ASTORIA, ORE. IS FIRE RUIN.

BUSINESS DISTRICT OF COAST CITY WIPED OUT.

FULL SWAY TO FLAMES FOR TEN HOURS, CAUSING A LOSS ESTIMATED AT FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS -- RELIEF MEASURES BEGUN.

By the Associated Press.
Astoria, Ore., Dec. 8. -- The business district of Astoria, the oldest city in Oregon, is in ruins, hundreds of persons are homeless and property loss estimated around $15,000,000 was caused by a fire here today. For ten hours the flames held sway, eating an ever-widening path thru the city until shortly after noon.
Banks, newspaper plants, hotels, stores, theaters and numerous buildings, housing a variety of business places, were wiped out. According to Fire Chief E. B. FOSTER the fire got out of control because it burned beneath the buildings under piling upon which the business section of the city was built. He attributed the disaster to failure to fill in the space beneath the piling. Dynamiting was resorted to in an effort to stay the flames.
NOTORES STAPLES, automobile man and president of the Bank of Commerce, dropped dead of heart failure while the fire was at its height.
The body of C. J. SMITH, a transient, was found hanging under the sidewalk on the waterfront at Eighth and Astor streets, but whether he had ended his life because of the fire or for other reasons, the police were unable to determine. He had spent the night in a cheap lodging house on the waterfront.

Thirty Blocks Wiped Out.
Thirty blocks were wiped out by the flames. Many homes in the older residence district were destroyed and about fifty families living in an apartment house were made homeless by the destruction of that building. In addition to these many persons occupying rooms in the destroyed area lost everything they had except the clothing on their backs.
A committee of citizens met at the call of Mayor JAMES BREMMER and planned immediate relief measures. They were assured of help from Portland and Seaside. Every restaurant and hotel in the city had been destroyed and stocks of food in the stores had been wiped out, so there was prospect of immediate want. Portland bakeries sent loads of bread and Seaside sent word that the hotel there was open to receive those without shelter and a large colony of summer cottages at the beach resorts also were to be offered to the homeless. Homes in the residence district also were thrown open to give aid and food to the needy.
The Y. M. C. A. building, which was outside the fire zone, was opened as the headquarters of all welfare agencies.
The Budget, an afternoon paper, which attempted to get out an edition today on the press of the paper at Seaside, found this impracticable and instead issued mimeographed sheets.
J. S. DELLINGER, publisher of the Astorian, the morning paper, announced that he would probably get out tomorrow morning's edition on the press of the local Finnish daily, the Loveri.
The Astorian recently moved into a new building which was swept by the fire. MR. DELLINGER said three typsetting machines had been saved but the rest of the plant was destroyed, including the files of fifty years ago.

Telegraph Exchange Burned.
Telephone exchanges and telegraph offices were burned. Communication with the outside was maintained thruout the city by means of a long distance line temporarily set up at the city hall.
The meeting of citizens and the mayor resulted in the naming of a committee on temporary relief. H. A. HOSTLER, placed his residence at the disposal of St. Mary's hospital for housing of patients. The hotelkeepers of Oregon in session at Portland, donated $5,000 for relief, and railroads offered free transportation and free aid.
The W. C. T. U. established a free lunch in the Y. M. C. A.
The Columbia river packing association donated the use of two steamers for housing purposes and facilities in churches and other buildings were listed for housing. A detachment of the Oregon national guard was due to arrive to aid the local police. Orders were issued to keep every person out of the burned district tonight.
LEE DRAKE, part owner of the Astoria Budget and president of the Astoria chamber of commerce, called a meeting of all merchants for tomorrow to discuss plans for rebuilding.

Spirit Of Optimism Seen.
Optimism, a spirit of "down but not out," prevails in the stricken town despite the misfortune which has eaten out its heart. Statements made by the mayor, city officials and prominent business men, pausing long enough in their work of fire fighting, salvage and relief, to take cognizance of assistance, and expressions of sympathy from outside, evince it.
No word of discouragement was heard on the streets of Astoria today. A forward looking spirit prevailed. In his battered office in the scorched and battered city hall, its ceilings dripping water and its windows partly shattered and still giving way periodically to thundering detonations from ruins across the street, Mayor JAMES BREMNER has this to say:
"We've got no town left, but we've still got the best harbor on the Pacific coast. We will start rebuilding at once on the old site. These things have happened before, to us once, to San Francisco, to Chicago and many other cities. Yet folks have gone ahead and built bigger and better cities on the ruins. We hope to do just that."

The Nebraska State Journal Lincoln Nebraska 1922-12-09
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!