The Great Seattle Fire: A Military Account of the Ruins
Colonel Haines recounts the chaos, the failed efforts to contain the 1889 fire with explosives, and the deployment of the National Guard to maintain order amidst the ashes.
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.
This is the report of Col. Haines to Brigadier General A.P. Curry, commander of the National Guard, concerning the operations during the recent great fire in Seattle. The fire started about 2:30 p.m. at the southwest corner of Front and Madison streets. It is supposed to have been caused by the overheating of a glue pot in a frame structure, spreading quickly along Front Street from Madison to Columbia. The fire department was called, but the water supply was so weak that in a few minutes, the entire northern portion of the block was on fire. At this juncture, it became apparent that nothing but the blowing up of the buildings in the southward path of the fire could possibly avert a general conflagration. Explosions produced no appreciable effect other than shattering windows. I am informed that the persons who placed the dynamite supposed it could be exploded in the same manner as gunpowder, by ignition; consequently, the dynamite burned up without effect. By 6:00 p.m., the fire-raged, and the entire district north of Mill Street and west of Second was a sheet of flame. General confusion prevailed, and valuable goods were piled up in the streets. I telegraphed the governor of the condition of the city, stating that the civil authorities were unable to preserve order without the assistance of the military force. My command arrived, established the Armory as a base for relief and order, and worked to feed the multitude of destitute, at times serving 9,000 meals a day. We seized and destroyed large quantities of liquor to maintain order in the ruins. The National Guard was finally relieved of its duties on June 14th, having effectively held the district until the city could recover its footing.
“The air was full of smoke and the shouts of people carrying their goods to places of safety, and the streets were full of trunks and boxes and goods thrown from the burning buildings.”
The Great Seattle Fire of 1889 remains the foundational myth of the city's modern infrastructure. The logistical struggles of 1889—maintaining public order, feeding the displaced, and the desperate scramble for emergency resources—mirror the systemic pressures felt during modern urban crises in the Pacific Northwest.
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