USA > Washington > Lincoln County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 1 > Part 31
USA > Washington > Adams County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 1 > Part 31
USA > Washington > Douglas County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 1 > Part 31
USA > Washington > Franklin County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 1 > Part 31
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within ninety days. A choice and sightly tract of land in the suburbs was platted. The city pur- chased twenty acres more to be used as a public park. In its issue of March 27th the Sprague Herald said :
The past week has been one of unusual activity, there having been eighty-two transfers in the city. As yet prices are held at an advance of about twenty-five per cent. over last week. Still, real estate in Sprague is lower than that of any other city of importance in the state. Choice business locations may be purchased at from $2,000 10 $5.000. Residence lots are selling at prices varying from $75 to $600. Our people are in no- wise excited but are simply awakening to the fact that Sprague has advantages which warrant her in taking a more conspicuous place among Washington cities.
Sprague, at this period,,was certainly enjoy- ing a "boom" of magnificent proportions. Real estate agents received orders by wire to in- vest in Sprague properties from capitalists. "Sprague real estate not for sale at any price," was a common telegraphic answer to inquiries received by people who owned property in the town which was apparently to become a city. April 3d the Herald said :
Sprague is the scene of a very busy season. Build- ing operations are developing rapidly and as soon as each structure is finished it is at once occupied. Calls are con- tinually being made for workmen. Not enough laborers can be had to carry on the work necessary to the rapid growth of the city. Sprague in the infancy of its growth resembles Spokane during its miraculous ad- vancement of a couple of years ago. This week two real estate offices have been established and the trans- fers number over one hundred. With all its advantages Sprague is destined to become one of the foremost cities in Washington. At any rate the confidence of those who have been purchasing real estate must be very great or they would not invest so heavily.
This boom, however, was of short duration. The new railroad was not built ; the proposed improvements in the shops did not materialize; the smelter was not constructed ; the street rail- way system gained the "survey" stage and went no farther. By the official census taken by the government in 1890 the population of Sprague was given as 1.722.
Washington was now a state. During the summer of 1891 the question of reincorporating the city of Sprague was taken up. Experience had demonstrated that there were many defects in the old charter, some of which limited the powers to such an extent that the growth and advancement of the city was greatly retarded. The legislature of the new state at its first ses- sion under the constitution, among other acts, provided by a general law charters for cities, including a charter for cities of the third class. To remedy the defects of their city charter the people of Sprague desired to reincorporate un- der this law. Accordingly they circulated for signatures a petition and the same was pre- sented, asking for some action toward securing a new charter. Originally Sprague had been incorporated under the old Territorial law. Washington was now a state. The supreme court had decided all such incorporations void and issued a mandate authorizing special elec- tions for such purposes. The result of this election, called by the county commissioners, was an almost unanimous verdict in favor of re-incorporation. Under the new dispensation the following municipal officers were elected. all Democrats with the exception of Councilman O. C. Jensen :
George S. Brooke, mayor; John Bartol, treasurer; George Maguire, assessor: R. M. Houck, health officer; T. M. Cooper, F. J. Gehres, John Garvey, T. N. Murphy, W. P. Putman, James Stewart and O. C. Jensen. councilmen.
As illustrating the laxity of railroad, land office and other officials it is stated that not until June, 1895, did the Northern Pacific Railway Company receive a patent from the government to the land comprising Sprague's townsite. Meanwhile the real estate had been sold and resold many times and passed around among many parties. In December, 1892, the Sprague Herald said: "All that is definitely known is that the city is floating around somewhere in the east half of section 23, but whether its
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point of beginning is at the north or south corner stake, or somewhere in the middle of the east half, is something that no man can find out from the records. So the question, 'Where is Sprague at ?' is a very pertinent one."
In March, 1892, by a vote of 182 to 46, the city decided to issue bonds in the amount of $35,000 to purchase the properties of the water works and electric light companies, both of which had heretofore been operated by private individuals. The first election held for this purpose was declared illegal. June 17 another election was carried for the proposition by a nine-tenths vote, and a transfer of these proper- ties procured.
