The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-06-16
A TERRIBLE FIRE.
The Town of Vancouver, B. O.,
Burned. &
OF THE PARTICULARS.
scisnside Rss~srch-ssnk-Insane er
Lece..tris The Boa Raee-
ah- FisheIfes-Etc.
A Terrible Fire.

oRILAED. Ogn. June 15.-OregoniaR'
Viclor.i. 8. O., specisl-Al day Sun
day iieTe had been very steady wind
fToa. co. e northwest, and brush-clearing
fires on the Canadian Pacific Railway
Lott were famed 70 such an extent as
IN All In. terminal town of Vancouver
with smoke Nobody mad. however,
any iIed OF danger. Shorty after
p IN. several persons began TO consider
the situat On threatening one, but the
smoke W. 50 dense ,aat ley ioui.Sal IL
Impossible 10 direct their steps TO the
exact location OF its source. Soon
stable n.ar the Colonial Hotel was
seen on fire. The alarm was given, but
so skepticai were the people that they
paid no atientiOn To- IL for some time
| The wind Dy this time had increased to
a gale and famed the flames TO a mass
OF raging IRE. One of the first build
| ines 10 20 Was McCartney's drug store,
| followed by the office of the Vancouver
| Nesrs. The flames shot across Abbott
Ste with astonishing rapidity, and
SIN st before the people could realize IL,
the whole OF the western portion OF the
CITY was in a blaze The excitement
was now intense; Water Street was
filed with a dense smoke and flying
cinders, and the people were hurrying
with what effects they could gather in
their haste TO a place of safety, the
general direction of flight being
10 tie east, though many ran to the ele-
waited ground owned by the Canada
Pacific Railroad Company. Others
again made for False Creek. Those who
endeavored 10 save their goods, were so
wrapped up in their object as to appear
needless OF The danger they ran. and it
was found especially necessary TO COM
pei many women TO relinquish their
efforts To save their effects. In some
eases there was only Just time to place
them on imprOvIsed RATS which
wre pushed from the shore be-
yond the reach Of the flames which
literally 4esmed to I'LL the air. In
less time than it takes to describe
it. the fire bad reached Carroll Street.
Some merchants in this vicinity
to convey their goods 10 q place OF
safety; but so rapid was the conhagra
ton, that before the horses were ready
the teamsters themselves were Obliged
to fly TO. their lives. All hope of saw
ing any considerable amount of prop
erty was now abandoned, aud each con-
tented himself with hastily putting to-
gether what he could carry in his hands
without seriously impeding his speed,
and hurried from the spot; but even
after leaving the houses the danger was
not over, for every road had become an
avenue of fire, fallen timbers and
s'umps on each side of the road glow
ing with fire, proving as serious
menace TO the fugitives as
the burning houses of the doomed
city. During the confusion that
prevailed. when rowdies and roughs
saw that every one was leaving, they
ente ed the saloons which had been left
entirely unprotected. and commenced
drinking. Ma y one was seen stag
gering along the streets with a keg of
beer on his shoulders or packing as
many bottles Of LIQUOR as h could APP
propriate. Our informant was C edibiy
told that men were seen sitting COM
pletely lemmed in by fire ard appar-
emily obiviOus of their surroundings,
drinking liquor; they were, of course,
then already partially intoxicated. A
laTg- number of fugitives collected at
Hastings Mill Company's wharf, but
a lar e majority collected at False Greek
bridge. Nothing was to be seen fro
either of these points but lurid, rolling
bank OF smoke hanging over the aS.ses
of the city, from which the stragglers
could De seen occasionally fleeing The
steamer DunSmuir was at the wharf to
receive the people, and, with several
other steamers, conveyed a large num-
Der over to Moodyville. The dropping
OF the flames was as sudden as their rise,
and by pm. some adventurous spirits
had already made their way along the
roads of the destroyed city. and before |
dark the work of searching for the bodies !
OF those overtaken by the fiery element
had begun. II a short time
the incinerated rem.ins of sew
eral persons had been discovered. |
Up to the time of our informant's de-
parture from the scene, which was 10 |
am. Monday, nine bodies. some of |
which were beyond recognition, had |
been found. The remains were laid in |
an clubhouse near False CIR Elk bridge. |
There is some uncertainty about the ex-
act number already found, as in some |
cases q handful of charred bones were |
the only indication of a human life |
being lost. One of the searchers in
formed our informant that he thought /
the number could truthfully be |
estimated at twelve. The general senti. |
ment Of the people appears to be one of |
hopefulness ana determination at once /
begin the reconstruction of the city. |
Some have already got building material |
on the ground. The sympathy OF the |
people OF New Westminster was prac
tically exhibited by the arrival at the |
site of the fire on Sunday night Of three |
wagon loads Of provisions.