Desructlon of a City.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5575, 21 September 1889, Page 4

Desructlon of a City.

Th« Mftil brings newa of tho ar«at disas ber, tho Spokane Falls, in Washington Territory, nnving been nearly vripod out by fire. Thirty blocks of building places of buainoss, wore swept away in a few hours. Tho estimated loss was 6,000,000 dollars, of which 2,500,000 dollars was covered by insurance, inclusive, however, of that in " wild cat" oth'oes. The fire occurred on a Sunday, The town had a splendid water supply, but unfortunately the superintendent was absent and the manleft in charge was ignorant as to how to make the necessary connections to turn the water on so as to give the full pressure. The tire therefore got a good start and swept everything before it. The town was a substantially built one, largely in brick and stone. The population was 20,000 and tho town was built on the banks of a river. Tho burned district comprises 30 blocks and embraces every brick building in the city except the America Hotel and the Crescent block. The fire originated at 6.15 o'clock in the evening in the roof of a lodging house on R vilroad Avenue, the third door west of Post Street. A dead calm prevailed at the time, and the spectators supposed the firemen would speedily bring the flames under control. This could have been done if proper precautions had been taken, but the superintendent of the waterworks was out of the city, and for some reason the men in charge failed to respond to the call for more pressure. The heat created a current of air, and in less than half an hour the entire block of frame shops wero enveloped in flames, and burning shingles or other debris filled the air, igniting several adjacent blocks at the same time. Opposite the block in which the tire originated stood the Pacific Hotel, one of <he handsomest structure s in the north-west. It was soon in a blaze and by that time a high wind prevailed from the south-west, ami it was evident the entire business portion of the city was in danger. Mayor Furth ordered that the buildings be blown up with giant powder so as to check the spread of the fire. This order was speedily put into execution, and the explosions added to the reign of terror. The picture was weird, grand, and awful, as block after block yielded to the furious names. The sky was overcast with black clouds, and a strong wind sprang up from the north-cast, fanning the flames furiously, while the upper current continued to carry the burning fragments in the opposite direction. The terrifying shrieks of a dozen locomotives mingled with the roar of the flames, the bursting of cartridges, the booming of giant powder, the hoarse shouts of men and the piteous shrieks of women and children. Looking upward a broad and mighty river of name seemed lined against the jet-black sky. Occasionally the two opposing currents of wind would meet, causing a whirlwind of tire that seemed to penetrate the clouds as a ponderous screw, while whirlwinds danced about its base, performing all sorts of fantastics gyrations. In this manner the appalling carnival of destruction continued until about 10 o'clock, when with a mighty crash tho Howard-street bridge over the river went down. A boom of logs took fire and burned for hours on the crystal surface of tho river, and many times flying pillars of tire crossed the river, igniting the mammoth lumber and flouring mills that line its banks, but by heroic efforts its career was checked on the south side of the stream. Looking bick the beholder witnessed a scene of desolation that was fearful to contemplate. Fragmentary portions of naked walls of what four hours before were magnificent structures of brick and granite stood like grim sentinels above the surface of a burning sea, and all was devastation and ruin. Only one death has been heard of. The second day, after the great tire, opened bright and clear, and the greatest activity prevailed among the tradesmen. Nobody wasted any time bewailing his loss, but all set about repairing their shattered fortunes with the greatest courage and determination, and already every branch of business is represented in tents scattered over the burned district.

Spokane Falls is the third city in size and population in Washington Territory, and its natural advantages, combined with the enterpi'ise of its citizens, gave it a more rapid growth during the last year than was enjoyed by either Tacoma or Seattle. Nature intended it for the site of a great city, as, like Minneapolis and Rochester, it has a great waterfall by its i cry doors, capable of supplying power to scores of mills and factories. The total fall is 157 feet in a half mile, and the water power has been estimated at nearly 100,000 horse power. It jumped almost at a bound from a straggling villiage into a full-grown city, with large business blocks of the most modern architecture, fine streets and sidewalks, electric and motor street railways, the electric light, and all the other features of a large metropolitan city. It had fine hotels, which would have been a credit to any Eastern city of three times its population.