Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1909-07-23
THE FOUNDRY FIRE.
Loss from Flames Menace Largely Aug
mented by Condition OF Streets.

Monday night. about ii o clock. an
alarm of fire was sounded from bon
~ corner of Fourth and Jefferson
street. and before many of our people
aroused from slumbcr and could
appear on the streets, the Older por-
ton Of the olympia Iron Works was
all ah,aZp. with the probability OF
great loss from eXtrntion to the lum-
Der ward in close proximity and other
buildings about Il block away, lnclud-
inr the factory of the Door company
and Richardson Single Mill. For
tunatclv the high breeze that pre-
vailed the early part of the evening
had in large degree suDsided when
the flames broke out, and our excel
lent fire company, though handl-
capped by many Instructions IN
brOkrn-up streets, and more perlna-
nrnt annOyanceS, soon succeeded IN
obtaining control over the flames
and cOntining them to the source ct
origin, saving even the office, a small
frame structure standing within Il
couple of feet of the doomed Struc-
tur,., and the machine shop and foun-
dry to the westward and onl Y few
yards from the burning mass.
Right mere we must enter vigOr-
ous protest against the unwise policy
of our city authorities in allowing all
the principal streets to be torn up at
once and apparently atfording unllm-
tied time-the whole dry season-for
restoring them to something like bu-
siness requirements to say nothing
of such emergencies rs existed on the
night of July Sd and 18th. 1t seems
that the contractors have not been
placed under any restrictions as to
either methods or time. A certain
portion is graded and trenches dug
fer pipes, and then the workmcn are
transferred to another district to
place the roadway in a similar condi-
ton of disuSe in business and danger
to pedestrians. 4 few days after
ward paving bricks and blocks were
piled in places contiguous, and many
big mounds of sand, pebbles and rock,
were distributed over the small space
still left vacant \ week or two af
terward maybe the cement work was
done. Then there was period of
waiting for the expert pavement
layer to arrive, and take up the
dozen or more sections, s"ridfim, all
patiently waiting turn and convent
ence of the contractors. while stag
nation and delay in business and
danger to life, limb and property,
prevail night and day. One lawsuit
for neglect to provide safeguards is
still pending against the city and
others are imminent if present con-
ditionS continue.
In addition to this, as was plainly
demonstrated Monday night, in
croachmcnts upon the peoples rights
of a permanent nature are a constant
and persistent menace to the whole
community.
The use of Third street for nearly
a whole block for wood yard, on
which upwards of a thousand cords are
continually stored, reaching to the
middle of the street, greatly inter
fereS with the handling of the fire
apparatus in an emergency, and in
course of time, as the fuel seasons
becomes ready fuel for spread of fire
it is also Immediately contiguous to
the lumber yard of the same com.
pany, which havS already appropri
ated all unopened streets for lumber
storage. 1t is now thought by many
people that this Infant industry
has already absorbed enough of tn,
public domain to Satiate anybody OF
anything that has NAV of less ca
pacity than that of an ostrich, a pcli
can or shitepoke. This retremh
ment of rights guaranteed by appro
priation to the public of permanent
thorOughfares, has opened the dool
to grasping imitators. Que of thes,
on Second and Washington street.
is maintaining another woodward OF
public streets and wher ordered {,
vacate, endeavOred to maintain hi.
grasp by claiming that he had mad,
considerable money from the bust
ness and had possessed it for ;
term of ftfcea gears, almost Ions
enough to give him title, by lapse o
any adverse claim
For heavens sake, cannot tn,
Mayor and the. City Council, affort
some protection from these cormo
rants who appriate anything Lying
) out of DOORS" unless somebody
stands with shotgun to protect hi
rights.