The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-07-11


her of residences, public buildings
and business houses were wiped out,
it was only beginning compared to
what hit us on the afternoon Of July
4th, when the little city was practic-
ally deserted and there was not
enough men, women and children left
to fight bon fire.
About 4 o'clock fire was discover
ed breaking through the roof of the
Patterson & Elder barber shop ad-
jacent to the north side of the Palace
hotel, and being famed by strong
wind 1t was soon whipped into a big
blaze, rapidly spreading to the Pear
son tailor shop. wooden building
just north and then into the hotel
building, being able to reach the in
side through windows that were
open on the second and third floors,
as well as through openings leading
into the sample rooms and barber
shop.
In an incredibly short time the en-
tire upper stories of the hotel were
a mass of flames. The alarm had been
sounded but a very few minutes and
a hose cart was hurried up and the
water turned on but the flames could
not be reached Mrs. Wilkins, in
charge of the hotel during the alb
sence of her husband, j.. L. Wilkins,
soon realized the building was doom
ed and she rushed to the upper
stories and reused all guests in the
house. These all escaped but had no
time to take anything with them
Mrs wilkins, herself, on going to the
stairway found her exit cut off by the
flames and rushed to the fire escape
on the south side of the building GET
ting out in safety. She received a
cut on the chin as she struck the
coping in her drop from the fire es-
cape to the sidewalk, but the injury
was not serious.
The flames very soon burst out the
south side of the hotel and reached
the row of wooden buildings just
across on May street. When the fire
got into this block it appeared GER
tain that the entire south end of town
was doomed. The hotel also threat
ened the First National Bank build
ing on the opposite corner of Main
and May streets and it was only by
the hardest kind of work this struc-
ture was saved. Had this caught
there would have been little hope OF
saving that side of the street at least
as far as the Masonic building.
The fire kept on spreading through
the May street block, taking every
thing before it, and also to the east
of the hotel, cleaning out the second
hand sore of G. w. Verdot and the
big implement warehouses of Gillian
& Bisbee and it was here kept from
going any further to the north.
From the May street block the fire
pushed on, crossing Main street and
cleaning out the Natter buildings, the
McNamee corner and the Star Berw-
cry building, occupied by the Morrow
County Chapter of the Red Cross
from this to the old Mountain House
and the row of residences as far
south as the power house and every
thing in the block between August
and Cannon streets to the power
house, with the exception Of the resi-
dence of DR.. A. D. McMurdo. The
wood yard of Heppner Light & Water
Co. was fired and some 600 cords OF
wood consumed. Here the fire was
held after hard work.
A valient fight was put up to save
the property of the Light & Water
Co., and aside from the loss of their
big supply of fuel no damage was
done to that immediate portion OF
the plant. They were heavy losers
however, in the loss of wire and
poles. S1M
Coming at the time it did, when
the town was so thoroughly desert
ed by all those who could get away
to various points in the mountains
and at the lone celebration, has led
great many to think that the fire
was of incendiary origin. While II
has not been definitely settled as tc
this, and perhaps never will be, the
prevailing opinion now Is that the
fire originated from some careless
act on the part of parties who were
in the rear of the barber shop moi
long before the fire broke out.
The fire is a hard blow to Heppnel
at this time. The loss would not bt
covered by 100000, and the pro
portion of insurance is very light
perhaps not exceeding in the total
$4,000. Owing to the high insur
ance rates many had failed to pro
vide this sort of protection and thei
loss falls heavily. We are informed
that Mr.. wilkins had but $4,000
insurance at the time on the Palac'
hotel property, and this will 60 t.
the mortgage, thus leaving hin
without anything to fall back on
Victor Groshens had no insuranc
at all on his property and puts hi