The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-02-03
RAIN OF SPARKS
SET MANY FIRES
Entire Town Seemed Doomed for u
Timp-EXcitement Ran High
Mike Saves Parrot.

The Peerless was one of the land
marks OF Oroville. 1t was built in Old
Town during the days OF railroad con-
structiOn and moved about a year later
TO the site it occupied until the fire
Tuesday morning consumed it. Mrs
Harry koeppen of Portland, sister
of George and Frank Bartell. was the
asnsxss& she A.ss a s01Tly rcsu1
burden, who occupied part of the
first floor where Mrs. Burden had q
millinery shop. VIM. Riley rented a
room on the second floor which he
used occasionally. The Burdens saved
a little clothing and their piano, all
the rest of their possessions being lost
in the fire. Mr.. Budren estimates his
loss at about $1,000
The Palace hotel was a substantial
ly built frame structure, erected a
year or two after the Peerless was
moved from Old Town. Its owner was
Archy Ash, whose home Is at FL Paso
Texas.
A. j. Wickersham conducted the hO-
tel under lease. Joe Keeney had res
taurant in room on the ground floor
and another ground floor room in this
building was occupied by the Oroville
Bakery, conducted by Mr.. and Mrs
Ray Weed. Wickersham saved prac-
tically none of the hotel furniture
Kinney removed some of his restau-
rant equipment, but Mr.. and Mrs
Weed suffered complete loss of all
their fixtures and supplies and per-
sOnal effects. They had no insurance
Mr.. and Mrs. Burden found quarters
Tor themselves in the residence ad-
joining the old irrigation district Of.
flee on Central avenue. Mr.. and Mrs
Weed went to the Finsen home on
the orchard tracts in East Oroville
Mr.. Wickersham and his family found
refuge in Jim Bakers home, and the
Kinney family are staying temporar.
lily at the home of Mrs. Kinney's sis
ter. Mrs. Love.
y
AS soon as the embers cooled
enough to permit Of searching in the
ruins, parties began to dig about part
ly out of curiosity and partly to fine
i few dollars known to have been lost
! by Ed Burden. By carefully sitting the
ashes at the rear of where the Peer.
less had stood, something over -four
dollars in silver coins were recovered
| little damaged by the fire. and two
| revolvers belonging to Mr.. Burder
were uncovered. but the big find, ant
one that created sensation amons
the searchers and not little enviou.
longing among the onlookers, was
! made when an aimless prOdding O.
a pile of smoking sawdust that hat
accumulated back of the Palace hotel
| uncovered "a bottles of beer The bee,
was warm and the finders took it owe,
to an old shed of barn back of tn,
De Grubb where they intended to stor,
it until it would cool to useiu
perature. When they entered the barr
they found two small fires in the in
terror Of that building, which the,
! quickly eytinguished with bucket O
water Announcement was made lat
Tuesday that the beer was gone.
| The miracle of the fire was that tn
entire town was not wiped out. Few
neople who saw the great volume O
flame roaring about and above tn
two big frame buildings early Tues
dav morning would have given Chi
nese coin for the chances of all tha
part of town to the south and east O
Main street. as the wind was blowin
q veritable storm of sparks and flam
ing shingles over that area. beatin
down upon the frame buildings an
the shingled roofs As It was. man
small blazes were started. but Wig