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 g. Relief
Measures Going Forward.

Cripple Creek. april sO.-An 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 tha 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
mile to the right and left the burn
ing embers presented a sight almost in
comparable Standing on the hill be-
yOnd the burned district and to the
west the picture was one of huge
bowl with the steam arising above
Everywhere along the thoroughfares
one can see the work of the dynamite
great mass of kindling wood
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 vagran6
element which lately has infested Grip
pie Greek
All night fires were starting UP oc-
casionally on the placer Where pos
sible, the residents pulled the houses
down, and if that failed, blew them up
They had no water in that portion Of
the city
The flames broke out shortly after
/ hotel.
Four persons were killed by ex-
pIOsiOns 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
nercely all the afternoon and 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-
/ tween Second and B streets, ten blocks.
] From the alley between Myers and
I 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 a pan OF
| grease on the range blazed up and
caught the grease-soaked boards at the
l back The entire side of the wall was
I ablaze in an instant.
Bessie Kelly, one of the mattresses
says she had gone into the kitchen for
an order Lunch was being served al
I the time. She saw flames running III
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 tc
he on fire.
The Portland was built of frame
veneered brick The kitchen occupied
the central rear portion, the dinins
room shutting it off from the alley anC
a row of store rooms from Myers
I Above the Kitchen was a well or area
The west side of the building was Gov
/ cred with corrugated iron and adiofn
ing this was Green's Chicago cafe. for
I merly known as Mack's place in vhicl
upstairs were lodging rooms run by C
Trimble-
D. J. La Love. the clerk Of the Port
/ land, says when the girls came out o
the dining room they rushed upstair
/ toward their sleeping rooms over tn
kitchen. There was an outside stair
way in the area and this was then full
/ of smoke and flames. AS hurriedlv a
possible the hotel was emptied of it
I guests. The girls who had gone III
I into their rooms had scarcely time t
get back with safety. There wer
nearly 100 guests in the house Moth
ing was saved.
The hotel building was owned by Z
j. Moynhan- Moynhan valued tn
property at $50 900. and ne carried in
surance only for 50, 600. The furnitur
was valued at $1,000 which was prob
ably the original cost, and the insur
ance is reported at 81 O00 OF this
is said $4,000 is carried by Denver agen
cies and but $1,000 locally.
FIRE DEPARTMENT POWERLESs
The fire department was powerles
held strong as long as it could be use
to any advantage. but the big resel
; voir on Church hill in the north an
above the city was lowered to within
few feet of the bottom by the drai
/ which flooded the streets, though ii
effect upon the fire was small. Dyne
mite was the most powerful ally of tn
iremen but even it failed to check tn
spread Of the fire at any essentis
point
The reservoir was in open groun,
Many hOcked to it from the residenC
portion to the north Of the city and tt
scene about it was one that beggal
s description. Below the fire was burn
ing over fully seventeen blocks
/ buildings and it's swift approach
street by street and house by hous
could be watched
4 Smoke rolled high into the heavel
like a cloud Of doom. from a fringe
I dames that leaped above their pre-
= Here and there about the broad ope
hillside i'm little groups. families Sc
tied with the loads they had carrie
from the burning homes below.
A thousand OF these distinct lit
piles dotted the open ground i'm pla-