Fire & Water
Many Seattleites are familiar with the Great Seattle Fire of
1889, but other conflagrations have hit the city over the last century or so.
One of the biggest of these was the Belltown Fire on June 10, 1910. It started
near the waterfront and swept into downtown Seattle reaching 2nd Avenue,
ultimately destroying six city blocks. Fortunately, the 40 mph winds calmed and Seattle’s signature rainfall subdued the blaze. This was a
stroke of good luck, since the city’s newly mechanized fire department was powerless
to stop the fire.
Here, we see a shot across Railroad Avenue (present day
Alaskan Way) near the foot of Wall Street at the ruins of the Puget
Sheetmetal Building (left) and the Glenorchy Hotel (right). The shot also
offers a good view of the railroad trestles that crisscrossed Seattle's waterfront before
the seawall was constructed.
Outstanding!
ReplyDelete