Vol
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF MOOSE PASS AND EENAI PuJMlNiauixA
._2Moose Pass. Alaska - November 30, 1941-No.
MIDNIGHT FIRE COMPLETELY DESTROYS MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS SECTION OF SEWARD.
HOTELS’. - RESTAURANTS - APARTMENT HOUSES - NEWSPAPER PLANT - DRUG STORE
STEAMSHIP OFFICE - ALASKA SHOP - URBACH'S - NSW BAKERY - HUNDREDS
31
MADE HOMELESS
TCith very few exceptions, those busi
nesses most necessary to everyday life in
Seward were destroyed by fire Sunday
night. For many months it has been im
possible to obtain a room overnight in
Seward in its over-crowded condition and
so many apartments - 30 in the Arcade
alone - together with two of Sewards best
hotels were destroyed that hundreds we re
made homeless.
Three restaurants were demolished, a
bakery, Seward's only drug store. Very
little.in either personal effects or
stocks in stores was saved.
Seward’s newspaper plant was complete
ly destroyed although it was located in a
concrete basement of the Arcade - which
was built to be a fireproof building. The
Alaska Steamship company’s office was
razed with all records
The beautiful Alaska Shop, a store
which would be a credit to Fifth Avenuein
New York City waB in the path of the fire
and also burned were its several apart
ment s•
FIRS RUNNING NORTH
STOPPED AT MCMULLEN'S
Tho a building was dynamited in an ef
fort to stop the fire, it swept relent
lessly northward on 4th street until it
reached the fire-wall of the McMullen
building. taking the Alaska Shop, Over
land Hotel, Sheppard’s Bakery, the Hol
lingsworth Dry Cleaning established,(form
erly Mrs. Blue's shop),the Model Cafe,the
Seward Drug Company.
Those business concerns located north
of the building which stopped the fire
owe their good luck to the foresight and
sound business sense of the late P. C. Mc
Mullen, who built a fireproof building.
Sweeping•southward from its supposed
starting point the fire devoured the Cam
eron Cafe, Second Chance barber shop, the
Miller barber shop with its upstairs liv
ing quarters, the Terminal Cafe, the
Northern saloon and pool hall and then
crossed a wide street and destroyed the
Arcade building which contained on its
ground floor The Seward Gateway(newspaper]
a Beauty Salon, Alaska Steamship offices,
Seward Light and Power offices, a Coal
office and the 30 apartments before men
tioned.
SAW LIFETIME WORK
GO UP IN FLAMES'
Mrs. Lillie James, who owned and con
ducted the Alaska Shop, 3aw her work of a
lifetime endeavor reduced to ashes. Her
ambition thru life has been to own and op
erate a shop as beautiful and efficiently
equipped as she - less than two years ago
made of her Alaska Shop.
Mrs. Jame3, T. W. Hawkins, and Andy
Rasmussen arrived in Seward by the same
boat August 2, 1902. All three have been
vital factors in Seward business life ever
since.
Elwyn Swetmann of the Sev«ard Drug Com
pany, has conducted his business for more
than 20 years during which time all of
Kenai Peninsula and sections further west
ward have depended upon his stock of gen
eral drug merchandise.
Mr. Swetmann and Leon Urbach, both of
whom salvaged a little stock, are, until
they can rebuild, located with the Seward
Trading Post.
FIRE GOES IN
THIRD DIRECTION
Thevweather Sunday mgnx was sucn xnax
the temperature was bitter cold but a high
vdnd was not blowing. But fire destroyed
the Seward Hotel across an alley and fac
ing east. We are informed that buildings
near it were not destroyed.
Not very well acquainted with Seward,
the Miner has probably made some grave
mistakes in this account. Telephone ef
forts to obtain information were not re
warded.
Lester Busey, editor of Seward's news
paper, is preparing to issue a mimeograph
ed paper.
The dynamite charge and extreme heat
broke the windows of those business con
cerns located across the street and facing
the fire.
Since it has been impossible to obtain
material to build houses for Seward's over
flow of people, there is small chance that
the burned sections of Seward's business
blocks can be re-built in thfe near future.
There was some insurance on the burned
properties and stocks -but in most cases
nothing like coverage. Dollars and cents
will never cover the loss sustained Sunday
night, November ?,3rd, in Seward.