A TOWN IN ASHES.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 173, 23 July 1889, Page 3

A TOWN IN ASHES.

TEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS X GONE.

THE ENTIRE BUSINESS PART BURNED.

A special despatch from Tacoma (W.T.), June 6, says :—The business portion of Seattle, the largest city in the Territory, is in ashes. Every bank, hotel, placo of amusement, all the leading houses, all the newspaper 'offices, railroad depots, mills, steamboat wharves, coal bunkers, freight warehouses and telegraph officesare burned down. The fire began near the corner of Front and Pearl streets, in the Seattle Candy Factory building, at 2.30 p.m., and hefore midnight had consumed the whole business section of the city, northward to Stetson & Post's mill, along Front and Second streets to thewaterfronfc, involving a loss of over §5,000,000. Tho city is literally wiped out, except the residence portion of the high ground. At 6.30 o'clock the flames had reached the wharves, and the steamboats and shipping were compelled to haul out into the stream. A stiff breeze was blowing from the northwest when the fire began, and it scon gob the besb of the Fire Department. The water supply gave out within two hours after the fire began, and then the flames had a clean sweep. Aid was telegraphed for to Tacoma, and a train started with fire apparatus at 4.35 p.m., reaching Seattle in sixty-three minutes, a distance of forty-two miles. The ocean steamers, the Mexico for San Francisco, and the Ancon for Alaska, escaped destruction by hauling out jnto the harbour. A great deal of property was saved only to be burned up again, so quickly did the flames spread. The business men of Tacoma are going to the rescue of the Seattle people. Allen C. Mason, a leading citizen here, ordered all the bakeries to start up to-night, and by daylight in the morning fresh bread for thousands, together with 100 slaughtered beeves and all sorts of provisions, will arrive in Seattle from Tacoma. In addition to this, some of tlie leading business men, headed by Walter J. Thompson, who gave §500, have raised nearly §5,000 to-night, with more to come. The loss will break the home insurance companies. There are no serious casualties that are definitely known, but it ia reported that several men are burnt to death. There wore a number of minor accidents. The loss, at a guess, is £2,000,000. The owners are guarding the property saved as well as they can, assisted by a citizens' patrol and militia. Over 100 thieves have already been arrested and are locked up in the Courthouse. The people mean business, and summary justice'may be put in operation before the night is over. Relief committees are now supplying coffee and food to the homeless at the armoury and are furnishing beds as much as possible. The rapid growth of Seattle in the past two years has seldom been equalled, and no mining excitement or wildcat boom has caused it. It has been the steady development of a seaport which was the centre of an immense coal trade, and was surrounded by one of the richest agricultural and lumber districts in the world. This may be drawn from the following statements of the population of the ciby, as given by United States, Territorial and city. In 1880 the population was 3,533; and in 1889, 28,350. The number of buildings of all kinds erected during the year was 1,447, and their cost $3,039,990. Street improvements under the city government for the year cost $196,327. A cable street railway line four mile 3in length and connecting the city front with Lake Washington was built, equipped and put in operation at a cost of $200,000, being tire first cable road in the Northwest.