The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-05-01
ONLY ASHES ARE LEFT
Cripple Creek, COL, Entirely De-
stroyed by Fire.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HOMELESS.

In Their Efforts to Stay the Flames Citi-
zens Used Dynamite to Blow Up Build
ings, which Resulted I'm the Death of
-Four Persons and Injuring OF Many 9th
ers-Two Persons Shot While In the Act
Of Setting Other Fires.
| VICTOR, Colo, May Cripple Greek
Is no more. Tho destroying angel whose
wings OF fire famed the camp on Satur-
day renewed his visitation Wednesday
and completed the calamity. Thousands
Of people are homeless, with two inches Of
snow on the ground and q thermometer
that Is hugging the zero mark No de-
scription can exaggerate the condition OF
affairs Two million dollars worth OF
proper went up In smoke Wednes-
day afternoon, with probably one
tenth OF that covered by insur-
ance The loss of life is great owing
TO the reckless use of dynamite I'm throw
| ing down buildings that stood in the
| path of the fire. with the hope of erect
ing barrier of debris that would stop
| further progress of the flames. The fire
started in the Portland hotel. where IL
broke out IN half dozen places at the
same time, giving color to the report that
the first fire OF last week was designed by
incendiaries that they might make raid
on the First National bank, which carried
over slO0, 600 cash in its vaults to meet the
pay-rolls of the district.
Dynamite Brought into Use.
The fire spread with u rapidity that can
be compared only to the progress Of the
fire on Saturday. 1t could not be checked,
and from the first alarm preparations
were made to repel the destroyer. Spe-
cial trains were run from Victor and Gill
lette to bring in miners with sticks of dy
Mantle ready to use wherever thcre was
any call for it. Ii was more common
than water at a city fire, and the lavish
use was productive of many fatalities
The Palace hotel, containing 80 rooms,
was one OF tho first places attacked with
| dynamite and from the results 1t would APP
pear that no warning was given of the
impending explosion. As the walls tot
tered in response to the tremendous
charges Of giant powder the air Was filled
with shrieks of the dying men who had
been caught in their rooms and dragged
down in the wreck. Before the wreckers
could offer any aid they were driven back
| by the flames that were rolling over the
site of the hotel The dynamiters fed to
save tutiI ONu ilNtSt ahu tho iOoo Va Aiit
at the Palace hotel is merely a matter Of
conjecture.
Bank Loses Its Money.
From the Portland hotel the flames
| spread with incredible swiftness. Up
| Second street it tore like a whirlwind
| cutting its way through the small tene-
ments and stores that were packed thickly
| In the path. The Bimetallic bank and
| the First National burned as II they were
made of paper The First National bank,
while 1t was the leading institution of the
district, was without proper facilities
| for holding the Sl50000 or more of
deposits that were intrusted to 1t. Since
the last fire the bank has had tenn
porary quarters in the new burned dis
| trict, where there are no vault accommo-
dations. To add TO the apprehensions of
the stockholders and depositors the ex-
| plosion Of dynamite leaves nothing TO be
recovered from the ruins After the ex-
| plosion the crowd that had followed the
| fire paused for moment at the botel, and
| the people began to grow vehement In
| their denunciations, and there were sew
| eral warm encounters between dispu-
| tants.
The Flames still Spread.
While riot was impending the flames
L
| Bennett avenue, and the advantage
gained by the destruction Of the hotel
was lost by not removing the debris.
| Accidents were more numerous than any
record will ever reveal. The loss of hu
man life can only be conjectured. The
dead as far as known are: - Bassctt,
j. Griffith, two unknown.
| The injured are: Il. Bradley, A Broad.
| way, Lee Corcoran, fireman, fatally; B.
Dickerson, Claude Evans, fatally; John
Evans, w : Fisher w j. Griggcn, Joha
kreiggen, fatally; George Lydcn, fatally;
| Grant Lewis. fireman, fatally; L. Ma
roney, Ed Osbrey, fireman, fatally; John
Rice, John Rose, eyes blown out; Il. II.
small, Herb Winkler fireman; George +.
| Youngston.
IL is said that two men were shot by
citizens while applying the torch In an
attempt to spread the contlagration.