The national leader., 1889-05-18
THOUSANDS HOMELESS.
SEVEN HUNDRED HOUSES IN SAINT
SAUVEUR BURNED.
NO WATER AND NO INSURANCE.. ONE
KILLED AND ONE FATALLY
INJURED.

QUEBEC, May 16.-A disastrous dre
DrOke out early this morning n Saint
Sauveur, in the house of Mrs. McCann,
on Waller street, and spread with great
rap1dlty through the wooden district
which surrounds it. The streets bur ned
aro portions Of Waller, Chenel, st. Peter
and ste. Marie. The insurance com.
panies interested are the North British
and Mercantile. London and Lanca-
shire. Guardian, Agricultural, of Water
town, and Northern. The total losses
so far made and in prospective may be
$l5O, ,OO0. At 3 O'Clock it was lmpOs-
sible to guess the limit of the fire, and
the people were in dismay at the rap
idity with which the fire jumped from
one wooden building to another. The
local arrangements for Quenching the
fire were defective, and the Quebec
Fire Brigade was sent for and were
quickly on the spot. but their efforts
Eere crippled for want of water. B
Battery was called out and rendered
valuable assistance in fighting the
flames.
Over 100 wooden houses have been
destroyed. A good deal of distress will
be caused by the destruction of large
number of wooden ShantieS, on which
there Is no insurance. at seven O'Clock
the fire was under control, having
almost burned itself out. While the
military were preparing to blow up
some of the houses to check the fire
premature explosion took place in one
of the houses, killing Major Short and
Sergeant Wallick, of B Battery. Both
were hurled into the ruins. The body
of Sergeant Wallick was found near
the door of house dreadfully mangled.
QUEBEC, 1890 A. M.-The fire in
Saint oanveur has been checked on the
city side, but is still burning furiously
toward the north west, and will prOba-
bly stop only when nothing is left TO
feed it. The insurance is compara-
lively small. There is a strong easIerly
wind blowing, and rain has been falling
steadily for the last three hours.
QUEBEC, P. M.-The fire is still
burning and no hopes are entertained
of stopping it until the open country is
reached. Already about 500 buildings,
mostly wooden tonements, have been
burned. and over 1909 people rendered
homeless. The greater portion Of them
are camped out In the fields with what
few effects they were able to save,
while a few have found shelter with
friends in the city.
Major Shorts body was recovered
about noon. One leg and one arm had
been torn from the body by the explo.
s,on and were found at some distance
from the trunk
ST.. Sauyeur is separate munich
pality from Quebec, but is separated
from this city by only the width OF a
street It has a population of about
5000. Only last night the st. Sau-
vonr officIals refused an offer of this
citv to supply them with water:
QUEBEC, May 10. 4 ~ Z. Nine
ars has burned itself out after reaching
tne npe I,m,ts n1o p Of St. sauveur. the tollgate
Eeensr,s house in Waller street being
ahopt the last to 60. The district north
GA ,,sst of M issue and st. Ambrose
sne straers "sI has $ been swept clean, with the
arcent,on of portion OF Waller street.
ahopt zoo houses were burned. AS
,naUu moOu' Of f'J them were tenements. the
nnmber of families homeless is not less less
than 12O0 comprising 5000 or oOOO
persons.