March 18, 1894. Sprague was visited by the greatest flood hitherto known in her history. This unusual rise began on the 17th; and on the evening of that day the high water line had been reached; on Sunday morning it was "ont of sight." During a period of seventy-two hours that portion of the city between the rail- road and an alley near the old opera house was inundated, the average depth on a level being about eight inches. The low land lying east of the railway shops was totally submerged, as was the tract west of the mill. Three boats plied the waters which surged through the business portion of the town. The floors of many stores and saloons were covered with water.
April 25th the Herald said: "Bradstreet's Commercial Agency gives Sprague the best rating of any city in the state. In effect, it says, it is the soundest and safest city in which to do business in the state of Washington. There has never been a business failure of any signifi- cance in the city."
The great strike of the Northern Pacific railway employes in the summer of 1894 is exhaustively treated in another chapter. But this industrial imbroglio played such an impor- tant part in the future of the town that we deem it best to here reproduce some of the more salient features. July 8th the strike assumed threatening proportions. Concerning the acts
of lawlessness on this date the Sprague Herald of July 1 Ith said :
Everything pertaining to the strike has been going on in the same even tenor that it started with and nothing occurred to injure the cause of the A. R. U., until last Sunday night (July 8th), when the train bearing Company K, National Guards Washington, of Tekoa, came in manned by "scabs." Hoodlums threw rocks at the engineer and the scab crew, and two box cars were on the main track in front of the train. The engineer opened the throttle and got down out of sight owing to fear, and the next instant crashed into the cars. In the meantime a car loaded with engine oil was run down the track to the second bridge west of town and set on fire burning car, oil and trestle to the ground. This was not all. The large trestle cast of town had also been fired by unknown parties, though it was discovered in time to extinguish the flames before much damage was done, only about fifteen feet of the trestle being burned. This is supposed to be the work of hoodlums or sympathisers, but there are many who will make the A. R. U. bear the blame. Is it not detri- mental to their cause? To be sure it is. Citizens of Sprague generally regret this occurrence. Company K was detained the remainder of the night and nearly all Monday, leaving in the afternoon as soon as the trestle was repaired. About IT o'clock Monday forenoon a train bearing a company of regulars from Fort Spokane came in from the east and repaired the trestle which checked their progress. A train from the west bearing Company B, First Infantry, Seattle, came in shortly after noon and they were compelled to repair the trestle west of town to get into Sprague. The soldiers used rails to pry off the car trucks. They were nearly five hours making the necessary repairs. Had not the burning of these bridges occurred our city would not have had to submit to and be placed under martial law.
There are two companies of United States Regulars from Fort Spokane encamped on the lawn around the headquarters building under command of Major Car- penter, viz: Company H1, with fifty-one men, com- manded by Captain Webster, and Company G, fifty-two men, commanded by Captain O'Brien.
The various meetings held in the city anent this industrial disturbance have been fully treated in the "Lincoln County History" of this work. Opinion was divided, and while there was considerable undercurrent of sym- pathy for the strikers. few were found who de- sired the railway company to remove its shops and division headquarters from the city. Yet all this was done in the future. July 27, 1894, the Lincoln County Times said :
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"The division headquarters of the Northern Pacific have been moved from Sprague to Spo- kane, and Superintendent Gilbert is quoted as saying that the shops would in all probability be moved also. This would prove a severe blow to Sprague and a loss to the entire county. The taxes derived from the location of the shops in the county is by no means inconsider- able and their removal would be unfortunate. This action of the railroad company has been hastened, if not entirely precipitated by the ap- parent sympathy for, and the support given to, the strikers in most they have done, by the citizens and business men of Sprague. If the public meetings recently held there denouncing unlawful acts and pledging support to the laws had taken place at the beginning of the trouble as they should, it is not probable that the head- quarters or anything else would have been moved."
But temporarily there was a lull in the strained anxiety of the citizens of Sprague. The blow did not fall immediately in the full intensity of its force. Since Sprague became a town rumors would periodically make their appearance to the effect that the shops were to be removed to Spokane. Following the strike these rumors gained in volume. Frank MI. Winship, editor of the Sprague Herald, was in St. Paul, Minnesota, shortly after the trouble and interviewed General Manager Kendrick concerning these rumors. July 23d he wired his paper as follows :
"To Herald. Sprague, Washington .- I have just interviewed General Manager Ken- drick, of the Northern Pacific Railway Com- pany. He says there is no foundation what- ever for reports that the railroad shops at Sprague were to be removed. The headquar- ters removal is permanent. Agitators will not be re-employed.
