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Show FLAMES SWEEP OREGON TOWN BUSINESS DISTRICT OF ASTORIA COMPLETELY WIPED OUT BY EARLY MORNING BLAZE Twenty-seven Blocks L oy in Ruins and Flames Destroy Piling Which Supports Pavement In Oregon City Astoria. Th ebu'siness district ot Astoria, was laid in ruins hy a fire which broke out shortly after 2 a. m. Friday and despite efforts of the local fire department and reinforcements from Portland, swept 16 blocks, causing caus-ing a loss estimated at between $10,-000,000 $10,-000,000 and $15,000,000. One man was reported dead and another an-other missing. According to reports from the Are swept area, Morris Staples president of the Rink ot Commerce had dropped dead. Another report said Brennan Van Dusen, a business man, was missing. miss-ing. W. W. Fellman furniture denier, who hail been reported dead earlier in the morning later was found to be safe. The entire district from the river front five blocks south to Exchange street and east and west between Fourteenth and Tenth street, had been wiped out at 7 :30 o'clock and the flumes had extended beyond Exchange 3treet at that hour. At 8 o'clock the fire had swept over twenty-seven blocks. The flames had eaen under the pavement on Commercial Commer-cial street, burning the piling on wine" the city had been built, and firemen were unable to cope with this development. devel-opment. Patients were removed from St. Mary's hospital, all the windows of which were shattered by explosions of dynamite or gasoline tanks. The Astoria Astorian, occupying a new building on Commercial street, distant from the devasted area, began moving mov-ing out at 8 o'clock The Astorian's building is concrete but sparks were threatenng the roof. The fire at 10 o'clock had swept tho entire district between Astor street, at the river front, south to Exchange streete, and north and south between Eighth and Sixteenth streets. Between Eleventh and Twelfth it had penetrated penetrat-ed as fnr as Franklin street. At 10:15 o'clock the fire crossed Sixteenth St. at Commercial street. |