Fire was a frequent visitor to the booming construction towns around the site of the big dam, one of the most notable being the one called the B Street Fire. I had on my to do list researching that fire in more detail, and when Bert Smith messaged me recently asking about the date, I decided it was time to dig into it. I have a few pictures of that fire from my mother's collection, but they are only marked 1938.
My mother put together three volumes of newspaper clippings from 1933 to 1938, which I have been scanning and posting as time, energy, and ambition allow. I just finished scanning volume one, covering 1933 to August 1934. But 1937 and 1938 are in the third volume. Looking through that, I found one clipping about the fire, dated July 25, 1937, the day after the fire.
It was a sultry Saturday evening, July 24, 1937. The blaze started about 9:15 p. m. in the rear of the Public Market grocery and quickly ate the half block of frame buildings located in the heart of the business district. One of those was the office of the Grand Coulee News, which meant the loss of its entire archive, making any clipping or copy from before that date especially valuable.
The above four pictures may seem to have more light than might be expected at night, but this was the night after the full moon in July 1937 which was the 24th at 8:45 a. m. Pacific time. The next picture may show the scene the next day from another angle, although one note concerning this image suggests it may be from a different fire in the mid 1940's.
$100,000 BLAZE HITS DAM TOWN
In the third of my mother's scrapbooks from the 1930's is this clipping from July 25, 1937:GRAND COULEE, Wash., July 25.-- Six Grand Coulee business men surveyed a block of ruins today, and estimated their loss from a fire last night would amount to more than $100,000.
The flames which started in a corner grocery store late yesterday, threatened the entire business district for more than four hours as they raced down the block of buildings before a high wind.
Fire Chief Archie Elliott said the only thing that saved the town was the perfect water supply. Even with streams of water constantly wetting them, buildings across the street were scorched and a number of windows were broken by the heat. The block was on B street, one of the first in the original townsite, and was in the center of the business district.
The buildings which burned housed the Kozy Korner restaurant, the Hub Clothing company, Ross department store, public market, Stone's Market and the Grand Coulee News office and plant.
Chief Elliott said that two firemen and one woman reported hurt were only slightly injured and did not need hospital treatment.
Using ProQuest Historical Newspapers accesed through the Spokane Public Library, I found this article on page 3 of the July 26, 1937 issue of the Spokane Daily Chronicle. Transcript follows.
JUST ONE PUFF AND ALL ABLAZE
GRAND COULEE, July 26—(Special.)—"Sure, well publish this week," said Sidney Jackson, owner of the Grand Coulee News today after his shop and seven other business houses on B street were completely destroyed Saturday night in the dam site's most disastrous fire. Other losers have not yet decided upon rebuilding.
Damages are estimated at $l00,000 and it was only a sudden change of a stiff wind that kept the loss from mounting to double that sum or more. The blaze started about 9:15 p. m. in the rear of the Public Market grocery from an undetermined origin, and quickly ate the half block of frame buildings located in the very heart of the business district.
A high wind brought on by the sultry weather swept the flames halfway across B street. "Gobs of fire, said A. D. Roberts, chamber of commerce president, a witness, "seemed to leave the main body of flames and bounce up against the buildings on the other side of the street.
Merchants began franticallv moving out their goods as windows cracked from the heat. Paint blistered on the buildings. Fires started in one or two places, quickly to be put out by the volunteer fire fighters.
Flaming Brands Afloat.
Small fires were started two to five blocks away as the high wind fanned the flames and sent pieces of burning material floating through the air.t
The fire struck quickly. "It just gave a puff and everything was afire," one man said. Two cars, one a new expensive one, could not be moved and were destroyed.
The fire consumed the Hub Clothing store, the "Kozy Korner" restaurant, which was enlarged last week, the Grand Coulee News, the "Stop and Shop grocery, the Public Market, Stone's Market, Ross' store and a beauty shop on the second floor, The Silver Dollar, Leader dry goods store, Pioneer bar were also damaged, mostly to building fronts and display windows.
It was unofficially stated that only about one-third of the actual loss was covered by insurance. It was the second time in two years' for Editor Jackson lo be burned out. The first badly scorched his building and cats in a parking lot. He plans to print for a time from Almira and Coulee City shops.
Archie Elliott, fire chief, said there was plenty of water and sufficient pressure to fight the blaze. Grand Coulee's announced water shortage apparently prevented the early control of the fire.
B street under construction, 1934
I do not know when this image was published; it was a loose clipping that had been stapled in another album years later.
This scraped path down the sagebrush ultimately became boisterous B street in Grand Coulee. This photo was taken in 1934 to show a new building arising, It was the tavern and dance hall planned by Mr. and Mrs. John Pozar. The device behind the team of horses was called a "fresno". It would scrape up earth, then when the operator pulled on the handle it would tilt back, in which position it would remain until emptied. Intense business rivalry existed in the early days of construction of Grand Coulee Dam between this area,called Grand Coulee, and Coulee Center and Grand Coulee Heights.
B street in the 1930's
B street in its heyday was one of the wildest places in the country, attracting not only merchants and entrepreneurs, but also prostitutes and all manner of hustlers.
B Street at Night
No comments:
Post a Comment