The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1895-08-09
SPRAeuE is IN ASHES.
Entire Business Portion of the Town
A Destroyed by Fire.

Entire Business Portion of the Town
A< Destroyed by Fire.
The entire business portion of
Sprague is in ashes, hundreds are
homeless and the losses will ag-
gregate $1,250,000. The town is
almost destitute of food, and May
or Sanford has sent messages to the
leading cities appealing for
aid. The people are appalled, by
their frightful losses, and will be
several days before they will know
whether to try to rebuild the city
or not.
At noon Saturday the fire alarm
was sounded for blaze in Byrants
chop and feed mill, corner Of Rail-
road avenue and D street. The de-
partment responded 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 arriv-
ed. 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 G 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 cor
ner of B street. There it 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's brewery, totally destroying
the latter and the proprietors resi-
dence.
Meanwhile the southern fork,
with equal rapidity, consumed
the buildings on Railroad avenue,
First and Second streets, including
the Commercial hotel. the Herbring
opera house, the city hall, R. New
man & Co.'S and the Masonic hall.
From there the flames leaped to
the buildings west of the carshops,
and in another minute they burst
forth into flames. 1t was impos-
sible to do anything to save the
railroad buildings, fof the water
pipes had burst in that part of the
the city.
Five minutes later a terrific ex-
plosion 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
arrived from Medical Lake, and
ordered the building Of Ben Ettle-
son, on the corner Of G and First
street, blown up with dynamite.
This was done, and the entire row
of business houses on G, between
First and Second, were saved.
The flames here took a south
easterly direction and destroyed
the drug store of w. P. Putnam,
the Masonic hall, the county Jail,
the old opera house, the residences
Of R. R. Jones e. H. Stanton. The
flames we're at this point checked
by the blowing-up with dynamite
Of the old opera house and the row
| of trees in front of I'll. w. Bonnse'
residence, and deluge of water.
The fire swept as far as the stock
| yards. completely obliteratirg in
its course every residence and
business house in that por IN Of
the city. Fully 800 acres OF land
were burned over, every bU ding
thereon being completely eiped
/ r,xk