A Lake Union Mill Went Up in Flames—Then Neighbors Saved the Lumber

Last night at 11 o'clock the sash and door mill at Lake Union, owned by M. M. Holmes and leased and operated by George E. Dow & Co., caught fire and was literally burned to the ground despite the heroic efforts of the Seattle fire department. Several persons saw the immense blaze, but none could be found who saw the fire when it commenced.

The whole factory seemed to be on fire at once, and the lurid flames lit up the sky for many miles around. When the fire department reached the place the flames had complete mastery of the situation, and it was impossible to save the mill building, so the attention of the firemen was directed toward saving the stock of lumber, which was large and valued at $3,000. Their efforts in this direction were successful, and they not only saved the lumber, but succeeded in keeping the wharf from catching fire.

Before the fire had gained complete control, William Milliken, who lives in the neighborhood, ran to the place and broke open the door of the glazing room, in which the books and papers of the company were stored, and succeeded in saving them from the hungry flames. Andrew Burke, also a resident of the locality, detached the telephone and saved it. This small building was separated from the main building, and only an alley divided them. Hardly had these two young men gotten out when this also caught fire and was burned to the ground.

The firm of George E. Dow & Co. is composed of George E. Dow, F. Hamilton, J. R. Philbrick and S. Murdoch. They leased the factory from M. M. Holmes and have been operating it steadily since last May, and have been doing a prosperous business of from $1,200 to $1,500 per month since that time. The senior member of the firm, George E. Dow, was seen last night at his residence by a reporter for the Post-Intelligencer and he said:

"I knew nothing of the fire until after it had caused great damage. As soon as I got on the ground I knew that it was too late to save the building. It had on the place an insurance of $1,000 in favor of the owner. The mill was not worth a great deal, but the machinery for making doors and sash was of the latest design and very valuable. I think that the fire must have originated in the boiler room. I don't see how it could have started anywhere else. The loss is a very heavy one on us as we were all hard working men and can ill afford to lose so much. I have no idea as to what value Mr. Holmes places on his building and plant or what his insurance is."

The building was about 60x60 feet and had all the appliances of a good sash and door factory. It was built by the owner about two years ago and was run by him for about a year. He then shut down, and last May leased it to the firm of George E. Dow & Co.

The engines which responded were Nos. 1, 2 and 4 and chemicals Nos. 1 and 2 and truck No. 1. They were promptly on hand and did as efficient work as possible.