The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-10-21
BIG FIRE IN ABERDEEN.
SEVEN SOLID BLOCKS GONE
UP IN SMOKE.

Four Lives Are Lost ard Five 9th.
er Men Are Injured-Value of
Property Destroyed About
One Million Dollars.
Aberdeen, Oct. 16. Seven solid
blocks, EN- bracing every business
house of prominence in Aberdeen,
large number Of dwellings, the
Opera house. the central school
building, the Edison and Olympus
theatres, the Crescent hotel, the Pa
ciic hotel, the new fire department
headquarters, the Council Cham ber,
the fire alarm system, every law
Office, and hospital-all were in
cluded 10 a district covered by q
fire which started this forenoon in
the Mack block on Home street.
The loss is estimated at not less
than 81, ,O0O,000 and the insurance
is not more than one-third.,
There were four fatalities from
falling walls and suffocation and
five other persons were slightly in
jured. All the buildings burned,
except the kaufman block, were Of
wood, and only vacant areas of land
here and there prevented the entire
town from being fuel for the flames.
The fire started in the Mack
block, three-story structure, occu-
pied by impoverished bachelors,
who cooked their meals on small
oil stoves. In one of these rooms a
blaze was seen but before the de-
partment got to work the interior
was mass of flames. Two lives
were lest in the building.
The fire jumped from this build
ing to the fire department headquar.
ters, new building, with high
tower on G street. Then it crossed
the alley and destroyed all the
buildings on the south side Of Heron
street, between F and 6, and par
tally ruined all those on the north
side of Heron. Then it jumped a.
cross G street and burned every
building on Heron between G., I, III
and K and two blocks north and
south. an east wind carrying burn.
ing EN- bers in every direction.
The business men and people
were panic.stricken and goods were
removed from all the buildings. de-
stroyed and from every residence
within radius of 20 blocks.
The excitement was at the great
est tension, there not being suffi-
cient wagons to get goods away
from the fire and the fact that so
little insurance was carried made
the condition more aggrayating.
The lack Of sufficient hose and the
failure of the big new engine to
work properly kept the fire depart
ment from saving property and dy-
Mantle was used at several points
to keep the fire from spreading.
The arrival of the departments
of Montesano and Hoquiam and
large corps of volunteers from each
place helped materially in getting
the fire under control at 2 o'clock
this afternoon. The fortunate cir
cumstance of the fire is that no mill
was burned and no one is
thrown out Of employment, except
store, clerks and this will be but
temporarily.
Men, women and children ran
every way with what goods they
could carry. Many women and
children. were in tears and several
men were being carried along with
blood streaming from their faces.
sorts of reports concerning the
ieath or injury of well known busi-
aess men contributed to the distress.
At 2 o'clock this afternoon the |
ire was under control and persons
whose property had been in the
rack of the fire breathed easier and
he stampede Of horses and people
vas finally over and the collection
# wits and goods began.
The city will lose at least $4,000
With an insurance of about So, 900.
The city's loss includes its Coun-
i'll Chamber, 400 feet of hose, an
ngine house, school house, fire a.
arm system, and a large amount
# planked streets. The Opera house
destroyed wss recently built at
ost of SIS, 600 and the Gray's Har-
,or Hospital Association loses
,uilding, partially constructed and
lot Of building material.
Tonight a large number of depu-
y policemen are on duty and the
arc being taken care of.
The city is lighted by the flames of