The herald., 1896-04-30
LIST OF DEAD AND INJURED
b Supplemented by Rumors Of Scores Of
Other Fatalities
Belief Expressed That the Fire Was Set to
Secure Insurance
q the Prosperous Timing Town Not One Busl-
ness Block and Pew Dwellings Now Re-
maln-Prompt Relief Measures
Will Be Taken
A..oc,ated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
CRIPPLE CREEK, Col, April ga
Are which broke out in the Portland
hotel shortly after noon today destroyed
about all that was left of Cripple Creek
after the great confiagration OF last
Saturday. Four persons were Killed by
explosions and at least fourteen in
tured, several Of them fatally.
Last Saturdays horrors were repeated
three-fold in the destruction by sec
ond fire this afternoon. To an increased
amount Of property destroyed on Sat
urday the fire Of today adds the loss of
life and leaves from 5000 to 1000 people
homeless in a city Of desolation, with no
homes to offer and no food to supply the
daily wants. Now, indeed. is Cripple
Creek in ashes.
The business portion of the city left
standing tonight is less than would cover
q city block. The residence section is
confined to what were formerly the sub
urbs on the placers Of East and West
Old Town to the northeast, and por-
tion Of Capitol hill on the south. When
an alarm Of fire sounded from the oPrt-
land hotel at 1880 o'clock this afternoon
Il was quickly responded to. notwith-
standing the firemen, one and all, were
thoroughly exhausted by the work of
Saturday, and the tension under which
they had lived since. Smoke was rolling
from under the cornice on the Myers
avenue and Second street sides OF the
building, and the alley to the south was
full Of flames. Almost instantaneously
the building was in names. Streains So OF
water were turned on quickly and the
firement fought feebly for few min
utes in an attempt to put out the flre.
The firemen were unable to make tne
least impression upon the Portland,
which in very few minutes was mass
Of flames. To the north across Myers
avenue was the big furniture establish
ment Of the Booth company, to the east
the four-story brick Masonic hall block.
The disaster of Saturday was fresh
in the minds Of all and the first inclin-
etion was to remove everything possi-
BILE beyond the reach Of the rapidly in
creasing flames. Wagons darted
through mobs Of yelling men and hys-
terical women. Bennett avenue became
again a mob of crazed men who saw
the earnings of a lifetime in peril. 1t
was evident that the old burnt district
was the one division Of the city where
the fire flend could be Knocked with
safety, ana to that rendezvous the wag-
ons were sent as fast as they could be
loaded and driven off. In fifteen min
Ntas from the time the alarm sounded
flames were showing from the cornice
Of the Booth establishment. The fire
had spread to the west on Meyers ave-
nue. thhlHE tAc SulCdSO CdLe,
tho Portland; cartridges in the Wright
hardware store, Portland block, were
ffing a fusilade and Meyers avenue
was furnace. To fight the fire from
that point was beyond human power.
To the west of the Booth building the
immense lumber stock in the Ell Paso
yards was catching and the firemen had
the block bounded by First and Second.
Bennett and Meyers avenue for a field.
Buildings in advance of the fire were
blown up in futile attempt to check
it, progress. All about the burning
block the streets were jammed. The ex-
ploston of powder threw debris high in
right and left.
AT o'clock the solid row Of business
houses to the north along Second was
All anre. The Green block had been
blown up and yet the fire had crossed
the alley by way of the lumber yard
Ino tne oulloings facing on Bennett be-
tWeen second and First were afire IN
At 2:2o the Palace drug store at Ser
ono ana Bennett was wrapped in flames
ana q fierce fight was being made To-
Keep the fire from crossing Bennett 70
tne Paiace hotel. The fire had not
crossed Second yet Che building a. fer
another was blown up.
Az $3.50 the old part of the Palace hotel
on the north side of Bennett was blown
up, but the fire was in the middle of the
block. To the north were many room
ting houses and the residence portion
TO the east, across Second, was the
heart of the business section, to save
which mastery fight had been un-
successfully made on Saturday. If the
fire crossed Second it could not be seen
where any portion of the business sec
tion of Cripple Creek could be saved.
Commencing at Second and Bennett
was the Pullin block on the northeast
and the Bimetallic bank on the south
east. Should either catch it could not
be foreseen how anything north and
east in the line Of the wind could be
saved.
At 2:40 the flames were crossing Sec
ond, and the Bimetallic bank was blown
up IN an effort to stop it there. But the
hre spread in spite Of all. and in few
minutes Bennett, between Third and
second, was burning fiercely on both
sides. Here was the center of the
towns business life. The blocks melted
oown to Third from Second, while to
tne north the tall lodging houses on Carr
avenue were falling one by one. There
seemed no possibility Of checking the
nre at any point. To the west it had
climbed the hill on to the placer and was
burning home after home.
At $3.50 the fire had burned itself out
ee1cept IN a few scattering localities. In
the sweep OF the fire had been all of the
important institutions left after the first
Those who opened their doors to the
nomeIess on Saturday night found
themselves equally homeless tonight,
ana there are no doors to open to them,
me comparatively few houses left arc
an one and two-roomed cabins with now
a..s; LII tnen one OF brick. What the town
VIII DO for food tonight is q question.
Al! the stores. the restaurants and the
bakeries are in ruins and the town is