p. 96 | News and Miscellany

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 2, 1873

News and Miscellany.

“Can ye not discern the signs of the times?”

Portland, Oregon, Aug. 2—A fire broke out at 4:20 this morning in Hurgren and Schendley’s furniture store on Front street. The fire was first discovered by the captain of a river steamer who sounded the alarm. The material was dry, and burned like tinder, and before the steam fire engines got to work, the entire block was in flames. The fire departments of Salem, Oregon City, and Vancouver, were sent for The Salem fire department arrived by train, which made the run of fifty-one miles in the extraordinary time of sixty-nine minutes, including stoppages. The steamboat bringing the Vancouver fire department made eighteen miles in seventy-five minutes.

Soon after the fire broke out, the wind rose, causing it to spread in all directions, and before the Salem firemen arrived, seven blocks had been consumed. They stopped the further progress of the fire northward; but when all available assistance had arrived, there were only seven engines to subdue a fire half a mile in length and a quarter of a mile wide. As fast as it was suppressed in one direction, it broke out in another, while new fires, supposed to be the work of incendiaries, were continually being discovered. The fire was got under control about noon, after over twenty blocks had been totally ruined. The Metropolitan Hotel, near where the fire originated, was destroyed. Nearly all the city bounded by Gambhill street on the north, Second street on the west, Columbia street on the south, and the river on the east, is in ruins. The St. Charles Hotel, the largest building in the city, and two stores, are the only buildings saved on Front street. The St. Charles Hotel is damaged to the extent of $10,000. Walker’s sash and door factory is destroyed; loss $80,000. The Oregon Iron Works were on fire five times. Only one house stands on First street in a space of eight blocks. The east side of Second street is gone for nine squares. During the burning of Walker’s factory, the proprietors offered $1,000 for a stream of water from an engine ten minutes.

… HENRY WARD BEECHER told the Yale divinity students that “any one who can repeat the Lord’s prayer has a right to call himself a Christian.” We are very much obliged to Christians for trying to be so liberal toward heretics. We suppose they mean well enough; but we confess we should respect them more if they would adhere with all logical consistency to their Christian profession, or utterly depart from it.—The Index.