonic
hall, the county Jail, the old opera
house, the residences of X. X. Jones
and E. III. Stanton. The flames were
at this point checked by the blowing
up with dynamite OF the old opera
house and the row of trees in front of
II. w. Bonnes' residence, and
deluge of water.
The fire swept east as far as the
stock-yards, completely obliterating in
its course every residence and business
house i'll that portion of the city.
Fully 320 acres of land were burned
over, every building thereon being
completely wiped out.
The scenes at the fire were inde-
scribable. Families rushed hither and
thither with household goods and
wearing apparel, seeking some place
to deposit them. A few minutes later
the safe place had become dangerous
one, and they would grasp what they
could and leave the rest to be de-
stroyed by the devouring flames.
Fully one-fifth of the 5000 inhabit-
ants OF the city lost not only their
household goods, but most OF their
wearing apparel.
The excitement was terrific, espe-
cially at the time OF the burning of
the armory OF troop A, when the am
munition was discharged and bullets
were whizzing out through the win
dows, frightening the crowd and driv-
ing them back to the next block. AL.
though the fire ragged with great fury
and Travelled with remarkable velocity,
there were very few accidents.
Archie Macintosh, a blacksmith,
was knocked down by falling timbers
and before he could be rescued was Sc
verely burned about the face, neck
and arms. James Montgomery, a
young brother of Foreman Montgom.
cry, broke his leg in jumping from one
OF the engines on the turntable.
Charles Moore, a member of the fire
department, stepped into hole, back
of the roundhouse, and sprained his
ankle so badly that he had to be car
ried away.
The prisoners in the county Jail
were released when the fire was about
one block away, and they did excellent
work in assisting the neighboring
business-houses to take their goods to
place of safety, but after the fire was
under control they disappeared.
Among the first buildings TO 90 was