The herald., 1896-04-30

AO0 ANdEAG6s Il
The water supply held strong as long as
1T could be used to any advantage but
the big reservoir on Church hill in the
north and above the city was lowered
to within a few feet of the bottom by the
drain which flooded the streets, though
its effect upon the fire was small. Dyna-
mite was the most powerful ally of the
iremen, but even it failed to check the
spread OF the fire at any essential point.
The reservoir was in open ground. Many
fiocked to It from the residence portion
to the north of the city and the scene
about 1t was one that beggars descrip'
ton. Below, the fire was burning over
fully seventeen blocks of buildings, and
its swift approach, street by street and
house by house, could be watched. Smoke
rolled high into the heavens like a cloud
or doom from a fringe of flames that
Tapped above their prey. Here and there
about the broad open hillside, coming
down in gentle slope from Minerva and
Carbonate hills, in little groups, families
settled with the loads they had carried
from the burning homes below.
thousand Of these distinct little piles
blotted the open ground in plain view.
A trunk, a mattress, some family pic
lures. whatever vast dearest that could
be saved, had been carried by the men,
bers of the family to the open, where
the fire would not be expected to come,
| and by them stood guard the homeless
| wife and children, while the stronger
heads of the families were down some
| where in that caldron of fire trying to
| add to the pile. Now and then some
mattress that had been dropped too near
to the coming flames caught from the
heat or a brand carried by the winds, and
the little saving of household treasures
was wiped out.
Wagons were everywhere. The price
| for the service of a wagon ranged from
nothing to s100 cash a load, according
| to the exigency of the moment or the
| hard-heartedness of the owner.
| While the fire burned over the terri
| tory saved from Saturdays fire. car
| penters were busily engaged getting up
many light frame structures on the area
| then burned. Today's fire did not en-
| croach upon the territory of its prede-
cessor. For a time 1t looked as If the
new building at Third and Bennett would
go, and with it the building built in the
| rear of the temporary postoffice, but they
| were saved with wet blankets and a
| stream of water kept playing upon them.
| The small row on Third street between
| Bennett and Myers, rebuilt since sat
| urday, narrowly escaped, but the blow
| ing up of the Tut &, Penrose block 'front.'
| ing it saved the fire from reaching there.
| The insurance will be fully three times
as great as Saturdays losses. one agent
| estimates 1t at five times as much ana
| says every agency in town was loaded
| llp with risks. 1t must be remembered
| that the heart of the business section
| went up today. and fully double the area
| was burned over. Also in today's dis
| trict were crowded the refugees from
the previous fire, and with them most OF
the goods that had been saved. one
million dollars seems large amount to
ascribe to loss in a hurriedly and
| cheaply built mining camp. But there
| can be no question that today's loss will
more than reach these figures. The in
| surance loss of $156,000 on Saturday
must be fully $3.50 900 today. Every
| insurance office in town is burned, and
| figures cannot be obtained. The ad1us-
| ters of the companies that suffered in
| the previous fire are all in camp and had
| practically settled all the former claims,
| only to have new set to take up.
At 9:15 this evening car of provls-
! ions was brought in by w. s. Stratton,
who turned it over to the relief commit
| tee for distribution tomorrow morning.
| This car is furnished by Mr.. Stratton
! exclusively, while a number or otner
| Colorado Springs citizens made up an
| other car. The relief committee had not
a great many applications for aid, but
in the morning when the excitement
wears off and the pangs of hunger take
hold the committee may have its hands
full.
The Florence and Cripple Creek rail.
road had fiat cars at the disposal or
merchants and kept them busy hauling
goods beyond the reach of the fire. cars
filled at Cripple Creek were hauled to
sidetracks at other points. The Times:
Journal and Prospector offices were all
burned down, leaving Cripple Greek
without a newspaper. The Times was
burned out in Saturdays fire. but saved
some Of it's material and had started to
build on the old burned district. 1t lost
everything in today's confiagration.
Proprietor Tom Howell will issue his
paper in the morning from the ONCE OF
the Victor Weekly News.
Special trains are being run out of
camp and are going loaded. Many peo-
ple will find shelter in Victor, Anaconda
and neighboring towns tonight. Many
will 20 to Colorado Springs and Denver.
The outlook is that all will be cared for
in some way through the night. The
fire is finishing its work and the town
is lighted by the flames from debris
not yet extinguished. The people are
on the streets walking from ruin to ruin
discussing the catastrophe, wondering
and waiting for whatever may happen
next.
Gen. Frank Reardan of Victor has tel
egraphed to Gov. Mcintyre for 500 tents
for the use of the homeless here. A
relief committee has been organizd at
Victor and offers of shelter and provis-
ions have been made by the citizens of
that town to the relief committee here.
With the talk of incendiarism rumors
spread fast and lost nothing in the re-
telling. 1t was reported that the list
of dead and injured runs into the scores,
and this and that officer was credited
with having shot men in the act of set
ting fire to buildings. Lawlessness
seemed in the air. Men lost their heads
and were ready for anything. City
Marshal James Marshall has sworn in
about $50 special policemen and COM
pany G, second regiment c. N. G., has
also been utilized. Many of the men
are mounted and the burned portion 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 pre-
vent any further depredations by van
dals. Stolen liquor was plentiful Many
saloons were looted for drink and a firm
hand was necessary to restrain the
crowds.
THE BRYAN MURDER