Lincoln School Destroyed by Fire
A faulty water system leaves the city’s largest school in ruins after an outbuilding fire spreads.
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.
The Lincoln school, the largest ward building in Spokane, was entirely gutted by fire Monday afternoon, and the brick walls were so badly damaged that it will be necessary to rebuild a portion. While the loss cannot be estimated accurately, it will probably be not less than $20,000. If there had been water available when the fire department reached the scene, the building could have been saved, but there was no force and water could not be had for nearly half an hour. The building consisted of three sections—an old structure built about twelve years ago and a large new annex which was not entirely completed. Contractor John T. Huetter lost heavily in tools and apparatus, as well as materials, and the Evans Plumbing Co. sustained a $6,000 loss. The fire started in a small outbuilding, and the men employed in the annex tried to put it out by the use of buckets instead of turning in an alarm. The alarm was eventually telephoned in by United States Commissioner Marshall, who resides near the school. Cinders and live coals were forced upwards and fell on the roofs of houses a half a mile distant. The fire has served to direct attention to the poor water service heretofore extended to the southeastern part of the city, and a strong public demand for better protection is resulting.
“If there had been water available when the fire department reached the scene, the building could have been saved, but there was no force and water could not be had for nearly half an hour.”
Infrastructure failures during emergencies remain a perennial civic anxiety. Just as Spokane residents in 1903 demanded accountability for a lack of water pressure, modern cities frequently grapple with how aging or neglected infrastructure compromises public safety.
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