Frank M. Winship."
August 8th the Herald congratulated its readers thus : "The shop whistle never sounded more musical than it did this morning in sum- moning a number of the railroad shop em-
ployees to work again, after the six weeks' lay-off caused by the strike. Although the whole force has not yet been assigned to duty it is believed it is a question of only a few days when the shops will again be swarming with men anxious to make up for the time worse than lost."
To this the Lincoln County Times added : "Everything appears serene at the county seat again. work in the car shops having been re- sumed, although business is still quiet among the merchants. The strike has necessarily been injurious to trade, and the town is only recov- ering from the bad effects."
Following the A. R. U. strike Governor McGraw appointed a court of inquiry to inves- tigate the conduct of the Spokane, Tekoa and Sprague militia during the trouble. The court reported September 15th. It found Company G. of Spokane, guilty of mutinous conduct at Tacoma on July 7th, and that all the members then present. except Charles E. Nelson, par- ticipated or acquiesced in the mutiny. The court recommended that the company be dis- banded and would favor the dishonorable dis- charge of the mutineers, but for the fact that a courtmartial would be necessary to impose this sentence. The court found captain J. W. Stearns, of Tekoa, in permitting his company to be stoned by a mob at Sprague, absolutely wanting in proper knowledge of his duty, and recommended his discharge.
Concerning the Sprague company the court found that while a considerable number of Troop A were in sympathy with the strikers, there was no disloyalty, except on the part of its sergeant. W. H. Evans, who organized a squad of men to cheer the Spokane mutineers at Tacoma. and Sergeant A. P. Sully and Pri- vate Kennedy, who deserted at Tacoma. The discharge of Evans. Sully and Kennedy was recommended. Governor McGraw approved the findings and at once issued orders to carry them into effect.
In October, 1895. Troop A disbanded. The
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primary cause of this was the disastrous fire that swept the town. It had ever been a popu- lar organization.
One of the tragic events in Sprague's his- tory during the year 1895 was the murder of Constable L. A. Conlee by Alfred Symes. which occurred June 25th. The constable had arrested Symes, an alleged stock thief, in Sprague, and both prisoner and officer set out on horseback for Ritzville. Sprague people were informed that Conlee had been murdered on the following day, his body having been found about four miles above Ritzville. Later information showed how the victim had met his death. He had been shot six times through the body and head. The exact details of the crime remained a mystery, but it was surmised that Symes, who was riding just behind Con- lee succeeded in jumping on behind the con- stable, overpowering him and securing his re- volver with the above result. Shots had been distinctly heard by two or three parties and some boys saw Symes dragging the murdered man away from the road. It was learned that Symes went immediately to his cabin, got sup- per, and then left a marriage license he had taken out the day he was arrested. Sprague business men offered a reward of $500 for the apprehension of Symes dead or alive.
The latter was locally known as "Jesse James," and possessed an unenviable reputa- tion. He had boasted that if Conlee ever at- tempted to arrest him he would kill him. He had come to Lincoln county about eight years previous. August 11. 1895. Symes was cap- tured in Missoula county, Montana, by Sheriff Thompson, of Adams county, Washington, and E. D. Gibson, of Ritzville. Admitting the killing the prisoner set up the plea of self-de- fense. He was tried in Adams county, found guilty and sentenced to death. In January, 1896. Judge Upton, of Walla Walla, commuted the sentence to nineteen years in the peniten- tiary. An appeal was taken to the supreme court, but the sentence of the lower court was
affirmed in June, 1899. During the spring of 1903 Symes was released on parole.
