The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-07-14
A CITY IN ASHES.
Newfoundland's Capital City a
Complete Wreck.
THE BIG FIRE STILL RAGING.
Churches, Palaces and Parliament Build
ings Involved in the Ruin at st. Johns,

Seven Lives known to he Lost, aud IL Is
Thought This Number win Be In
creased-over s25, 200, 900 Worth Of
Property Burned "A Chance for
Charity.
ST. JOINS, N. F., July lit is now
estimated that the great fire which has
been raging here has created a loss of
property aggregating $4,000 900 and
has rendered 10000 persons homeless.
The ruins are still burning and the town
is impossible.
The government has taken measures
to house the destitute in such few build.
ings as remain, Mary Of the homeless
are still encamped on the fields. Mess
ages of sympathy and promised relief
are numerous and come from all parts
of the world. England comes bravely
TO the assistance and President Harrison
has telegraphed, promising help. All
religious creeds are doing their best
toward the relief of the unfortunates.
The forest fires still rage. The Cath
olic chapel at Kilbride. a suburb, was
burnt, together with many farms. The
men who have been fighting the fire
since yesterday morning are cutting fire
breaks through the forest.
Desperate efforts were made to stay
the progress of the fire, but it was soon
seen that these would prove fruitless.
Most of the houses on Longs Hill were
very old wooden ones, and they caught
fire and burned with great rapidity.
Large burning brands were caught up
by the wind and carried to the roofs of
other structures, which were soon burn
ing furiously. 1t was seen that the fire
department was helpless, and the resi-
dents in the path that the fire was des-
tined to take began to remove their por-
table household effects and valuables.
A New Methodist College Burned.
1t is feared these people lost their lives
by their foolhardiness in returning to
their homes when the flames were close
upon them. While these dwelling
houses were burning unhindered it was
found that the new Methodist college
was on fire. Efforts were made TO save
this building, but they were fruitless.
The college was the educational head
quarters of the Methodists in Nefound-
land.
BY this time the wind was blow
ing a gale and the fire was spread
ing with terrible rapidity. Buildings
situated some distance from the burning
structures caught fire from the burning
embers and were destroyed without a
hand being raised to save them. The
fremen and the populace were com
pletely paralyzed, and the fire did its
work Of destruction without stay.
1t was now growing dark and the
scene was a magnificent and appalling
one. Building after building caught
fire. The whole city was as light as
day. The rear of the flames was ter
rible, and the heat was so intense that it
was impossible to get anywhere near
the burning buildings. Men, women
and children ran about in terror, and
thieves, taking advantage of the confu-
sion, entered houses that had been de-
serted by their occupants and stole
Several Magnificent Buildings Destroyed
The Masonic Temple, Orange Hall,
the Roman Catholic cathedral and
bishops palace, st. Patrick's hall, the
English cathedral, the Athen8um, the
Kirk, the Commercial bank, the Union
bank, the Atlantic brewery, the Atlantic
hotel and Lineberg's brewery, all fell
prey to the flames. The English
cathedral was a magnificent structure,
considered to be the finest piece of
Gothic architecture on this continent.
1t was yet incomplete, though it had
been fifty years in building. Nearly
all these buildings were in the center of
the city.
In addition to these the court house,
police headquarters and the government
Savings bank were destroyed, as was
also the Presbyterian church and the
Office of The Telegram. The flames
were now raging with increasing vigor
in the direction of the water front, in u
very short time eating up the ware,
houses along the wharves. The ship,
ping lying at the wharves had been
warned of its danger, and the crews OF
the various vessels hastily took their
craft outside the harbor.
II is known positive that one man and
six children have perished, but it is
thought that when the terrible excite.
ment subsidies it will be found that the
loss of life is much greater. The par.
lament buildings have been destroyed.