Rising from the Ashes: A Seattle Sawmill's Rapid Rebirth
After a devastating fire, the Stetson & Post Mill Company leverages modern fire-safety technology and local community support to rebuild better than before.
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.
As the destruction of the Stetson & Post Mill Company's sawmill had fairly cleared away, the enterprising gentlemen of that corporation set about to see what arrangements could be made for the rebuilding of their property. Many persons who owed the corporation money came forward and paid up a part or the whole of their accounts. The insurance company's adjuster made a prompt and satisfactory adjustment of the loss, and the Seattle Mill was leased to them on most reasonable terms, so as to prevent a total interruption of their business. Accordingly, a large force of men were set to work picking up the iron and machinery still in the ruins and clearing away the debris on the site of the burned establishment.
After thoroughly discussing the matter, the company concluded it would be the better plan to build a good mill while they were at it, even though the first cost might be considerably more than the cost of an ordinary sawmill. George W. Stetson, president of the company, stated that the new mill will be considerably larger than the one destroyed, and will have double the cutting capacity. The roof of the new mill will be of corrugated iron, and every precaution will be taken to guard against fire. We have contracted with the Spring Hill Water Company for an abundant supply of water from their Jackson street mains, and will have five fire plugs, with abundance of hose, surrounding the mill. Besides this, we are going to run lines of iron water pipe, connected with the mains all through the mill. This pipe will be perforated, so that by simply opening a valve the entire interior of the mill from roof to foundation can be drenched in two minutes in case of fire. Besides this, I will have my room at home connected by electricity with the mill in such a manner that the very minute the watchman neglects his duty at the mill, the alarm will be sounded at my house.
“The roof of the new mill will be of corrugated iron, and every precaution will be taken to guard against fire.”
In 1885, Seattle’s industrial heart was defined by the precarious wooden infrastructure of the waterfront and the constant threat of fire. Today, while the mills are gone and the fire codes are governed by municipal regulation rather than private ingenuity, the struggle to balance rapid business recovery with public infrastructure—like water access—remains a core theme in Seattle’s ongoing urban development.
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