The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-30
BESOM OF FIRE
Has Swept Away All Of Cripple
Greek
That Was Left by the Fire of
Last Week.
WORK OF DYNAMITE.
Blowing Up Of Buildings Killed
Several People
The Fire Attended by Loss of
Life.
AND WOUNDED MORE.
Thousands Camped in the Open
Air Last Night.
Snow Fell on Them Relief
Measures Going Forward.

Cripple Creek. April 30--Au that was
spared of Cripple Creeks business
quarter by the fire OF Saturday is now
in ashes The flames that broke out
yesterday afternoon swept the ground
bare. Nothing is left standing, with
one or two exceptions, but the outskirts
Of the city.
Thousands Of homeless people shiv-
cred about camp fires or wandered
among the ruins of this once prosper
GUS city throughout the night.
During the night from a distance of
q mile to the right and left the burn
ing embers presented a sight almost i'm
compare Bile. Standing on the hill be-
yond the burned district and to the
west, the picture was one of a huge
bowl with the steam arising above
Everywhere along the thorOughfares
one can see the work of the dynamite;
a great mass of kindling wood. A
company of the Colorado National
guard is on duty on the unburned dis
trict- Numerous arrests have been
made in the outside district. resort to
which has been made by the Vagrant
element which lately has infested Grip
pie Creek
All night fires were starting up oc-
casionally on the placer. Where pos
s1ble, the residents pulled the houses
down, and If that failed blew them up.
They had no water in chat portion Of
the city
The flames broke out shortly after
noon in the kitchen Of the Portland
hotel
-Four persons were killed by ex-
plosions and at least fourteen injured
several Of them fatally.
Nothing is left OF the town proper
except the railroad stations and a few
scattered houses. The fire ragged
fercely all the afternoon ana only died
out for lack Of fuel on which to feed
The burned district is as follows.
between Myers and Warren and Sec
ond and first. one block
Myers to Pixies Peak avenue and be-
Second IL r,r.
From the alley between Myers and
Bennett up to Eaton, three and one
half blocks
All buildings on Myers between Sec
Ond and Third are standing.
The origin Of the fire appears to have
been purely accidental
Frank Angel, the Portland chef. could
not be found this morning Second
handed the story is that q pan of
grease on the range blazed up and
caught the grease-sOaked boards at the
back. The entire side of the wall was
abIaze in an instant
Bessie Kelly, one of the mattresses.
says she had gone into the kitchen for
an order Lunch was being served at
the time She saw flames running uD
the wall. and believes they. came from
outside the building, apparently from
the Chicago cafe adjoining She rushed
from the kitchen to the Office crying
Fire. The other occupants OF the
kitchen had not noticed the house to
be on fire
The Portland was built of frame
Veneered brick. The Kitchen ooo,7r,se-7
the central rear portion. the dinfng
room shutting it off from the alley and
row of store rooms from MYERS
Above the kitchen was a well or area
The west side OF the building was COW
cred with corrugated iron and adi0fn
ing this was Green's Chicago cafe for
merly known as Mack's place in which
upstairs We're lodging rooms run by c.
Trimble.
d. ]. La Love. the clerk of the Port
land, says when the girls came out of
the dining room they rushed upstairs
toward their sleeping rooms over the
Kitchen There was an outside stair
way in the area and this was then f11I
of smoke and flames. AS hurriedIv 40
possible the hotel was emptied Of itg
guests. The girls who had gone uD
into their rooms had scarcely time III
get back with safety. There were
nearly 100 guests in the house. Moth
ing was saved.
The hotel building was owned nv IT
J. MOynhan. Noynhan valued the
property at $50, 600, and he carried in
surance only for $1,000. The furniture
was valued at $4,000, which was prob
ably the original cost. and the insur-
ance is reported at 81 600 OF this it
is said $4,000 is carried by Denver agen-
cies and but $1,000 locally.
FIRE DEPARTMENT POWERIESS.
The fire department was powerless
to stop the flames. The water supply
to any advantage, but the big reser-
voir on Church hill in the north and
above the city was lowered to within
few feet of the bottom by the drain
which flooded the streets. though its
effect upon the fire was small Dyna-
mite was the most powerful ally of the
hremen but even it failed to check the
spread of the fire at any essential
point.
The reservoir was in open ground.
Many hocSed to it from the residence
portion to the north of the city and the
scene about 1t was one that beggars
description Below the fire was burn
ing over fully seventeen blocks of
buildings and its swift approach.
street by street and house by house.
could be watched
Smoke rolled high into the heaven.
like a cloud Of doom. from a fringe of
flames that leaped above their prey.
Here and there about the broad open
hillside IN little groups, families set
tied with the loads they had carried
from the burning homes below.
A thousand OF these distinct little
piles dotted the open ground IN plain