Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-10-18
FIRE DEvAsTATES THE HISTORIC
TOWN OF WINDSOR, N. s.
OVER 5000 PEOPLE HOMELESS
THE FLAMES RACED FOR SIN HOURS
FAMED BY A GALE.
A Seven story Factory building and n
Mining Town In California De-
strOyed by Fire-LOss of
Three Lives and One
Person Injured.


one of the most beautiful towns in the
province, was devastated by fire this morn
ing. For six hours. beginning shortly be-
fore 8. M, the fire. famed by violent
northwest gale, ragged so fiercely that the
local lire department was absolutely help
less TO cope with it, and within half an hour
after its discovery the mayor began to call
for outside assistance. Long before noon
the town had been eaten up almost COM
pletely. the area covered by the flames be-
irg nearly mile square, and of tie 400 or
more buildings occupying the section, bare
" half dozen scorched structures remain.
Among the buildings that escaped were the
Windsor cotton factory, Kings college, the
Anglican church, the Edgehill School for
Girls and the Buffrin hotel.
The latter is the only hotel left standing.
No Nova Scotia town has ever been visit
ed by a conflagration of such dimensions.
OF the $500 people that inhabited the place
few have homes of their own tonight. Over
5000 have been taken in by the residents
of the surrounding country and neighbor-
ing towns. while the remainder of the suf-
ferers have gone to Halifax or are sheltered
in army tents erected in the vacant plots
tO-HiSHt Uy d uetucEIlSUI VI
from the garrison city. The disaster is ap-
palling in its extent.
The fire started in a barn behind the
Marine block in the heart of the business
district. The high gale prevailing carried
the flames to other buildings before the
! firemen had time to get at work, and in a
| short time the showers of sparks carried
in all directions had ignited a 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 1t from being destroyed or dam
aged. 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 and by Fort Edwards on
the north. During the past four years
| many handsome brick structures have been
erected, but these were generally cOntig-
| uous to old wooden buildings, and all went
together before the furious flames. The
origin of the fire is somewhat mysterious.
A severe lightning storm passed over the
| town before the flames burst and some
| think the barn in which the fire started
may have been struck by lightning but
many. strongly suspect that the conflagra-
| tion originated through the carelessness of
some drunken man.
When morning broke the site of Windsor
was a scene of desolation, with hundreds of
| frantic, thinly clad and destitute men and
women and children rushing back and forth
| through the smoky streets. Fortunately,
| were perilous with flying bricks and slabs
| which the fierce hurricane drove like thun-
derboltS from the roofs In the hurry and
| excitement, horses and cattle in the stables
| were forgotten, and many perished in. the
flames or were suffocated from smoke
| The ruins of the fire are abaze tonight,
the smoldering. members having been
| famed into blaze and the heavens are
| lit with the flames which cast their re-
| fteotion across the river far as the eye
can on either side. No effort has been
made to quench these fires and naturally
| the occupants, of the few houses that re-
| main are afraid that the fire will spring up
| again. The fire has moderated somewhat
and there is likelihood of further dis
| aSter- Relief measures were started in
| Halifax at an early hour and this after
neon trainload of provisions. tents,
blankets, etc, arrived from the provincial
| capital. Aboard the train were General
Montgomery Moore. Governor Daily, Mayor
Stephen and 100 men of the Royal Berkshire
brought to attend to the erection of tents
and aid in the relief work.
The total loss is estimated roughly at
s3.ce0.o0o While a number of the heaviest
| losers are partially insured, and some of
| them pretty well covered, the total insur-
ance is calculated to be not more than half
The principal losses are the following:
G M shaws Marine la inc block; sl5o0o; W; +:
Paysant's block, $4,000; Graham's block,
$4,000: Victoria hotel $4,000: Blanchard
block. $22. 900: C. &, G. Wilson'S block. SIS 900;
pimock & Armstrong. $4,000; J; 3. shaws
| block, 81. 600: c. II. Dimock's block $l4 900;
+. Murphy. Wood & Murphy $1,000; Com
| mercal block. $4,000: c. 7. Shaw, $4,000;
| c. d. Geldert & Co.. $4,000: A.. L.
Reasinson $1,000; chnrchill's block. s2s 600:
! Keith's buildings, 5000; Wilson
| Bros. s22.00N: Gerrish block, S21 600:
Bordens block. $4,000 postoffice and Gus
tom house. $4,000; Empire block, $4,000;
| J. Lynch Il Sons. $1,000: Avon hotel. sGHp:
| Somerset house $12. 600: Gerrish hall s15 900:
| court house. $4,000: Methodist Episcopal
church. $4,000; Baptist church, s22,-
| 0OO; Presbyterian church, 81, Geo;
| Catholic church. $4,000; DR.. Haley's resi-
| dence. $4,000: c. DeWoif Smiths residence.
| seoco0: Windsor Foundry Company. $4,000;
Electric Light Company. $4,000; Windsor
| Plaster Company, $4,000.
were those of Dr. Black. DR. Moody. Dr.
Gossip, Dr. Reid. Windsor hotel, John
ksith' tl John Lynch Y; Mrs. G. E. Forsythe.
| William Christie, W. A. Smith. J. e. Gra-
ham Mrs. J. F. Carver. II. Il. Dakin NJ
| II. Goudge, Mayor Joshua Smith. j. C.
| Gelder and Arthur Smith.