The Night the 'Mad House' Burned Down
A suspicious blaze destroys a landmark building in Seattle, forcing local citizens to scramble to save the nearby gas works from the encroaching flames.
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.
Last evening, about nine o'clock, flames were seen issuing from the old Mad House building. The alarm was promptly sounded and a large concourse of citizens immediately assembled in the neighborhood. The flames had gained such headway there was no prospect of stopping them, and all energies were devoted to preventing the fire from extending to the gas works. A bucket brigade was formed, and by the indefatigable efforts of Mr. John M. Blanchard, the superintendent, and Mr. John Leary, the buildings were deluged with water, extinguishing the stray sparks that had already alighted upon the roof. On the arrival of the fire engine, it being too late to save the mad house building, the stream was brought to bear on the gas works and the flames prevented from extending any further. The fire was undoubtedly the work of incendiaries, as there was no one living in the building at the time, and the fire broke out in the second story. The buildings destroyed were the property of Mrs. Renton, of Blakely.
“The fire was undoubtedly the work of incendiaries, as there was no one living in the building at the time, and the fire broke out in the second story.”
This 1878 account of a suspicious fire in a downtown structure highlights the precarious nature of early Seattle, where dense wooden construction and lack of organized firefighting made every blaze a threat to the entire city. Today's residents might recognize the ongoing anxiety surrounding property abandonment and fire risk, which remains a core theme in urban development and public safety debates.
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