portion of them waved back and forth in response to a strong wind, which filled the night air with cinders. At last different portions of the walls fell, thus giving the flames an opportunity to sweep from the lower portions of the building. Great gusts, which seemed to almost lift the upper floors, swept through the broken walls. High up over the building the flames climbed, carrying with them sparks and cinders, and in come instances large pieces of timber. All that saved the lower part of the city from fiery destruction was the fact that a solid bed of snow a foot deep lay upon the roofs of all the buildings. During all this time there was comparative quiet, notwithstanding the fact that the fire gradually extended across Jackson street and also across Seventh street. Besides the hotel, six or eight other buildings were also on fire, four of which were destroyed. Women and men were to be seen hurrying out of the burning buildings in their night clothes, furniture was thrown into the street, costly pianos, richly upholstered furniture, valuable pictures and a great many other expensive articles were dropped in the snow in a helter-skelter manner. Although nearly every room in the hotel was occupied and rumors flew thick and fast that many of the guests were still in their rooms, fortunately no lives were lost and no one was injured. The coolest person in the building was a young man by the name of Pete O'Brien, the night watchman. When he heard of the fire he comprehended in a moment the danger of a panic among over two hundred people who were locked in sleep, unconscious of danger. He went from room to room and from floor to floor, telling them of the danger, but assuring them all that they had plenty of time to escape. He apparently took command of the excited guests and issued orders like a general on the field of battle. To his presence of mind and coolness many of the guests were indebted for their escape from a frightful death. The fire department worked hard and did good service. The city had no waterworks at that time, but relied for water entirely upon cisterns located in different parts of the city. When the cisterns became dry it was necessary to place the steamer at the river and pump water through over two thousand feet of hose. Among the guests at the hotel at the time of the fire were Gen. C.C. Andrews, Judge Lochren, Capt. H.A. Castle, Gen. W.G. Le Duc, Selah Chamberlain, Gov. Armstrong and wife, Charles A. Gilman and wife, Dr. W.W. Mayo, I.W. Webb, Dr. Charles N. Hewitt, M.H. Dunnell, Judge Thomas Wilson and more than two hundred others. * * * * *