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Show Hustling Little Idaho Town Suffers Suf-fers a Loss Estimated at $200,000. GREEK WITH FIRECRACKER CAUSES CONFLAGRATION Boise and Caldwell Departments Respond Quickly, and Do Good Work. Special to The Tribune. NAMPA, Idaho, July 3. A fire which was started b' a. Greek, who threw a lighted firecracker inio a bunch of fire works in a cigar store, causing an explosion, ex-plosion, burned one man lo death and swept the entire business and shipping district of Nam pa this afternoon, and was not gotten under control until nearly near-ly midnight, after $200,000 damage had been done. Nearly all of the principal buildings, business houses, hotels and banks in. tho city were burned. The total insurance on destroyed property is estimated at $100,000, so that the loss amount a to about 50 per cent, or 1 00,-000. 00,-000. The firo started about 2:30 o'clock this afternoon and spread quickly through the business district. The en-tiro en-tiro block between Twelfth and Thirteenth Thir-teenth avenues, and tho front portion of First streot, foil a prey to the flames. Dynamite was used to blow up buildings build-ings in the path of the flames. Otherwise Other-wise the loss would havo been far greater. To add to the catastrophe, the water mains on Front street were broken, and there was only sufficient hose on hand to reach a point, within two blocks of the raging firey Only I lie prompt arrival of tho firo apparatus from Boise and Caldwell saved the residenco district. The Boise department made the run of twenty miles on a special train in eighteen uiiii-tiles. uiiii-tiles. It was iinpossi.blo lo communicate with the outside, as all wires were burned down, willi tho exception of the Oregon Short Lino telegraph. The Western Union telegraph and and Independent Inde-pendent telephone buildings fell directly in the path of ihe flames and were completely destroyed- More than 200 telephones were put out of commission. Three Hotels Burned. The Grand hotel, Council hotel and Alameda hotel were burned to tho ground. The magnificent. Dewey hotel, one of the finest structures in the northwest, north-west, was saved after u terrific battle by the firemen, who displayed great courage in conquering the flames. Tho center ot the fire Avas tho Bank of Nampa, where I ho flames seemed to concentrate. T1hj heat here was so intense as to drive the firemen back again and again, but the knowledge that great deposits of coin and currency were endangered drove them to return' to the attack. The bank building was reduced lo ashes, but the vaults proved fireproof fire-proof and the contents wero not injured. Thirty-two stores and business houses between Twolfth and Thirteenth avenues, ave-nues, and others facing First street, were totally destroyed, and the fire raged so fiercely that it was impossible to save any of the goods. Tho Oregon Short Line depot was .badly scorched. One man is missing from the Alameda holel, and it. is probable that his charred remains are buried in tho ruins. No other fatnlities havo been discovered. |