A Landmark Hotel Burns, and a Sawyer Dies Trying to Save His Trunk
The International Hotel in Blaine, the first large hotel in the county, was destroyed by fire, killing Ed Jacobson, a head sawyer who went back for his belongings.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
BLAINE, Aug. 22.—[Special.]—The International Hotel was destroyed by fire this afternoon. Ed Jacobson, head sawyer in Caine Bros.' mill, lost his life in the fire. He went to his room in the third story to secure his trunk, which had already been taken out by a friend, and was overcome by the smoke. A fellow workman went up with him and into the room across the hall. He found it too hot and retired, calling to Jacobson to do the same, which he must have done soon after, but evidently he lost his way in the hall and missed the stairway, as his remains were found at the opposite end of the long building, burned to a cinder. The International Hotel was the first large hotel built in Blaine. It was erected early in 1889 and for some time was the largest hotel in the county. It was cheaply built, but cost nearly $10,000 and could accommodate eighty guests. It was a landmark which could be seen clear across the Gulf of Georgia. There was no insurance, and the building and furniture is a total loss.
“He went to his room in the third story to secure his trunk, which had already been taken out by a friend, and was overcome by the smoke.”
Blaine's International Hotel was a symbol of early growth, much like the rapid development we see in Northwest towns today. The loss of a landmark to fire was a common tragedy in wooden-built boomtowns, and the death of a worker trying to salvage personal items reminds us of the risks people took in an era before fire codes and insurance.
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