Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1902-02-14

rescuers little time. Property was
often moved to q place Of presumed
safety. only to be eventually reached
and destroyed. The warning to many
was brief and they were forced to fee.
scantily clad, into streets glazed over
with ice and swept by the keen wind.
Three relief meetings we're held dur.
ing the afternoon, the principal one OF
which was attended by Governor MUIR
ply and Mayor Hinchcliffe. Within 4
few moments $500 was handed to the
mayor for immediate relief use. AAe
chief magistrate said that while the
city suffered great loss, he was in a
position to say there was no suffering
among the people.
The business district was practically
wiped out, but the only residence Sec
ton that suffered was that where well
to do people lived.
There were a series of explosions
and scores of walls fell when the fire
left them strengthless. Flying fire.
brands carried the conflagration over
it therefore burned in an irregular
course. These brands finally cleared
the tracks of the Erie railroad and
Tamapo avenue, and alighting on
Straight street, started another fire,
from which the destruction and DESC
lation wrought was nearly as great as
in the other.
This second great fire started at the
angle of Park avenue and Washington
street and swept almost unchecked
until on one of these thoroughfares
there was no more fuel.
The final and one of the most des-
perate fights of the day occurred in
midafternoon back in the FIRST fire
area at the Hamilton club, situated
at the corner of Church and Ellison
streets. The handsome clubhouse
caught and the exhausted firemen
were rallied around it. They were
anxious to save the structure, realizing
that failure meant that the fire might
take new Roadway among the proper
ties adjoining. The building was
doomed, but a torrent of water kept
the fire to the premises. The four
walls of the clubhouse stood, but the
roof collapsed and the interior was
completely burned out.
The area of destruction foots up,
roughly, to Is city blocks.
From Main street to Paterson, be-
tween Van Houten and Market streets,
there is little left.
The cost of the fire has not yet been
counted with any degree of accuracy,
and it will be several days before
there can be definite tabulation of
losses and insurance.
In the confusion of the day and the
rigorous guarding Of the burned dis.
tricts at night, it was impossible to
locate a majority of the heavier suffer
ers. The estimate of $1O,OO0,OOO will
probably cover the destruction broad
ly. A group of city officials who went
over the city this evening, were in
clined to scale that figure down to be-
tween $7,500,00O and $8.O00,OGO for
actual property losses. Their esti-
mates made no calculation for loss on
account of suspension of business.
One death was reported as a pos
sible outcome of the conflagration.
Mrs. Brown, who, it is said, was over
80 years old, was removed from her
residence, Is Broadway, just two doors
from where the fire started in the car
sheds. She was taken to the residence
of friend near by shortly after mid
night and died about an hour later.
It was said that her death was hasten
ed by the excitement consequent on
her hasty removed to place of safety.