The Seward gateway., 1916-03-13
FIRE DESTROYS THE DAGGETT
 AND COLWFLL BUILDINGS

CoweIl store building the Cowel residence the Rainier Buffet the greater part of the plant of the Alaska Even ing Post and the Dee Sing noodle restaurant totally destroyed by fire which broke out the basement of the Daggett block this morning. While the excitement lasts it is difficult to secure close estimate of the losses sUs taned but they amount in the aggregate to not less than twenty thousand dollars although they probably very much more It is believed that the loss to Dr. C. T. Dag get will be at least fifteen thousand dollars while it IS said that the amount of insurnace held by him not more than couple of thousand Mr. CoWell had three thousand insurance on his stock but nothing the build ing which was erected only few months ago. The stock in the store was saved but about $50OO worth of stock was stored in the basement and all was lost His resi- dence was also burned up and hardly thing was saved The same is true of the Dagget residence. Mr. Mckenzie of the firm of McPha and Mckenzie the owners of the Rainier Buffet says he is not yet able to give an estimate # their losses Their stock and fixtures were completely demolished One other exceedingly regrettabe phase oI the occurrence is that Mrs. Daggett and Mrs. Cowe lost about all their household furniture and many articles which money cannot replace The type-setng machine and press of the Alaska Evening Post which was located in the basement of the Dagget block also destroyed 1t is said that the Post had five thousand dollars inSur- ance.
 It is probably safe to say that the total losses were nearer thirty thousand dollars than twenty thousand when is taken into account that Mr. CoIwes loss alone could not be very much less than eight or ten thousand
 The fire was caused in manner that is not perfectly clear The Japanese porter of the Daggett block had started the fires in the basement and afterwards the blaze was discovered Chief of Police Guest says that when he saw the blaze it was pile of fire wood which stood near the furnace and it is thought that spark must have flown out and set the fire. Within less than two years two other alarms were caused by the same furnace but it is believed that the blaze this time was not due to any defect in the pipe as the fire began down below
 The alarm was sent in just about o'clock this morn ing and at the buildings were mass Ot smouderng debris The fire department did it's duty but the citizens learned for the first time that the water supply was practically non-existent The lines of hose threw out ardIv more water than would be used by lawn sprnk CT and the little streams were really sight that might be
 angingly called pathetic. It has since been learned generally that the city has had water supply for sey
 a weeks and that the fact was well known to the auth Jrities The Seward Water company receives hundred dollars month from the city for the water supply and some criticism is now being expressed that water was supplied to the steamers recently in harbor and that tS cut down still lower the meager supply for ire ghtlng However there lots of time to go into all these matters md all that can be done today to tell what known to nave occurred Needless perhaps to say the whole city ympathzes with those who have lost so much and the disaster makes itself felt everywhere.
 Other losers by the fire were William D. COppemou and W. P Henry who had offices in the Daggett Block Mr. Coppemo who is the city attorney lost all his new law library and other things the total loss being about S25OO. Mr. Henry lost articles valued at about $50.
 For time the Northern building across Washington street seemed to be rather seriously threatened but by the use of wet coverings and by playing water on the sides and roof it was protected from catching the blaze Smi lar measures were taken to the buildings across Fourth avenue but fortunately, the spaces intervening between the properties destroyed and all other property was sufficient to nufy the effect of the strong breeze which blew at times
 The house occupied by the noodle restaurant was