Olympia’s Blackest Day: A City on the Brink of Ruin

Last Thursday was one of the blackest days Olympia has ever seen, and it is to be hoped our citizens may never see another like it. For a long time we have lived in dread of such an occurrence, and our people may be thankful it was no worse. For several years past we have urged and plead for the city authorities and our citizens to do something for the better safety of property against fire, until our patience has become exhausted.

Too much dependence has been placed in our fire department, when the engine and all are worse than none. We speak plainly. The companies are willing to combat fire, but they have no proper apparatus to work with. Our water supplies are too limited, as may be seen by the pumping dry of the cisterns by the old fog on Thursday morning, and the fact that if there had been a good hydrant or a few buckets of water near at hand at the beginning the fire might have been put out by watchman Cook.

We want water works sufficient for any fire, which the present do not supply, with reservoirs and hydrants, and then we want a good steam fire engine with sufficient hose to reach from the bay at low water to the best business portion of the city. With these, the fire could easily have been put out in the building in which it originated.

Our citizens are in a measure to blame for not demanding these things. The plea of scarcity of city funds for such purposes is a wrong one. If the city has no power to raise funds and appropriate it for the safety of property, our city charter had better be thrown up. Our city government is organized to guard and protect, and it is time action was taken. If it is not, any morning may see the balance of the city in ruins. Enough property was sacrificed day before yesterday to purchase half a dozen steam fire engines and to build all the water works our city requires.