The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-28
HALF A MILLION BURNED.
Cigarette starts . BEzke which
wrecks once fn Sc Lsat.--
g. Ews~I1w r~su~~s

81. Louis. Oct "A Eghtea cigarette.
Dropped ~ a tneugntless clerk. IS sszr-
poSsd - have cansed th@ F~a wh3ch =
afe=~uoon practically gu*tes ire =Hrs
store hszfldfzE ~ THE ccr-ar 60 Seventh ard
Chestnut streets occupied 81 tAe Sszeral
oficss Il IRE WABASH rad
Al Is o'cIaek fuSt after ire clerks had
-er1rnsss from their a101 recess. she FRA
broke through a window r th@ eft1 z+cry
CO the building watch wns uS@ss ss = ss1r-
zZe attte. zz1 ths alarm wss s0Gnsts8- r.
sIantiv th@re was = confused r1sl for ev-
sTy means % ext fortunately rha stair
Ways wers wide. re Quilting IN fornssr
ysars h4TfrE been used tgr ths r@hl.e
school library and Po1v1echntzus Institute.
The attic was stored ~fth ot3 - peTz AMI
documents. and within Eve minutes was a
roaring furnace.
During al ths excitement seven youn<
women employed n ere q the fzner mai
ing rooms On tae fourth 7cor had not heea
notified ard wera stflf working. urccu-
zc1ogs e their peril. Waen they Ill dis
eaw@r tnsir situation. they found % their
horror that II was impossible 70 reach TIE
sezfrS as tna stairway was Burning fierce
lv. They appears ar rhe windaws ard
cry - horror went ID from the streets.
The IRE escape shouted the crowd.
ard the Young women, ccmprehsndkrs.
disap and = moment later climbed
CIT On tEe iron platform Of the sseape.
They hssitatssf. but the advancing fans
gave them determine ton. ard they started
CT their descent. reaching Tire street u
safety a. a LAUNDERING cheer went I'd.
With the first alarm the real estate
agents VITO occupied the lower Eoor begin
removing their books ard papers. The fre
chief sent &c a general Alarm hut owing
Z, the narrow street ard network OF wire
r. required fstsen minutes 20 hcisf aTt
mar the stand pipes BY this time l. vas
apparent that the eHtire huslcisz E11sf 60
Al order was given 70 eut TIE eseeET'c
wires. Dense thrnngs Blocked every thor
oy-hsara without warning the wires
we're clipped. ard in an instant the rhzcngs
were maSiy failing back 80 flashes g oise
ard yellow lightning sputtered truna thss
ends OF the deadly wires that came Eaillng
70 the ground Nobody was iniur@ss- but
a wire struck a 9rs horse, killing L IN its
tracks.
Ale the roof feel VITA a crash. ssus-
tn burning emhers into the ar. which tell
on adjoining buildings ard started aTes,
Bat PROMPT measures prevented further
CONGREGATIONS. a z Field. 4 clerk. vas
carving some books from the nrsr n0or
when the crash car-e. Flying debris struck
hin or TIRE head. tearing i open down 70
the end C the nose. lie vas quickly -
moved n an ambulance, AID rs INJURIES
may resELt fatally.
At ereI1ck ths FIRE. with TIRE exception
ot PATCHES q burning sabsrs. had been ex-
tfrr7zfshed Nothing WIS lsSt C ire upper
two eoors but the broken walls. wh-le ne
lover three ao0rx suffered damage rum
water an4 falling debris
The ire came SO suddenly that tAe Va
hash company was prevented from SAVING
ANYTHING Every record r ire osIics q
ths ch.ee engineer, rights-af-way, real es-
-. ae,.sz art Szsrrav-z az every desert Crton
v-a~a DESTROYED. An officer 81 the company
sssf-ustas their loss al So ~. Real estate
rqen nIa.ce the valuation q TIE hulsding az
$40 SO Ire wabash company had So
~slras new quarters Before The ira was IN
der control