The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-06-23
A CITY WIPED OUT.
Vancouver, B. C.. Thriving Place, Utterly
Destroyed by Fira
ORIy Half a Dozen Buildings Remain Out
of Five Hundred-Many Lives Lost
Three Thousand Homeless
People-Fires Elsewhere.

PORTLAND, Ore, June 15.-The Oregonian's
Victoria, B. c., special says: ALI day Sunday
there has been steady wind from the north
west, and the brush-clesring fires on the
Canadian Pacific Railway lots were famed
to such an extent as to fill the terminal
town of Vancouver with smoke. Nobody,
however, had any idea of the danger.
Shortly after p. m. several persons began
to consider the situation threatening, but
the smoke was so dense that they found it
impossible to direct their steps to the exact
the Colonial Hotel was seen to be on fire.
The alarm was given but so skeptical were
the people that they paid no attention for
some time. The wind by this time had in
creased to gale and famed flames to mass
of raging fire. One of the first buildings to
go was MacCartney's drug store, followed by
the Office of the Van Couver News. The
flames shot across Abbott street with aston
lshing rapidito, and almost before people
could realize it the whole of the western
portion of the city was in blaze. The ex-
element was now intense. Water street was
filled with dense smoke and flying cinders,
and people were hurrying with what effects
q
safety, the general direction of their flight
being east though many ran to the ele vated
ground owned by the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way Company. Others againfmade for False
Creek. Those who endeavored to save their
goods were so wrapped in their object as to
appear needless of the danger they ran, and
it was found especially necessary to compel
many women to relinguish their efforts to
save their lives.
In some cases there was only Just time to
place them on improvlsed RATS, which were
pushed out from the shore beyond the reach
| of the flames. which literally seemed to fill
| the air. In less time than it takes to de-
scribe it the fire had reached Carroll street.
| Some merchants in this vicinity and in Fer
| guson Block we're engaged in conveying their
| goods to place of safety, but so rapid was
| the confagration that before their horses
were ready the teamsters themselves were
| obliged to fly for their lives. All hope of
saving any considerable amount of property
was now abandoned, and each contented
himself with hastily putting together 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 be-
come an avenue of fire. The falling timbers
and stumps on each side of the road glowing
with fire and proving as serious menace to
| the fugitives as the burning houses of the
| doomed city.
During 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 COM
| menced drinking. Many a one was seen stag
gering along the streets with keg of beer on
his shoulder, or carrying as many bottles of
| liquor as he could appropriate. Men were
| seen completely hemmed in by the fire, and
| apparently oblivious of their surroundings,
drinking liquor. They were of course then
| already partially Intoxicated.
A large number of the fugitives collected
| at TIE Hastings Mill C0mpany's wharf, but
large majority collected at the False Creek
bridge. Nothing was to be seen from either
| of these points but lurid, rolling bank of
smoke hanging over the ashes of the city,
| from which stragglers could be seen occa-
| sionally fleeing. The steamer Dunsmuir was
at the wharf to receive people, and with sew
eral other steamers conveyed large number
| over to Moodyville.
The dropping of the flames was as sudden
as their rise. and by p. m. some adventure
| Gus spirits had already made their way along
| the roads of the destroyed city and before
dark the work of searching for bodies of
those overtaken by fiery elements had be-
| gun. In a short time inciaerated remains of
several persons had been discovered. Up to
10 o'clock Monday morning nine bodies,
some of which were burned beyond recog-
| milton, had been found. There is some un-
| certainty about the exact number already
| found as in some cases a handful of charred
bones were the only indication of a human
| life being lost. One of the searchers said he
| thought the number could be t;uthfully es.
timated at twelve The general sentiment
of the people appears to be one of hopeful
ness and determination to at once begin re-
construction of the city. Some have already
got building material on the ground.