The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-15

seven Alarms In = Few Hcars-Big
scarrfst Block Totally
nesfroyed.

KANSAS CITY Ap-iI ia-ssnce o clock
last right Kansas City seems TO have been
at fha mercy af a ha-d OF Lzcezaiaz1eS.
Between o'clock last night and o'ctock
thix Thursday morning seven ares broke
s1s IN tire business center az the city. At
least four ard probably all OF these fires
wr-s OF trcerstary origin. While the ra-
sorasy OF the btaxes were extgrgusshea In
their fnc!plancy. two % them resulted in
heavy daTage The pfg tTe-story Scar
rsst block en Walnut stresy near Ninth.
vas destroyed. entziling loss OF ss9~ssa
and from this structure TIE flames spread
TO an aGJoininx structure on Main street.
also owned bv ne scarrftt estate. and oc-
cupied BY the Campbell Il Eaton Crockery
Company The bulldln< on Main street
was damaged 20 the extent OF sleae9 and
the crocksry stock suffered an equal dam
age. Only ny a narrow margin were the
other adjoining buildings saved from de-
strGctica.
X was While these dangerous fires were
raging that -. torch was applied in vsri-
ous parts OF the business district. A.
Twelfth. and Walnut streets FIRE WAS start
ed IN pile Of ery goods boxes in an all
ley Al Twelfth stree and Grand avenue
the torch wss applied 20 excelsior thrust
into the hallway Of lodging house. AZ
Fifth and Delaware FIRE was started in
the rear OF .he Armour building. Another
FIRE was started near Loose Bros cracker
mandatory, at Fifth ana Main streets.
and another al the Helms brewery in the
bottoms. In some instances coal oil was
used profuSely by the incendiaries-
At o'clock while the forces OF the de-
partment were scattered and somewhat
demoralized. nre was discovered IN Love-
joys planning mills. at Fourteenth and
Main streets The fire had gained such
headway that the building was soon in
flames and within a short time the plan
ing mill with all Of it's valuable machin-
cry and big stock of lumber was in
ruins. The loss is heavy. That this fire
and the fire in the Scarritt block were Of
incendiaTy origin there is no direct proof.
but ali the indications are that rrebugs
alone are responsible.
The loss on Loveioy's planning mill and
machinery is sl9.ooo and on his stock the
loss IS s. oI0 additional.
The Scarritt block fire was not dis
covered until the flames burst through the
front windows OF ,4ie third story, spread
ing glare over the whole street.
Although the hremen had but to run
their apparatus into the street. they
seemed able 10 do nothing 10 combat the
flames. as they could throw no water into
the third story without strong pressure,
and TO get pressure they were obliged 10
wait some minutes for steam. BY that
time the fire was beyond control and
threatening an entire block in the center
of the city.
The big six-story Hall building on Wal
nut and Ninth streets. In which are the
Times and World newspaper offices. sew
eral stores and Offices. was in great dam
ger. as IL was soon on fire in the upper
story adjoining the Scarritt block. The
electric light wires soon went down. and
everybody left the building.
The fire burned fiercely from O'Clock
until 1880. by which hour nothing but the
walls remained OF the Scarritt building.
The value Of the building is SEQ, 600; insur-
ance. $50. 900. A pure food show had just
been held there.
The loss on the Hall building Is not
great.
The offices of the World were flooded.
but the paper will be printed tomorrow as
usual. The Times suffered no material
damage.
Outside OF the Scarritt building the
most serious uamage was done to the
building occupied by the Campbell &
Eaton Crocksry Company. fronting on
Main street and running hack TO the rear
end OF the Scarritt block. A few thousand
dollars Will cover the loss on the building
and contents.