Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-08-09
A Once FIourishing Town Nearly
Destroyed.
MANY PEOPLE LEFT HOMELESS
Once Started the Destroying Element
Leaped From Roof TO Roof.
Leaving Only Ashes.

losses will aggregate million ana
quarter.
The town is almost destitute of food.
| and Mayor Sanderson has sent mes
sages to the leading cities appealing
for aid. The people are appalled, by
| their frightful losses, and 1t Will be sew
aral days before they will know wheth-
er to try to rebuild the city or not.
| At noon today the fire alarm was
sounded for blaze in Bryants chop
| and feed mill, corner OF Railroad ave-
| nue and ID street. The department re-
sponded promptly. but the blaze was
quickly famed into n roaring furnace,
and the fire boys were driven back from
| the scene almost as soon as they ar
rived. With lightning-like rapidly the
| flames leaped from one building TO an
other and inside of five minutes IL was
| seen that the entire town was threat
ened. AS the flames reached the cor
| ner of street they forked, one prahch
| going north of the railroad track and
| consuming in it's way the Northern Pa
cific grain warehouse, the National no.
| tel and the entire row of wooden build
| ings to the corner of Il street. Here 1t
| turned off to the Pacific hotel and the
row of wooden buildings in the rear OF
it. From there it jumped to the old
| Headquarters building and Porak
brewery, totally destroying it and his
| residence.
SOUTHERN FORKS WORK.
| Meanwhile, the southern fork. with
| equal rapidity, consumed the buildings
on Railroad avenue, First and Second
| streets, including the Commercial no.
| tel, the Herbring opera house, the city
| hall r. Newman d. Co. and the Ma
| sonic hall.
| From here the flames leaped to the
buildings west of the car shops. and in
| another minute they burst forth into
| DANES. 1t was impossible to do any
| thing to save the railroad buildings, as
the water pipes had burst in this part
| of the city. Five minutes later ter
| rifle explosion 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 Ma
tional bank and Jensen, King & Co.,
the occupants of these buildings plac-
ing wet blankets over the windows and
lighting the flames desperately
DYNAMITE USED.
Mayor Sanderson at this time arrived
building of Ben Ettelson. on the corner
of c and First 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 a southeastern
direction and destroyed the drug store
of w. p. Putnam, the Masonic hall. thu
county Jail. the old opera house, tn
residences of r. r. Jones and E. IL
Stanton. The flames were checked her
by blowing up with dynamite the OLE
opera house, and the row of trees II
front of IL. w. Bonne's residence wer
deluged with water to such an exten
that the fire was checked in westerl,
direction.
The fire swept east as far as the stocl
yards, completely obliterating in 1t
, course every residence and bushes
house in that portion of the city.
: Fully 800 acres of land was burne
! over, every building thereon being com
: pletely wiped out.
a SCENES UNDERSTANDABLE.
o The scenes at the fire were indescrit
& able. Families rushed hither and thitf
e | ar with household goods and wearin
e apparel, seeking some safe place to dt
Q | post them. A few minutes later tn
: safe place had become a dangerous on
/ and they would grasp what they coul
II and leave the rest to be destroyed b
/ the devouring flames. Fully one-fft
of the 5000 inhabitants of the city 10:
= not only their household goods, bl
= most of their wearing apparel.
n The prisoners in the county jail WEI
II released when the fire was about on
\ block away, and they did exceller
e work in assisting the neighboring bui
| L. lNAtt. do 10
! place of safety. But after the fire Wa
d under control they had disappeared.
Y, Among the first buildings to go we
ID the Northern Pacific railroad static
he AS many of the books and papers {
II possible were taken to a place of SAT
ty and Operator Young lost no time
= connecting the wire in one of the fiel(
as east of the town, where, seated on a
iron wheelbarrow, with a telegraph II
strument on wooden box, he sent ar
- received messages as rapidly as pc
- srble.
AT THE ROUNDHOUSE.
n The scenes at the burning of Il
roundhouse were calculated to alar
rs and excite even the coolest. Flam
re rose to a height of fully 100 feet, al
+. seemed bursting from every portion
Id the roof at the same instant. The wor
f men lOSt many dollars worth OF val
d, able tools. They made desperate e
n forts to save them, but We're driv,
ut back by the flames 1t is estimated tn
IN | fully $4,000 worth. OF tools belonging
IS the workmen were destroyed. up'
ne which there was no insurance. Engi
after engine was run out from d
coundhouse. only to be met by the a
" vancing flames, and the driver oblig
to jump and flee for his life. Invent
all four locomotives were destroyed on
seven being saved.
en- Four hours after the fire started. {
nd town presented a scene of utter desol
IL ton, a few smoldering ruins alo
r. marking the spot of what had been t
on prosperous city of Sprague.
a BUILDINGS NOT BURNED.
e. Not over half a dozen business hous
e are left standing and these inclu
I'm Genres & Hertrich's general mercha
he disc store, the Sprague roller mills, t
"a First National bank. Jensen, King
Co.. and E. Redding & Co. All the new
=, paper offices in the city with the exec
ton of the Herald were burned oil
in | The postofllce was among the fiji
buildings to go but with commercial
IN enterprise Postmaster Meagher e
nj gagged temporary quarters in Genres
nd | Hertrich's and sent the mails out wi
lis only a slight delay.
IN | LOSSES AND INSURANCE IN DETA