February 3 – March 20, 1889
The Golden Rule of Payouts: How One Seattle Grocer Got Paid After the Jackson Street Fire
Seattle reports conflict on insurer and amount in a Jackson Street grocery fire payout.
7 reports in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 3 – March 20, 1889.
The story
Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports from February 3 to March 20, 1889, describe a grocery store on Jackson Street that burned and whose owners publicly thanked an insurer after being paid. The reports do not agree on the insurer: they name the Home Fire Insurance Company and the Farmers' Insurance Company, while one report mentions Pacific Carpet Company President John P. Hoyt in connection with the payout. Only one report gives an amount, a $1,500 check from the Farmers' Insurance Company, and only one names the firm as Mossfeldt & Pratt.
Told from the 7 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 7
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Golden Rule of Payouts: How One Seattle Grocer Got Paid After the Jackson Street Fire
While the world watches the tragic death of Crown Prince Rudolf in Austria, a local grocery store owner is praising the Home Fire Insurance Company of Seattle for their prompt and fair settlement after his business was destroyed.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Fire That Paid: A Grocery Store’s Lucky Escape
When a Jackson Street grocery burned down in January 1889, the owners didn't just rebuild—they received a full cash payout from their insurer, Pacific Carpet Company President John P. Hoyt, and sent a public note of gratitude.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Fire That Saved Us: How Seattle’s Grocery Store Burned and Its Owners Were Rewarded
A week after a grocery store on Jackson Street was destroyed by flames, the Farmers' Insurance Company of Seattle sends a check for $1,500. The owners’ letter of thanks reveals a community where local insurers and merchants were tightly bound by shared risk.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Fire That Paid Its Bills
A local grocery firm thanks their insurance agent for a prompt payout after Jackson Street burns down.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Trust That Wasn't: Seattle's Local Insurance Giant Puts Out a Fire (and a Note of Thanks)
While national headlines buzz with anti-trust legislation in St. Louis, a local grocery store owner in Seattle offers a rare moment of civic gratitude to the Farmers' Insurance Company for promptly covering the losses of a recent Jackson Street fire.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Fire That Paid the Bills: A Grocery Owner’s Gratitude
In the chaotic early days of Seattle, a local grocery firm received a full cash payout from an insurance company after their Jackson Street store burned down—a rare moment of financial relief in a city prone to disaster.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Fire That Paid: How a Grocery Store’s Loss Became a Lesson in Civic Trust
When a fire destroyed the premises of Mossfeldt & Pratt on Jackson Street, their insurance company didn't just pay up—they published a public thank-you note. A rare moment of transparency in 1889 Seattle.
From the pages
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Feb 3, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 3, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 6, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 9, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 14, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 15, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Mar 20, 1889
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.