The Irish standard., 1897-10-23
WORK 0FTHEF FLAMES
Pretty Town Of Windsor; n. s.,
Almost Wholly Destroyed.
ONLY FEW BUILDINGS ARE LEFT.
The Loss IL Estimated at F3,OOO,OOO-,
Over 5000 Persons Homeless-Cal.
iforpia Mining Town of Iowa
Hill Suffers Grcat Loss.

Halifax, N. S., Oct. 1s.-Historic Wind.
sor, one of the most beautiful towns
in the province, was devastated by fire
Sunday morning. For six hours, begin-
ming shortly before three n. M, the Are,
famed by violent northwest gale,
ragged so fierceiy that the local fire de>
partment was absolutely helpless to
cope with it, and within half an hour
after its discovery the mayor began to
call for outside assistance. Long be-
fore noon the town had been eaten up
almost completely, the area covered by
the flames being nearly mile square,
and Of the 400 or more buildings occupy-
Ing the section barely half q dozen,
scorched structures remain. Among
the buildings that escaped are the
Windsor cotton factory, Kings college,
the Anglican church, the Edgehil4
school for girls and the Buffrin hotel.
The latter Is the only hotel left stand
ing.
Over 5000 Homeless People.
No Nova Scotia town has ever been
visited by confagrution of such di-
mansions. Of the $500 people that in
habited the place few have homes Of
their own left. Over 5000 have been
taken in by the residents Of the sur
rounding country and neighboring
towns, while the remainder of the sut-
fcrers have gone to Halifax or are shell
tered in army tents erected in the va.
cant plots by u detachment OF British
troops from the garrison city. The dis
aster is appalling in its extent.
The fire started in a barn behind the
marine block in the heart Of the bust,
ness district. The high gale prevailing
carried the flames to other buildings
before the firemen had time to get at
work, and in short time the showers
of sparks carried in all directions had
ignited score of buildings.
The occupants Of dwellings had time
to hurry on some clothing and to drag
some household goods into the streets,
but there was no place of safety to
which anything could be removed
quickly enough to save it from being de.
stroyed or damaged. The flames cut
a clean gap from the waters edge on the
business front to the forests in the
rear, bounded by Ferry Hill on the
south side and by Fort Edwards on the
north. During the past few years many
handsome brick structures have been
erected, but these were generally con-
tiguous to old wooden buildings and all
went together before the furious flames.
The origin Of the fire is somewhat mys-
FERROUS. A severe lightning storm
passed over the town before the fumes
,rfI ~ ;,,l Al
which the fire started may have been
struck by lightning, but many strongly
suspect that the contngration orig
mated through the carecssness of some
drunken man.
Scenes of DesOlation.
When morning broke the site of
Windsor was scene of desolntion, with
hundreds of frantic, thinly-clad and
destitute men and women and children
rushing back and forth through tho
smoky streets Fortunately no lives
were lost, although the streets were
Terilous with flying bricks and slabs
which the fierce hurricane drove like
thunderholts from the roofs. In the
hurry and excitement horses and cuttl
In the stables We're forgotten and many
persisted in the flames or were suffo-
Gated from smoke.
Relief measures were started in IIali-
fax ut IN early hour, and Sunday after
noon train load Of provisions. tents,
blankets, etc, arrived from the pro-
vincial capital Aboard the train were
Gen. Montgomery Moore, Gov. DAILY,
Mayor Stephen and 100 men of the
Royal Berkshire regiment and royal
engineers, who were brought to attend
to the erection of tents and aid In the
relief work.
Loss. T3.OOO.OOO.
The total loss is estimated at So, OOO,-
900. While n number of the heaviest
losers are partially insured and some
of them pretty well covered, the total
insurance Is calculated to be not more
than $jO0OU0.