Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-06-16

NEW w -IEH. d. u, June 10,
Parties arriving from Vancouver state that
at 2.3O Monday afternoon, the wind rose to
gale and caused the fires which were burning
on the Canada Pacific railway reserve. to
spread toward the city. A house on the ex-
treme west end caught. and the flames spread
rapidly to an adjacent building. At4 O'Clock
the last house in the town was in flames
Mornings saw mill and the Royal City Plan
ing Mill, being situated on the land outside
the town, were saved Five persons are re-
ported dead and several others seriously, if
not fatally injured. The total loss is esti-
mated at 81 900, 900, and the insurance SlO,-
600. One thousand persons are homeless.
1t is impossible to obtain further particulars
at present, on account of the wires being
down
Ten bodies have thus far been recovered
at Vancouver. A number of persons is miss
ing and they are supposed to have persisted.
One short hour did the whole work. The
property saved is insignificant. A clean
sweep defines the situation. thousand men
are at work clearing up the debris for the
railroad company. Twenty contracts for re-
building have already been let. Men lost
their all but are determined to start in again
The property loss will tall directly upon the
pioneer element of the new city. There are
meagre facilities for the relief of the suffer-
ers but the people of this city are especially
open handed in their efforts to relieve dis
tress. Prompt aid from the Canadian Pacific
railroad is expected. Families were COM
PEELED to abandon their hom,s and flee for
their lives. The whole population was panic
stricken. number sought tefuge in the
water. One man was found in well where
he had covered himself to escape the flames.
PORTLAND, Or, June Is.
The Oregonian's Victoria, B. C., special
says: All day Sunday there had been
steady wind from the northwest and the brush
clearing fires on the Canadian Pacific rail-
road lots were tanned to such an extent as to
fill the terminal town of Vancouver with
smoke. Nobody, however. had any idea of
danger. Shortly after z. M several per-
sons began to consider the situation threat
ening, but the smoke was so dense they
found it impossible to direct their steps to
the exact location of its source. Soon the
stable near the Colonial Hotel was seen to be
or fire. An alarm was given but so skeptical
were the people they paid no attention for
sometime. Fhe wind by this time increased
to a gale and famed the flames to mass of
raging fire. One of the first buildings to go
was McCartney's drug store, followe ed by the
office of the Vancouver News The flames
shot across Abbott street with astonishing
rapidity and almost before the people could
realize it the whole western portion of the
city was in blaze. The excitement now
was intense. Water street was flied with
dense smoke and flying cinders and people
were hurrylng with what effects they could
gather in their haste to a place of safety.
The genera! dire ction of the flight was east.
though many ran 10 the elevated ground of
the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. Others
made tor False Creek.
Those who epdeavored to save their goods
were SO wrapped in their object as to appear
needless of the danger they ran, and it was
found necessary to compel many women to
relipgush their effects in order to save their
lives. In some cases there was only just
time to place them on improvised RATS, which
were pushed ont frcm the shore beyond the
reach of the flames. In less time than it
takes to describe ii the fire had reached Car
roll street. Some of the merchants in this
vicinity and Ferguson Block were engaged
in conveying their goods to place Of safety,
but so rapid was the conflagration that before
their horses were ready the teamsters them
selves were obliged to flee for their lives.
4 ii hope of saving any considerable amount
of property was now abandoned, and each
contented himself with hastily putting to-
gether what he could carry in his hands,
without seriously liDpeulnS MS progress anu
hurried from the spot, but even after leaving
the houses the danger was not over, for every
street became an avenue of fire. Falling
timbers and stumps on each side of the street,
glowing with fire, proved as serious a menace
to the tugtives as the burning houses OF the
doomed city. During the confusion which
prevailed, when the crowds of roughs saw
that everyone was leaving, they entered the
saloons which had been left unprotected
and commenced drinking. Many were seen
staggering along the streets with a keg of
beer on their shoulders. A large number of
figures collected at Hastings wharf and also
at False Greek bridge. Nothing was to be
seen at either of these points but lurid rolf
ing bank of smoke, hanging over the ashes OF
the city, from which st uggles could be seen
occasionally. In short time the remains of
several persons had been discovered. Up to
10 o'clock Monday morning. nine bodies,
some burned beyond recognition. had been
found. There is some uncertainty about the
exact number already found as in some cases
a handful of charred bones were the only in
dication of human life being lost.