Saturday, August 3, 1895, is a date that will not be forgotten by any living person who was in Sprague that disastrous day. For one of the most destructive conflagrations that ever de- vastated Eastern Washington reduced the busi- ness portion of the city to ashes ; rendered hun- dreds of people homeless and destitute of food and made absolutely necessary the solicitation of aid from outlying towns. An area compris- ing 320 acres was burned over ; every building in the tract destroyed, and entailing a monetary loss of $1,250,000. At noon a fire alarm was rung for a blaze in Bryant's chop and feed mill. corner of Railroad avenue and D street. And thus the destiny of Sprague-the history of Lincoln county -- was changed by the careless use of fire in the chop mill on an exceedingly windy day. Quickly the department responded to the call, but far more rapidly was the blaze fanned by the strong gale into a roaring fur- nace. The most determined fire fighters-and there were none better in the state-were driven back almost as soon as they arrived upon the scene. From one building to another leaped the fire and within five minutes it was apparent that the entire town was threatened. At one corner of C street the flames forked ; one branch reaching out north of the railway track, con- suming in its way the Northern Pacific grain warehouse, the National hotel and the entire row of wooden buildings at a corner of B street. From this point it leaped to the Pacific hotel and the string of frame structures in the rear. Thence it jumped to the railway headquarters' building and Porack's brewery. These were totally destroyed as was the residence of Mr. Porak.
Meanwhile the southern wing of this fiery onslaught swept into ruins the buiklings on Railroad avenue and First and Second streets, including the Commercial hotel, the city hall. the store of R. Newman & Company and the Masonic Temple. From here the flames won
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HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
their way to the buildings west of the car shops, and in another minute they were melting into ruins. It was impossible to do anything to save the railroad building owing to the fact that the water-pipes had burst in this portion of the city. A few moments later a terrible explo- sion occurred as the oil tanks burst. and timbers and flames rose high in the air. The fire was checked on the west side by the brick buildings of the First National Bank and Jensen. King & Company. the occupants placing wet blankets over the windows and fighting the flames des- perately. Mayor Sanderson at this time ar- rived from Medical Lake and ordered the building of Ben Ettleson, corner of C and First streets, blown up with dynamite. This was done and the entire row of business houses on C street, between First and Second streets. were saved. From this point the flames pur- sued a southeasterly direction and destroyed the drug store of W. P. Putnam, the Masonic Temple, the county jail, the old opera house, and the residences of R. R. Jones and E. H. Stanton. Here the flames were checked by the use of more dynamite. The fire swept east as far as the stock yards, completely obliterating every residence and business house in that por- tion of the city.
Eye witnesses testified subsequently that the flames of this fierce oncoming volume of fire reached a block in advance of the burning buildings, spreading in every direction with the rapidity of a whirlwind, driving people be- fore it in all possible haste unable to save any- thing from their burning houses and flying panic stricken to places of refuge on the out- skirts. It is estimated that there were over 200 buildings in flames at one time. While the fire was about a block away from the county jail the prisoners were released. It is said they did excellent work assisting the neighboring busi- ness men to save their goods, but disappeared when the flames were under control. Among the first buildings to encounter destruction was the Northern Pacific railway station. Operator
Young removed his instruments to a field east of town, made new wire connections and sent and received messages as rapidly as possible. Scenes at the burning of the round house were sensational. Flames rose to a height of one hundred feet, bursting from every portion of the roof. Engine after engine was run out only to be met by advancing flames that drove engineer and fireman from the cabs. Twenty- four locomotives were destroyed; seven only were saved.
Within four hours of the inception of this disaster Sprague presented a scene of utter desolation. Smoldering ruins marked the spot where once stood a prosperous city. Not over half a dozen business houses were left stand- ing. These included Gehres & Hertrich's general merchandise store. the Sprague roller mills, the First National Bank. Jensen. King & Company and E. Redding & Company. All the newspaper offices of the city with the excep- tion of the Herald were burned out. The post- office was among the first buildings to go. One of the unfortunate features of this disaster was the comparatively small amount of insurance carried by the business men. Many carried none at all and some of them were ruined. Fol- lowing were the losses sustained by the dis- aster :
