Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-30
Distress in the Once Prosperous Grip
pie Greek.
SUMMARY DEALING WITH A FIREBUG
The Loss is Estimated at a Mil
lion and a Half.
BLOWING UP THE BUILDINGS

CRIPPLE CREEK, Col, April 3O.-Thou-
| sands of homeless people shivered about
camp fires or wandered among the ruins of
| this once prosperous city through the night.
The cold wave was severe and toward
morning snow began to fall
During the night for a distance of a mile
to the right and left the burning embers
presented a sight most Incompatible
Standing on the hill beyond the burned dis
trict and to the west the picture was one
of huge bowl, with the steam arising
above.
Everywhere along the thoroughfares can
be seen the work of the dynamite, a great
mass of kindling wood.
Work of the Dynamfters.
While the ire raging here yesterday
afternoon, special trains were run from
victor and Gillette, to bring in miners with
sticks OF dynamite, ready to use wherever
there was any call for it. 1t was more
| common than water a a city fire, and the
lavish use was productive of many fatal
ties
The Palace Hotel, containing 300 rooms
was one OF the first places attacked with
dynamite, and from the results IL would
appear that no warning was given of the
impending explosion. AS the walls tottered
N response to the tremendous charges of
giant powder the air was filled with shrieks
of dying men, who mad been caught in ther
rooms and dragged down in the wreck,
before the Wreckers could offer any aid.
lhey We're driven lack by the flames that
were rolling over the site of the hotel The
dynamiters fled to save their own lives.
ana the loss of life a the Palace is merely
| a matter of conjecture
Burned Like Paper
Ihe Timetable Bank and the First Ma
tional Bank burned as if they were made
of paper. The First National Bank while
1t was the leading institution in the dis
trict was without proper facilities for
holding the s15O.oo0 or more of deposits
that were intrusted to it.
Since the last fire the bank has had tenn
pofary quarters in the new burned district
where there were no vault accommoda-
tons To add to the apprehensons of the
I istockholders and depositors, the explosion
| Of the dynamite leaves nothing to be e.
covered from the ruins.
Volunteers operating without guides or
buildings
After the explosion at the Palace Hotel,
| The crowd that had followed the fire paus-
| ed for moment, and the people began 10
| q ow vehement in their denuncfstjons Of
| The dynamite's, and there were several
warm encounters between disputants
While riot was impending. the flames
worked their way toward the crowds that
blocked Bennett avenue, and the advantage
gained by the destruction of the hotel was
| lost by not removing the debris
A company Of the Colorado National
Guard Is on duty in the unburned district
Numerous arrests have been made in the
outside district, resort to which has been
| made by the vaqrant element which lately
| has infested Cripple Creek
All night fires were starting up OCCASION
| ally on the placer. Where possible. the resi-
cents pulled the houses down. and, if that
! failed, blew them up. They had no water
| in that portion of the city.
A rumor is in circulation that a man was
| seen IN the act of setting fire to a dwelling
l,,
| just as 4 hrebug was shot and killed by
| Floyd Thompson yesterday afternoon
Mayor Doyle of Victor has employed two
| fire Wardens for every business block in that
| city, as it has been rumored that the fire.
bugs are after that town as well as Grip
| pie Creek man was caught in the very
| act of firing the rear of the Newell Hard
ware Company's store. He is in jail
The Losses.
Tie total loss by yesterdays fire is estI-
mated at sl,5ooooo The insurance will
probably foot up between 100000 and $500
| 900. The heaviest losers are as follows:
Louis Weinburg, clothing store, $4,000:
Palace Hotel, S40,090; Portland Hotel, S20,-
| GO; furniture, $1,000; insurance on furni-
| ture, $1,000; w. T.Booth, furniture $4,000;
| Wright Hardware Company $21,0oo; Ei
Paso Lumber Company, $4,000; Heller's
| Many other individual losses run as high
| as 10000 All the local newspapers, banks
and expire IS oihces and nearly all the stores
and restaurants and lodging houses are
wiped out
Two men were caught building fire un-
| der a saloon in Poverty Gulch. An officer
| fired four shots at them, and they were
| captured. In their possession was a bunch
| of skeleton keys
Ruin Caused Suicide.
DENVER, Col, April 3O.-Robert Camp
| bell aged forty, committed suicide by
| shooting himself through the heart at his
residence in this city today. He was de-
| spondent on account of having lost prac-
tically all his possessions in mining stock
| speculation in the fire at Cripple Creek
| He was recently considered worth S1000;D.
| He leaves a wife and four children. The
| widow attempted to shoot herself after dis
covering the act of her husband, but was
| restrained.
UOsRiSE CGCxRaN'S had FALL,