, 1874-01-23
THE GREAT HELENA FIRE.
Loss Estimated ut sS50,Oo0.

1
------ .....
Loss Esttmnted 1t $3.50, ,000.
From til Helena {]fontana) Heraid. jan. 9.
Another disastrous conaAgration has .wer
over this doomed city like the tesom Of destrue
ton, and reduced to ashes the most va!uabl
portion OF tho metropolis. About o'clock thi
moroing fire was discovered in q gambling
| house in Chlnatown-the identical place, 1t
said. in which originated the great fire in April
1862 which destroyed almost the entire city
Tho wind q. tho time vas blowing perfect hur
| rlcane, and seemed to mcreaso aa the mornln:
advanced-not nHliae inc fearful olast tha
sWent over chicago two years ago. In
of1e1 snag m tue "hole or Chinatown was II
lanes. 1ne ealoon on the corner o1 br1use ant
| Upper Alaln strcees then caught, the grocer.
| Llssnera b'i!lara-saiooa. tue wooden pu1tding'
! opposite, tnc!noing lraVls stabIe5. Inc flames
leapea across tue street. AND, as matter o.
COURSE the 1nscfuat,onal Hotel, the finest ant
was the next 'c5I,n 10 the femorscless frenzy o.
ano n1e-neau. 1nen !ollo"eq Ian F49~eFee !.
] EAcnan:c, ING Alyus, b!nzel Uennlb
hno, 10 1acs, gu inc nMllalnss on Hooa streeI
our sample Aoous anu ahe D.1cR p1och ao'
JOINING, Including the Post-Omco aud the
WOODEN bnlld1n5s across the street, were
| al swept OUT OF slsht IN less time almost
than 1t taAes TO record tno TACT
human efforts seemed utterly lmpotent to
stay or even cnccS' the ra7ases OF Inc 1ne4ofa-
| S+S A~A!S@ @HANANt - %eSA5 AsHJ
ssructuie and swiftly spreading over the heart
anu centre OF the town. Johnson q Dutrentles
barber-shoP, hedges Holtcra orlck block.
AIRS. I"oSoods millinery estao4shmens, the
1eopieB National Bank, the fifst Natlonal
Gann, G,a, sns n9 ooA n'1 n"aa ne'n .;
" H. Ifea,. r. D.. - ~ V;s, ra
pus., sno ~ i,ea.'a.o,,.e5' I'eA h1Ss- n
W.,n,,s =" rhs.-s;,n,, do Gi'a.,ao R,,,,a
c;iu ria1ih oI,uet-snoo' 1s,asles nlnoY Assay
oauso - ~ c.aoo ~ a'ia 'na',s osno1s nhleu ~
@ @nesen5 W. w no@ ieea'l' "oie eon4ptese'S Ut
~ Many valuable buildings on Bridge street we're
also laid III ashcs-ln TACT the greater portion OF
that thorouShfaro, including the Gdzetle Office.
What seems TO be most remarkable in conpec-
ton with THIS hro II the lact that lts course WAS
in fact, almost precisely the Same, for on TINT
occasion the whole OF Chinatown, Bridge street.
Wood street, and Main street on both sided,
we're entirely DESTROYED: There IL this differ
ence, however: IN the iormeS are, every build
ing on the south side OF Nam street as far down
az Hale's drugs tore, and on the opposite side as
far al Clarke, Conrad d Curtin i hardware store.
wero consumed; while this fire only extended to
Ming Il Cos book store On the one side, and to
M,llen & Rosencran's q boot aud shoe store on the
ReaiG's. and Doris d Lowerys, on the opposite
side Of that store, wnere it was checked, there
being plentiful supply OF water IN taa well
near tue corner:
a uesi'e'a.e enost ~ sa'e 'ne o.. Au,lls q Hotel
was nlaae; anu ~ We % ~ napP? " s.ote 1nat IL "as
;.achsoh s1resl were sota,'g oesslo5eu, ana many
nuuSeo 1a.a - 'ne toa1 ~ 'aeAooe 'AeS 1uo 5ane
1ate'
In the great confusion which prevails through
out the city, 1t is Impossible to give anything
Ike m accurate report Of this terrible disaster.
Every man in the city (and We might say ia the
county too) has lost directly Indirectly By thia
awful visitation OF the Fro Fiend. It
came at q time when our people weto leas.
able to meet any loss whateyer-at
time when money is extremely scarce.
and with large stocks Oh hand. Our mel chants
are tho heaviest sufferers. Cans d Klein, the
most extensive mercantile firm III Montana, have
los: their entire stock OF goods, consisting OF
ready-mado clothing and gents fu7nishlngs,-
the LARGEST and choicest stock IN tho Territory,
ana valued ut Sl5o, ,U0o In addition to this they
LOSE their fine three-story brick building, valued
at S23 ,o00. All OF Which, We learn, was total
loss, there being no insurance on the same.
The destruction of Cana j. klein's building also
clothing, which was removed to that house soon
after the breaking out OF the hrc, belleyiu. that
it vas perfectly fre-proof building. Goldbeig
estimates bis loss at 915,u00. The valuable
also removed to Gaus i klein's, and this, too.
shared h6e fate. Tho Abraey waa valued at
35,00G.
Among the banks Of the city DESTROYED by the
file are the First National aud tne Pepple's
NATIONAL that is, the bull 1lpgs arc lost bat the
vaults and everything rc1nainjns in them are
SAFE. Tho books and creonbacks in both these
institutions. amounting to several huudrad
thousand dollars, wera carefully removed to a |
secure place long before the fire reached them. |
Neither of the banks, we learn. had anv mort. |
cages or other securities on the buildings de-
srrvved and. having taken the precautiou to ro |
move from, their yanlts ali the croeobacks and ]
yaIuahles, tlev have escaped with compacatiyely |
small losses. Bota Of tho banks w1ll bo open |
and in full blast again on Mondly morning.
About 10 o'clock the stable Of Gen. Blaine
caught fire from some of the cindera Which we're
gy1ng in the air. The flames quickly spread to
lis fine residence on Fifth avenue, and IN less
tnan thirty minutes both we're iu asles Sew /
pral other dwellings, on Fifth arepue and Rodney !
street caught fire from the same cause referred
% above, and d general fire III that section Of
the citr was onl; prevented by the vigilance Of
our citizens.
There il very strong feeling existing against
he Chinese portion OF our population !; AMI this
8 not to DO wondered at This il the third tlme
.are}essncss of this portion OF the community,
II through the nature OF the buildings they are |
n the habit Of putting up. But it Certainly be-
1ooyes us to let our reason come into play in !
'iewing this matter, aud We should not allow
'ur passions to got the upper hand of US. Are