Northern Pacific Railroad Company. $700,- 000, made up as follows: Twenty-four loco- motives and fifty-four freight cars, $325,000; shops, machinery, etc., $50,000 : headquarters' building, master mechanic's office, passenger station, $50,000; freight and freiglit ware- house, ice house and ice, grain warehouse and oil and oil house, $75,000. There was also half a mile of track destroyed and about 7,000 tons of coal and 5,000 cords of wood, together with the coal bunkers and wood sheds, all of which brought the loss up to nearly, if not quite three-quarters of a million dollars. Other losses :
J. W. Bryant, chop feed mill, $1,000; Archie McIntosh, blacksmith shop. $500;
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Gehres & Hertrich, $300, insured : Sprague In- dependent, $2,000; Dr. Jacobs, dentist, $500, insured; Murphy & Burns, four buildings, $10,000 ; stock, $5,000 : Stooke & Amery, stock of hardware, $10,000, insurance, $5,000; va- cant livery barn ; Davis & Gray, grocers, $10,- 000, insurance, $5,000 ; Mrs. M. Heard, build- ing and millinery stock, $5,000 insured; W. A. Buckley, $200; Knights of Pythias building. $300; James Coy, laundry, $500 ; R. Winters, saloon, stock and fixtures, $500; Commercial Hotel. building and contents. $30,000: J. W. Littlefield, bakery. $3.500. insurance $1.500; Sprague Packing Company. $10,000; C. W. Littlefield, grocer. $5.000; J. F. Hall, general merchandise. $8,000, insured; Cooper & San- derson. $300, insured : E. M. Kinnear, capi- talist, $30.000, partially insured. Ilis loss in- cluded two rows of buildings, one on B street and one on First street, about ten in all; Merritt & Salisbury, law- vers, $200, insured; H. N. Martin, law- yer, $200, insured; Fred Stipes, shoemaker, $400; T. F. Meagher, postmaster. $1.000, in- surance $500; J. J. Burns. saloon, $800 ; C. F. Eckhart, cigarmaker. $500; Frank Parker, shoemaker. $100: George Troy, restaurant, $500, insured : W. P. Murray, two store build- ings. $500; Model Restaurant, $600, insured; E. II. Peterson, barber, $400; J. H. Linder, tobacconist, $1,200; J. W. Reed, jeweler. $1,000, insured; Hugh McQuaid. fish, $200; Charles Hagen, carpenter, $800, insured; Mrs. Moore, $300; H. P. Hicks, tinsmith, $150; J. W. Ryan, saloon, $5,000, insured for $4.500; R. Newman & Company, general merchandise. $20,000, insurance $12,000 : city hall and jail. $6,000. insurance, $5,000: Sprague Journal. $500; Palmer & Rey. two presses, $300: A. Lowe, household goods, $300; L. F. Williams, household goods, $500 : R. B. Morrison, house and contents. $1.200: Judge N. T. Caton. building. $250, insured : Daniel Winter, house and contents. $1.000; Methodist Church. $2,000, insured ; R. R. Janes, house and con-
tents, $800, insured : Masonic Hall, $4,000. in- sured; county jail. $2.500, insured: W. P. Putnam, drugs, $3.500, insured ; Pacific Hotel, $5,000; National llotel, $3.500, insured ; Otto Arnold, $800 : A. Van Allen, blacksmith, $400; Williams Brothers, second hand goods, $600; .A. W. Holland, building. $500, insured ; James Culross, tailor, $300 ; Herbring Block, $24,000. insurance $18,000 ; W. H. Olds, drugs, $4,000. insurance $2,000; G. H. Gilpin, dry goods, $15,000, insurance $7.000; Chicago Store, $10,000, insurance, $7,000; Ben Ettleson, sa- loon, $3,000; John Kirk, butcher, $2,500: W. A. Peters, harness, $500. insured ; George Cos- grove, saloon, $2.000. insured: W. R. White. tailor, $1,000; R. L. Wells, jeweler, $1,000; Lee & Astrup, saloon, $800; Joseph Wormald, building, $500: Paul Herold, barber, $800; E. Weyer, boots and shoes, $1,000; Thomas Smith, vacant building, $300.
The day following the fire was the Sabbath, but for the stricken people of Sprague it was a day of unceasing labor instead of rest. And there were throngs of people upon the street viewing the scenes of the recent conflagration. No new fires originated. but throughout the burnt district embers were still smoking and in a few places the fire had not diminished to any appreciable extent. The forenoon was passed in tearing down dangerous walls and removing every possible structure which might cause a recrudescence of the flames. The Northern Pacific coal bunkers were still burning at a lively rate. With the exception of an old hand car house the company's property was com- pletely wiped out in Sprague. This was fitted up for a depot and telegraph office and Super- intendent Gilbert at once began the construction of a temporary building for railroad use. Sun- day morning found the city without a saloon. hotel or restaurant or eating house of any de- scription, and but three stores. But so fast as workmen could nail boards together new structures were run up. By evening a number of business houses were established in sheds,
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tents and in the limited number of residence houses left standing.
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