NAHCOTTA FIRE-SWEPT

FLAMES DESTROY $40,000 WORTH OF BUSINESS BLOCKS.

Hotels, Stores, Postoffice, Depot and Other Lesser Buildings Are Destroyed at Bench Resort.

ILWACO, Wash., Jan. 27.---(Special.)---Fire, starting in the abandoned Nahcotta Hotel and fanned by a strong east wind, wiped out the business section of Nahcotta today, destroying two other structures. The loss was about $40,000. Nahcotta is the Shoalwater Bay terminus of the O. W. R. & N. on the North Beach Peninsula.

Flames jumped across the business streets and railroad tracks, damaging the sheds and roundhouse of the Willapa Harbor Railroad. In spite of the efforts of the volunteer fire department, the fire spread rapidly.

Two or three residences also were damaged, including that of Charles Birch, conductor on the O. W. R. & N.

J. A. Moorehead, owner of the general merchandise store and recently elected County Commissioner of Pacific County, is the heaviest loser, his stock valued at $15,000 being destroyed. It was partially covered by insurance. He is in Chehalis attending the meeting of the State Convention of County Commissioners.

Other losses were H. A. Duggan, general store, building and stock valued at $4,500, $12,000 insurance; Bay View Hotel, A. H. Johnson, $8,000 loss and $2000 insurance; Nahcotta Hotel, Mrs. James Petit, $25000 loss and $1500 insurance, an empty saloon building belonging to the Henry Weinhardt estate of Portland, loss $1000 and no insurance.

Morning Oregonian, Portland, OR 28 Jan 1915
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Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!