Snohomish's Standard Mill Goes Up in Flames
A boiler-side fire consumes the Loggie Bros. mill and its lumber, threatening a town payroll already strained by strike.
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.
SNOHOMISH, July 19.—[Special.]—The Standard mill, which the firemen had so gallantly saved about two weeks since, was laid in ashes and ruins and is a total loss. The mill belonged to Loggie Bros. of Seattle and was built about four years ago. The fire started under or near the boiler and was first noticed there. The mill was dry as powder and went with a flash. The men had not time to save their coats, and some lost valuable tools. The mill was all ablaze before the alarm was turned in, and all the fire company could do was to prevent the spread. Owing to the strike, the yards were filled with lumber, which made the loss total. The lumber and shingles piled about were worth $30,000. Insurance was $4,000 in one company and $1,000 in others. If the mill is not rebuilt it will be a loss to Snohomish, as it paid out thousands of dollars every week for labor.
“If the mill is not rebuilt it will be a loss to Snohomish, as it paid out thousands of dollars every week for labor.”
Snohomish's mill fire is a reminder of how much a single-industry town depended on one payroll, and how quickly a strike-season accident could become an economic crisis. The loss of the Standard Mill would have been felt by workers, merchants, and the town's tax base. Today, when a major employer closes or burns, the same questions about rebuilding and local resilience return.
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