The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-06-16
A TOWN IN ASHES.
VANooUvER's BIG D1AzE,
oply -Four or Five Houses ont of Five Hun.
drSd Left stauding-Ouo Thousand PsO-
pie in Deep Distress By the Calamity.
Fifty Persons Perish In the Flames.

New WEsTMNsTRR, B. O., June 15.-
| Parties arriving from Vancouver state
that at 2;SO o'clock yesterday afternoon
the wind rose to q gale and caused fires
which were burning on the Canadian Pa
4 ciAc Railway reserve to spread toward the
city. A house on the extreme west end
caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly
to adjacent buildings. AT four o'clock the
last house in the town was in ashes, Hsy.
) ing's saWmill, the Royal City planning mill,
being situated on points Of land outside
) the town, were saved,
Five persons are reported dead and sew
eral seriously II not fatally burned, The
total loss Is estimated at Sl,OOO,OOO. In
surance $4,000. One thousand people
are homeless, 1t Is impossible to obtain
further particulars as yet on account Of
the wires being down.
The City OF Vancouver, situated at the
Pacific end Of the Canadian Pacific Rail.
way, Ia In ashes Not hall dozen houses
remain out OF 500, and, worst Ol all, there
10 large loss Of life, Ten bodies have
thus far been recovered, and a number OF
persons are missing. and are supposed TO
have persisted. One short hour did the
whole work. The property saved Is in
significant, A ''Clean sweep" defines the
situation. A thousand men are at work
clearing up debris for the railroad com.
pany, Twenty contracts for rebuilding
have been already let, Many men lost
their all, but determined to start In again.
PROPERTY LOSS.
The property loss falls directly on the
pioneer element Of the new city. Hun.
dreds Of people are camped out, There
are meagre facilities for the relief OF the
sufferers, but the people Of this city are
especially open.handed In their efforts to
relieve the distress, Prompt aid from the
Canadian Pacific railroad Is expected.
Families were compelled to abandon
their homes at q moments warning and
llse for their lives. Business men In
search OF valuables we're compelled to
rush through flames and smoke or perish.
The whole populaCe were panic stricken.
A number Of persons sought refuge In the
water. One man was found In well,
where he had lowered himself to escape
the flames. Few Of the people have more
than the clothes they stand in.
| OF the ten bodies recovered only three
have been identified. Most Of the burned
frame buildings will be replaced with
brick struCtureA Contracts for q large
hotel and other extensive buildings, rep.
resenting half million dollars, were let
Just before the fire.
FIFTY PERSONS PERISH.
TORONTO, June l5.-A Globe special from
Victoria says that fifty lives are known to
be lost in the destruction OF Vancouver by
Gre. Fourteen bodies have been recovered.
The identified are John Caswell, Mrs.
Nash, George Bailey and - FawCett.
The Mayor OF Victoria Is forwarding re.
| lief in response TO the appeal for aid re.
ceived last night and the Government 10 |
aiding in conjunction. The steamship
Princess Louise arrived to-day with 200
passengers, who saved nothing but what
they had on their persons.
PORTLAND, ORE June l5.-The Oregon.
tdn'S Victoria, u. O., special says: All day
Sunday there had been q steady wind
from the northwest, and the brush clear.
| ing fires on the Canadian Pacific railway
lots we're famed to such an extent as to
6ll tho terminal town OF Vancouver with
smoke. Nobody, however, had any idea
OF danger. Shortly after l o'clock r. Nj,
several persons began 10 consider the
situation threatening, but the smoke was
so dense that they found 1t impossible to
direct their streams TO the exact location |
OF It's source. Soon stable near the |
Colonial Hotel was seen to be OH FIRE.
The alarm was given, but 50 skeptiCal
we're people that they paid no attention |
for some time. The vino by this time had |
Increased to gale and famed the flames |
to raging fire,
PLANES SPREAD RAPIDLY.
One Of the first buildings to go was Mac.
Cartney's drug store, followed by the Of.
fCe Of the Vancouver Nars, The flames
sbot across Abbott street with astonishing
rapidity, and almost before people could |
realize II the whole of the western portion
OF the city was In blaze. The excite.
ment was now intense. Water street was
filled with dense smoke and flying cinderB,
and people were hurrying with what ei.
ieCts they could gather In their haste To a
place OF safety, the general direction OF
their flight being east, though many ran
To the elevated ground owned by the Can.
ada Pacific Railway Company. Others
again made for False Greek. Those who
endeavored TO save their goods were so
wrapped In their object as TO appear heed.
less Of the danger they ran, and II was
found especially necessary to compel many
women 10 relinquish their effects to save
their lives. In some cases there was only
Just time 10 place them on improylsed
RATS which were pushed out from the
shore beyond the reach Of the flames
which literally seemed TO gil the air.
In lees time than 1t takes to describe II,
the fire had reached Carroll street,
Some merchants In this vicinity and In
Ferguson block engaged In conveying
their goods TO place OF safety, hut 40
rapid was the Conhagration, that before
their horses we're ready, the teamsters
themselves were obliged to Hy for their
lives. All hopes OF saving any Considsra.
bic amount OF property was now abandon.
ed, and each c0ntented himself with hasti.
ly putting together what be could Cartyin
his hands without seriously impeding
bic speed and hurried from the spot, but
eyen.aiter leaving the houses the danger
was not over, for every road had become
an avenue Of Ere. The falling timbers
and stumps on each eide Of the road glow.
Ing with fire, and proving as serious a
menace 10 the fugiuves as the burning
houses Of the doomed city.
RoudHs LOOT THE SALOONS.
Daring the confusion which prevailed,
when rowdies and roughs saw that every
one was leaving, they entered the saloons,
which had been left entirely unprotected,
and commenced drinking. Many a one
was seen staggering along the streets with
q keg Of beer on his shoulder or carrying
az many bottles Of liquor as he could ap.
pfoptiate. Men were seen completely
hetimed In by the Are, aud apparently
obliyious Of tielf surroundings, drinking
lisuot. They we're, Of course, then Of.
l = "a Ill. ~ A