While teaching a uke building class how to use hot hide glue on June 6th, one student pointed out that it was the anniversary of the great Seattle fire of 1889, which wiped out 120 acres (25 city blocks) of downtown Seattle. The rebuild created what is now the underground Seattle tour. Interestingly, the fire was started by a woodworker whose hide glue, heated on a gasoline fire, boiled over, igniting the turpentine and sawdust on the floor. Here’s a concise article on it from the UW library archives.
http://content.lib.washington.edu/extras/seattle-fire.html
Michael Dresdner
www.michaeldresdner.com
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