The daily gazette., 1881-06-10
BURNING 7HOURS.
THE CITY or QUEnEC AGAIN RAW.
b0r AGED DY EIRE.


Two MILLION JDsalsss' worth Of FRO.
perty Dsssroyed-Efght Hundred
y Houses I'm Ruins and Over Fifteen
Hundred People Homeless.
QUEBEC, June 9.-One ofs the
most disastrous fres which this un
fortunate city has been afflicted with
commenced last rlieht and was only
got under control at 9 O'Clock this
morning. The first alarm was from
the corner Of st. Olivier and st.
Claire Streets at ten minutes before
IL O'Clock. "A, few minutes later the
bells from Basilica, st. Johns and
st. Roach's Churches rang out a Sc.
cond alarm, and the whole force of
the Fire Brigade was soon upon the
ground. The reflection of the flames
was 10 viAible that IN ysahort time
half the city appeared q be attract
ed to the scene, and by il.30 O'Clock
all the avenues around and leading
to the fire were 80 completely pack.
ed with people that It was next to
impossible to force o way through
them. The scene in the vicinity Of
the confagralion was one Of utter
confusion. half OF those present
seemed panic stricken, and three
fourths OF the others only added to
the confusion by running against
each other aud really contributing to
the destruction of property while
believing they were helping to save
il. Parents, partially clothed, hurri-
ed along In. every direction with in
fants wrapped In bedclothing in their
arms. Cows and horses, let loose
from burning stables, rushed half
maddened through the crowd or stood
dazed by the uproar and confusion
surrounding them.
ALI HANDS DEMoRALIzED. s-'
The fire originsted in q stable Of st.
Olivier Street near st. Marie Street. The
flames quickly spread to the surrounding
wooden buildings and to the streets
above and below. ST. Oliver, Lat0urelle,
st. Marc and Richelieu Streets were
quickly q mass Of fire for some hundred
feet each In extent. the flames from the
other sides ofthe streets overlapping In
the middle and completely closing them
| to all traffic. The scenes common TO all
great fires wero readily discernable at
this stage. Even the police and iiremen
were to great extent demoralized. Dar-
ing robbery was carried on freely in full
sight Of everybody; liquor stores and pri-
vate dwellings attacked by the flames
were ransacked for liquor, which was
openly drank by the low characters
which iDfest the locality. The sparks
| which everywhere new from the burning
wooden buildings, were terrible sourct
of danger TO the rest Of the city. 1t wa
no uncommon sight TO see mems coat
and hats abIaze from the burning plece
Of shingles which lighted upon them
Tbs, IRE brigade sllege that fsur wooder
| houses were found on fire by them wheI
they arrived upon the scene, and that
| with water absent and unattainable fol
some twenty minutes, 1t was fnpossibl,
( for them to obtain the mastery. ..
THE ESTIMATED LOSS.
ga" Battery was called out and rem
dered efficient aid In saving propert.
and in keeping order. 1t is estimate,
that there must be loss of 5000, ,0G'
between the buildings, stock and fur.
niture. Over 1,500 families are rem
dered homeless by the confagration
At least 800 buildings have been de
stroyed, The FIRE brigade and apparatu
was quite unfit to cope with such fir
and to its weakness and the wretche'
water service the whole disaster is due
d'.l f1lLoss OF LIFE.
Rumors circulated a. to loss of lif
were not believed up to s P. M. It nov
appears that three lives were lost
They are those of Mr.. and Mrs. Hard,
of No. lie. Oliver Street, whose childrel
were saved and that Of a man name'
Morris, Q JOINER, Of Richelieu Street
Mrs. George Lappcriere and two chill
dren are missing, and are also believes