The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-07-29
THE FIRE fIEND
Abroad on Commercial Street
Last Night,
Tongues OF Flame LICK Up the uppeG
Stories Of the Budget building
and an Adjoining Structure,

About $50 o'elock las, nssh, flames
we're seen issuing from che Budge, Oulld.
ng and Il was only by the chicken, work
" the are department that the building
vas ~; burned TO the ground ana tina,
that section OF the ce,y Is nCt to-day
smoking ruin As 1, IS. yAe damage will
AggrNyatc neirly tscoa Immediately after
the alarm was raHs IN the entire sorcc %
fire fights~s IN the city was rushing to
the seee and sOon had streams ot water
playing on the burning huildtng.
The Dire slartld IN TIN southwest cN-
ncr Of the buadhg. but spread TO the
root and when Il had partially DESTROYED
the uppc~ story hut seem-i wea under
control. the fre tlend leaped 10 the roo
OF Phil RosN,rs' building Immediately adj
jolnlnw. ami bet0e n could be sulSiued
consaned tha, rOof also
The uppe- story of the BudgcO building
ls occupied by the Astoria Herald. and
Il was here the hre starred and did the
rcs; damage. The explosion % lamp
whsch had been iect burning Is supposed
to have started the tire. although nothing
Is definitely known as ~ lts origin, but
as there werv no fire. IN yhe stoves and
no one IN tho buiiAing al the time, this
seems the only explanation possible,
The Herald once IA total wreck.
and thero Is no Insurance N the contents,
About $40 wk covcr the damage.
Mr.. Gratke had no Insurance on the
building. and II will take another 500 70
put % a neV roof and r-patr the build
lng The Bu lg.t Office, down stairs, was
Considerably damaged by water, but the
plant Is Insured The damage will prcb-
ably 6e about 500
Pha Bowers building, On which there
was no insurance.. was damagcd 20 The
extent OF about $50. The building Is
unoc-ipied az present, aiyhough sa-
loon Is belrs put IN on the ground door.
The damage to the lower storey from
water will be small There Is no nsur-
aIce.
\ large crowd OF spectators watched
the flames and many readily lent their
aid to assts, those occupying the nearby
buildings 10 remove their effects, lest
the fire should spread 70 thelr lmmSdi-
ate vlciaity.
The story OF the IRE a. told by Mr.,
Gratke publisher q, he Budget. 10 an
AstorlAn reporter follows;
Il was at nome reading my house being
on,y short distance from my ONCE,
when my wife noticed smoke issuing from
the But~s building and told me she
though; that Il must be on hre. ex-
charged my shippers for a pair Of shoes
and immediately ran down and found
flames issuing from the building. An
alarm was Immediately turncd In and
with gratifying pronptness department
No Z responded. soon followed by the
other departments.
Good work was done by the fre lad
d-ss. and have only good words for their
effective acton. Had there been a little
delay on their part. the entire building
would undoubtedly have burned.
There il no insurance on the building
and there Is probably about $50 damage,
The damage to the Budget Il small and
is covered by Insurance. wa:er was the
cement thar hur Us and no, fire.
Yes" he said. The Budget will BE-
out all right Saturday as usual. It may
lack some j, as usual news, but We are
sin In the ring"