National Hotel Burned-Loss $30,000-Insurance $14,000-Three Hundred Guest Escape Uninjured-Another Fire at the Same Time-Work of the Fire Department.

About three o’clock this, Friday, morning, fire was discovered in the basement of Patterson’s paint store, on Canal street, in the three story brick block owned by J.H. Martin,. The Valley City fire department was promptly on hand and soon put out the fire, confining it to the basement. The loss was not very large, and is fully covered by insurance.

Meanwhile, about 3:30 a fire broke out in the roof of the rear of the National Hotel, from over heating the chimney from the kitchen, ot because it was defective, and the Campau, on its way to the first fire stopped at the Division street reservoir ready for action, the other engines coming as soon as possible from, the first fire. At first the employees of the hotel and neighbors hoped to save the building with a few pailfuls of water as the flames made but little headway, burned very steadily, but their efforts were unsuccessful, and before the Fire Department, could work to any advantages on the fire, the flames were beyond control.

The guests-about three hundred-were in the hotel, many with baggage; all got out of the building, with nearly all their effects, and much of the furniture was removed. The small frame building, west of the hotel, part of the structure in which was Gilbert Cook’s grocery, also the dwelling north on Greenwich street, own4ed by Mrs. Moriarty, occupied by John McNab and Mrs. Welfair, and the outbuildings in the rear were all burned. The barns across Greenwich street were in great danger, and would have burned had there been any wind at the time. As it was, the utmost exertions of the bucket brigade only sufficed to have them. Had they burned, the whole block from Greenwich to Division street must have been laid waste, and many thousand dollars of property destroyed, for the supply of water was exhausted before the fire was under control, and the efforts of the Valley City, pumping from the Pearl Street reservoir, were not enough to keep- the Campau and Caswell playing steadily from the Monroe street reservoir. Is there a lesson in this fact?

The loss on the buildings is estimated at $10,000 or $12,000; insurance on hotel only, for $10,000. The hotel was owned by Canton Smith, Esq. He lived in the part over the grocery. His furniture was all saved. Messrs. Campbell & Heach, proprietors of the hotel, saved a small portion of the furniture and other effects in the hotel. Their loss, aside from being thrown out of business, is $12,000 to $15,000, insured for $2,000; he saved about half his stock-insurance $1,700. Messrs. McNab & Welfair saved all their furniture, with slight loss. Mrs. Moriarty’s loss is $500 or $600, uninsured. The fixtures in Jesse’s barber shop were nearly all removed; loss small.

The National Hotel was one of the oldest of the landmarks of the city, as it had been built, though remodeled and rejuvenated from time to time, many years. It has a most interesting history, and in the future the historian of Grand Rapids will have ample material for an extended article.

George G. Steketee suffers a loss of about $300 on the building adjoining. Insured.