The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1910-06-11
LUCK WAS WITH THE CITY.

The wind was from the south
west. and drove the flames over
the old section Of the city known
as Belltown. a section OF frame
buildings. most Of which had
passed the days OF usefulness and
profit Had the wind been from the
northwest The loss would have
been ten times greater than IL
Was.
Fire Travelled Fast.
At 1880 the first alarm was
turned In from box No 34i. al tho
northwest corner Of the Galbraith-
Bacon stables Assistant Chief
Marlowe and the apparatus from
engine house No. was there as
fast as horscflesh could travel. But
fast as they were. the flames were
faster. Already they had mounted
high in the sky, whipped
twirsed by the gale from off the
Sound Burning brands were
hurting through the air In all d.
rections. and the screams Of burn
ing horses made the night horribly
hideous.
There we're three men sleeping
Ia the barns. They awoke. Each
took horse with him TO safety,
leaving IS Of the finest horses in
the city In the barn. II would have
been plain suicide TO have tried TO
rescue them. They were In
seething caldron OF flame, a fiery
pit that defiod the approach Of
man. The almost human shrieks
Of the pain maddened animals we're
swesome. But il Was only for a
moment Life was withered cut
OF them. Flesh and blood could
not stand the ordeal for a second.
The warehouse adjoining the
stable, filled with baled hay, flour
and feed products generally. burn
ed back in the teeth Of the gale.
The overhead conveyer leading to
the Galbraith-Bacon wharf fell
with crash.
The Puget Sound Sheet Metal
Works. corrugated iron building.
crumpled up in the heat.
Flremen Stand Firm.
Marlowe and hts company took
their stand at Wall and Elliott and
never moved until their recall was
sounded. They held the flames i'm
check there. while a second alarm,
a three-eleven and a four-eleyen
were turned in. They held the
flames. but only in a narrow space.
The cunning flames spread out
around them, making a half circle.
and soon were burning fiercely be-
hind them AS soon as other APP
paratus arrived on the scene
stream after stream Of water was
turned on the burning buildings.
but TO no avail Great whirling
ombers. blazing like meteors,
swirled about in the sky. dropping
like bombs. kindling new oonflag-
rations
The fire travelled with incredible
swiftness Before the suddenly
awakened guests could realize what
was happening they were forced to
flee from their homes. There was
no time for clothing. only time to
catch a child by the hand and run.
Those on Second av. farther north
swarmed out with trunks and
satChols.
The Crowd Laughed.
Like gigantic ants they tugged
and pulled. while an unsympathetio
crowd laughed and jeered at the
sight. Only when the women, dis
heyeled and distressed. shrunk
along in the rain was there any
sympathy The crowd realized that
for the women and children Il was
a terrorizing ordeal. But for the
men saving their property they
were mildly ridiculous.
Faster and faster spread the
flames. until there was solid
mass Of fire from Railroad 20
Western avs. and from Wall 70 Bat
terry East of Western av the
northward sweep of the wind be-
gan to have an effect and there
was a small portion of the block
bounded by Wall and Battery.
Western and First, which was I'M
touched
over half the block to the east
was scorched but not burned. hut
the three and a half square blocks
from Railroad 10 Second between
Wall aud Vine was all burned over.
Il was occupied for the most part
by frame buildings. stores, houses
and lodging houses, with one or
two brick structures The frame
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