New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-17
A GREAT FIRE IN QUEBEC
SEVEN HUNDRED HOMES DESTROYED IN A
SUBURB.
pRopERrY WORTH ssOOoOo BURNED. AND T"o
LIVES Losr-THoUsANDs OF PEOPLE WITH


OUT NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. FOR RELIEF
Quebec, May l6.-A disastrous hre proN0 O"S
sarly this morning in ST. Sauveur, IN the MUS ~
Mrs. McCann, ON Valier-st, and spread "icL So
rapidity through the wooden district Whi0u Iul
rounded it. The flames ragged with ~
fury hour after hour, and at O'CLOCK !" I. wac
possible to guess the limit of the hre in0 pa
were in dsmay at the rapidity with "hi'n O,'o -
stxoying flames jumped from one "ooU." c..
ing 10 another. The local arrangenenVo AVi
ing fire were defective, and the Queoeo MT
were sent for and were quickly on tne spV,' ouV l''
Efforts were crippled for want OF w"VoI' i'-
was called out and rendered Vaiua'io "'o''
however.
while tho military were preparing to blow up
some Of the houses TO cheek the hre pi'Ii%
EXPLOSION took place in one OF the houses, klIlng
a,a,or shnrt and fatally injuring Sergeant WaIEeS.
IN p,,+s,v Roth we're buried in the ruins. Ser
raant walI;ok WAS found shortly afterward near
.hs door ~ the house, dreadfuly mangled. Major
Shor,,s hoa1 was found later on minus leg and
nv avn which were discovered some distance from
the trunk.
Sc Sauyeur Is a separate municipality from
puebee but is divided from it by only the width
M n street. 1t has population Of 5000.
Atio:3O the fire had been checked on the city
xide but was still burning furiously toward the
nortbwest and it seeemd probable that IL would
stoo only when there was nothing left TO feed 1t.
This proved TO be the case. for though there was
rain falling steadily for three hours, the blaze was
fsuned by strong easterly wind.
At 4:s0 p. N. the fire had burned itself out,
after reaching the limits Of St. Sauveur, the
toll-gate keepers house in Valier-st being about
the last TO CO. The district north and west OF
MAssue and st. Ambrose SITS had been swept
clean with the exception OF q portion OF Vaher-
st. The houses on Chenel, ST. Peter and Ste.
Marie sts are all gone About 700 houses had
been burned. AS many Of them were tenements,
the number of families homeless is not less than
200, comprising 5000 or 5000 persons. The
greater mart of them are camped out in the
fields, with what effects they were able TO save,
while the remainder have found shelter with
friends in the city.
A good deal of distress will be caused by the
destruction of large number of wooden shantles
on which there is no insurance.
Hon Mr. Mcrcer and other prominent men
are Interesting themselves in behalf OF The home
less people. Application has been made 70 or
A p Caron for the use Of drill shed ana other
Government buildings to shelter ShoSe VINO sre are
distributing food, and steps are oelng taKsh 70
organize a regular system of relief. Lhe majority
pf the people burned out are OI Ihc
class and as insurance rates were high, lew nave
anything TO fall back upon. -,...
. ONLY last night the st. Sauvenr munlclpalIy
refused the offer OF the city corporation u supply
the place with water. . ..o
TIE insurance companies interested are the
North British and Mercantile, London and Lanca33
shire. Guardian, Agricultural OF Watertown, and
Northern. The total losses. it IS Thought VIII
be $500, 900. The principal properties burned arc arc
those of Dr. Fisoet, in yalierst. valued at So,uOo
ard insured Tor $4,000. that of Mr. GineQs, ocol-
pisd by Mr. Martipeau. uninsured that OF 1eotge
PnaueE occupied BIZ Mr.. Lepine, underfaker' m
sursd for H,eo0. and those OF Mrs MeCann, IN
snrsd In the North British and Mercantile Com
psny. The larger number Of tie houses destroyed
were small wooden struetures o,,oo, co .oo.
The Insurance is as follows queen, s2,2Oo;
Jnncashire SO 900; Guardian, Sle,60oi Hart
ford. So 300; British America, $1,000; Scottish
linton SIS. 600 London and Lancashire, S6,OOO;
Citizens, Sc, 600; Agricultural, OF Watertown, ~
! ssS Soc; North British and Mercantile, sl2,-
600: London and Liverpool and Globe. s3,4OO;
0usbec ss. 0o0: Western, $4,000; Glasgow and
London, $50, coo; Imperial, s4,5oo
II the wind had been from auy other quarter; ah
st Roch's might have gone. AS 1t was, 81 Sau'
yeur is badly swept up TO its furtheSt emu
10 was generally supposed that Sergeant
wallick died Immediately after being taken from
the ruins. but it was afterward learned that ne
is still alive in the Marine Hospital He IS serI;
ously injured, and it is not expected that he VIII
recover. Ill,
II is expected that the body Of Major Short VIII
be taken to Kingston tomorrow for burlsi. Ihcre
will be military funeral to the tram.