The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-05-07
A SECOND FIRE COMPLETES THE
OBLITERATION OF THE
MINING TOWN.
SEVERAL FATALITIES IRE REPORTED.
The Flames Started in the Portland Ho-
tel and Swept Away What Was
Left of the Business Portion
of the Town.

| al Thai was leIt VI Crlpple Creeh ultei
the great contagration of last Satur-
day.
Seven persons were killed by explosions
and at least fourteen injured, several of
them fatally. The flames today spread
with great rapidity and although siren
uous efforts were made to check the prog
ress of the fire by blowing up the build
ings with dynamite, they proved of no
avail. All the principal business build
ings are in ruins and nothing is left of
the town proper except the railroad sta
tons and few scattered houses. The
fire ragged fiercely all the afternoon and
only died out, tonight for lack of fuel on
which to feed.
The burned district is as follows: Be-
tween Meyers and Warren and Second
and First, one block; Meyers to Pixies
Peak avenue and between Second and
b streets, ten blocks; from the alley be-
tween Meyers and Kenny up to Baton,
three and one-half blocks.
The origin of the fire appears to have
been purely accidental, though many be-
talk crediting Saturdays fire to that Or
igin and this one coming so close upon
it gives rise to suspicion. The facts
appear to discredit the suspicion.
Frank Angle, the Portland chef. can
not be found. 1t is reported that pan
of grease on the range blazed up and
caught the grease-soaked boards at the
back. The entire side of the kitchen
was ablaZe in an instant
says she had gone into the kitchen for
an order at lunch time. She saw
flames running up the walls and be-
lieved they came from outside the build
ing, apparently from the Chicago cafe.
adjoining. She rushed out crying
'fre!'
The other occupants of the kitchen had
not noticed the house to be on fire.
The Portland was built of frame and
yeneered brick, the kitchen occupying
the central rear portion, the dining
room shutting it off from the alley and
a row of store rooms from Meyers.
Above the kitchen was a well or air
area. The west side of the building
was covered with corrugated iron and
adjoining this was the Chicago cafe.
X. A. Love, the clerk at the Portland.
says when the girls came out of the
dining room they rushed up stairs to
their sleeping rooms over the kitchen.
There. was an outside stairway to the
second story. AS early as possible the
hotel was ridded of its guests. The
girl who had gone to their rooms had
scarcely time to get back with safety.
He had no idea how the fire started.
There were nearly 100 guests in the
house.
The fire department was poweress.
The water power held strong, but the
reservoir on Church HILL in the north
end of the city, was lowered to within
few feet of the bottom by the drain,
which flooded the streets, though its eff
fects on the fire were small. Dynamite
was the most powerful ally of the fire.
men. but even it failed to cut off the
spread of the fire at an essential point.
The scene about the reservoir beggars
description. Below the fire was burn
ing over fully seventeen blocks of build
ngs and its swift approach, street by
street, could be watched.
While the fire was burning carpenters
were busily engaged in getting up many
light frame structures in the area then
burned.
For time it looked as if the building
at Third and Bennett would go and with
it the one being built in the rear for the
temporary postoffice. but they were
saved with wet blankets and streams of
water kept playing on them. The in
surance will be fully three times as
much as Saturdays loss. One agent
estimates it at five times as much and
says every agency of the town was
loaded with risks.
1t must he remembered that the heart
of the business section went up today
and fully double the area of Saturdays
fire was burned over. Also in todays
burned district were crowded the refu-
gees from the previous fire and with
them most of the goods that had been
saved.
One million dollars seems large
amount to ascribe to a loss on hur-
riedly and cheaply built mining camp.
But there can be no question that to-
days loss will more than reach these
figures. The insurance loss of $4,000
on Saturday had been estimated at
Sl5O,OOO and that of today is equally
conservative.
Relief is arriving from Denver and
Colorado Springs. The relief commit
tee has many applications for aid to-
night. Special trains are being run out
of the camp by both railroads and are
going out loaded. Many people will
find shelter in Victor, Anaconda and
neighboring towns tonight. Many will
go out to Colorado Springs and Denver.
Tonight the fire is finishing its work
and the town is lighted by the flames
from debris not vet extinguished.
City Marshal James Marshall has
sworn in about $50 special policemen and
Company G, Second regiment, Colorado
National Guard, has also been utilized.
Many of the men are mounted and
the burned district is being thoroughly
patrolled. About twenty arrests have
been made for theft and other causes.
but the police now feel confident that
they will be able to prevent any further
depredations by vandals.
Stolen liquor was plentiful. Many sa-
looms were looted and firm hand was
necessary to restrain the crowd.
The Florence and Cripple Creek road
had fiat cars at the disposal of mer-
chants and were kept busy hauling goods
beyond the reach of the fire and to safe
shelter. Cars filled at Cripple Creek
were hauled to side tracks at other
places
The Times. Journal and Prospector Of
fees were burned down, leaving Cripple
Greek without a newspaper.
There is not building left standing
in the business portion of the city. Only
a few residences on the outskirts re- |
main and thousands are homeless. A
revised list of the dead and injured is |
as follows:
Dead:
]. A. Griffith.
- Bassett.
Two others; unidentified.
Injured:
f. ii. Small.
John Rice.
+. Evans.
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