TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State

Told by the Pioneers
tom, and we couldn't get much help ill those days, just old Indian
women occasioilallv.
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Lela Rice ,vas about lO.years old at that time.
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The Bon }farche was a second hand store, a variety store and the
only dry goods store in town after the fire. Mother sent me to get
some calico goods for a dress, but no one family was allowed more
than five yards of goods, as the supply was extremely limited. I
thought this terrible, as I knew my sister should have a dress, too.
My sister, Susan, or Susy as we called her, was younger than I but
we looked quite a bit alike. I wanted to get her some dress goods and
at last decided how. I made my first purchase and went out for a
while. I went back in the store later and asked for five more vards of
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calico. The clerk did not remember me and gave me the limit again,
so when I returned home I had ten yards to give mother, enough to
make both my sister and me a dress apiece.
During the fire all the chickens ran under the house. Some of them
had their tail feathers burned. Mother had bought some black Langshans.
These chickens were the size of Plymouth Rocks. They were
supposed to be special chicks. Our fence in front of the house caught
fire, and neighbors beat it out. Mr.. Rice had a Kentucky horse. His
and other's horses were galloped down the street out of the path of the
fire.
Mr. Rice was east of the mountains, buying cattle, at the time of
the fire. The firm had a corral where the Boeing air field is now located.
At this time the ground was not filled in below Yesler. "\Ve were
not allowed to go down there, as that was the restricted district, near
Washington street and along the waterfront. This was a block below
Yesler Way and in no danger from the fire. There was a dock along
there where we used to go to fish.
Our yard ,,-as filled with all sorts of things during the fire. There
were kegs of lard from which the contents ran all over other things.
The day was scorching hot.
The railroad had been built when the fire struck Seattle, but travel
to Tacoma up until this time had been by boat, but during the fire a
train was dispatched over the new line to bring fire engines and horses
from Tacoma. )lother was baking bread at the time the first alarm
was sounded, and the bread was neglected.
Lela Rice attended Central school at Sixth and Madison, and high
school at the Old South school. These schools burned and we attended
no more classes until the next fall, as the season was nearing its
close. The night of the fire most of the people slept under the trees.
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