The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-02-26
CREA |
FIRE
SEVEN lGILLx0H DOLLAR BLAZE
DEsT10Ys 1Ia DuuDHQS N
HEA1T or GUINNESS DIST110x
or 1oCKzsTE1, u. Z.

(Scripps News Association.)
3oOKHsT1A, u. r, Feb. ae.-
(3unstin.)-xAs are broke out In the
very heart Of the Ary goods district.
II started In an elevator shaft In the
Rochester Dry Goods company store
ON Main street. Ten minutes after
che alarm was sounded the six-story
building was Q mass Of flames. In
Less than half IN hour the rear wall
Ssll and the aamss spread into the
ssvsn-story Ars-proof building Of the
eibisy, Lindsay b ourr company.
A. 2 O'Clock The hrs chief said he
was powsxlsss 10 stop tAs flames,
wAioh BY that time WAS snoroaching
on The Wholesale district.
Buffalo ana Syracuse have been ap-
psalsd to, ana specials given BY the
railway companies started carrying
sxtrA nrs apparatus TO the city.
A. ESQ . series Of explosions oo-
ourrsd, followed BY the breaking out
Of the Aamss In the History building
1t the corner Of -. Paul and Main
strssts. within half An hour the
aamss were bslohinG through the roof.
A. loIll the hrs 10 practically un-
der CONTROL
Help Arrives.
At Sis the Buffalo and Syracuse
IRE companies arrived, 1t seemed at
that time as though the fire would
cross Main street east and the win
dows In the stores across began to
burst out under the terrific heat.
Tho entire police force was called
out to hold the crowds in check. EN-
ployes In the threatened buildings
were allowed to assist In removing
the goods. The streets were piled
high with merchandise. the merchants
fearing another Baltimore contiagra-
ton.
In the Sibley. Lindsay 3 Curr store
alone there were 1900 employees and
MS many more In the others. These
were utilized with but small success.
as In the actual fire district the sal
wage Ii small.
The fire wall In the Sibley, Lindsay
q Curr Wholesale building temper
arily stopped the spread of the flames
north. Inhabitants of several houses
on Mortimer street were removed
from their homes by the police.
Shortly afterward the Sibley wall
fell, crushing these houses.
The west wall dropped into st. Paul
street. This was followed by the
explosion of the boilers, which threw
fire into the Granite building, whose
~ stories were soon ablaze, the fire
spreading through the elevator shaft.
1t had been regarded as absolutely
fireproof and was the finest office
building In the city. The heat was so
great that the front and rear walls
bulged and became dangerous.
Zig wall Fen.
Shortly after o'clock the front
wall of five-story marble building
fell autward into Main street, COM
polling the firemen to abandon the
fight in that direction.
Several fire companies mounted to
the roof of the six-story Burke-Fitz-
simmons department store building
and began throwing streams on the
fire from that point.
Assistant Chief Daynes fell from a
window and was seriously injured.
The Syracuse relief consisted Of
two engines and two hose companies.
The same came from Buffalo.
All the streams, were concentrated
on the Granite building and surround
ings. Shortly after 10 o'clock big
s6-inch main burst. materially dimin-
fishing the pressure.
The Burned District.
The burned district includes from
o point on Main street east midway
between Clinic avenue and st. Paul
street to st. Paul street, thence north
10 Division street, thence half way