The herald., 1898-11-15
DAWSON WOMEN FIGHT
ONE USES A LIGHTED LAMP AS A
MISSILE
FORTY BUILDINGS DESTROYED
damage Amounts to Half Million.
Hundreds of People Forced to
Winter in Tents
Associated Press Special Wire

ASSOCIATED PreSS SpeCldl Who
SKAGUAY, Nov. IL, via Victoria, B. c..
Nov. l4.-Returning Klondiliers arriving in
this city today bring the news that the
c;tv of Dawson has been visited with
s5OO,OOO fire in which forty buildings were
burned. including the new postotfice build
ing and some of the best buildings in the
CITY. The fire took place on the morning OF
October 10th and started in the Green Tree
saloon, The blaze was started as the result
of a row between two women of the town
in which one of the women known as Bell
Mitchell threw a lighted lamp at another
woman, The lamp broke, the oil spread
and in few seconds the building was on
FIRE. The fire started at $40 IA. m. The fire
of wear ago was caused by this same woman
who threw lamp at man with whom she
had n quarrel A month ago she burned her
own place on Third avenue, in Dawson, by
throwing lamp at a woman, and now she
has caused a conhagration by again losing
her temper and welding another lighted
lamp.
The news of the confagration was brought
out by several of the miners who arrived in
this city today. The steamer Orc left Daw-
son October 2Oth and the twenty through
passengers reached Bennett yesterday
morning.
At the time the police gong sounded the
fire alarm light wind was blowing down
the Yukon and the people at once saw that
it would require speedy and quick work to
save the town from total destruction. The
postoffice was the next building south OF
the Green Tree saloon and the work OF
getting the letters and parcels of mail mat
ter out was attended to quickly. Although
nearly all the mail was saved, it is in great
confusion. All that remains to show where
formerly forty buildings stood are few
blackened logs and the town was saved from
total destruction by the fire engine. Among
the men injured as the result of the fire, due
to burns, falling logs and fire brands, were
Private Mullens, of the Infantry, contusions,
eprains and burns, and G. O. Ellis.
IL it had not been that about 1000 men
turned out and worked like Trojans with
wet blankets, buckets of water and axes,
aided in the operation by the fire apparatus,
the whole town would have gone up in
smoke. The Klondike Nugget of the 18th ult.
says that the losses are difficult to estimate,
but the following list is given: Worden hotel,
total loss, $4,000; Pattison & McGrath's
New England saloon, $4,000; postoffice
building, owned by Alex. Mcdonald, slO,-
600; Green Tree saloon, total loss, $4,000;
Empire bakery building, fully occupied, Si0,-
600; Mcpherson & johnson, stock and build
ing, 1000; Van Couver hotel, S25, 900; John
Sargent, new saloon, $4,000; New York store
and ladies' bazar, S2l 900; Case & Gilsey's,
$4,000; Maison Totoni, Jack Thin, proprie-
tor, and Nellie Lewis and several others,
$4,000; Hibbard boot and shoe store and
sixteen small buildings, $4,000; L. A. Stuter,
jeweler, lost everything he had; l. Flatew,
tailor, stock and building, both were swept
away, total loss, $4,000; John Mcdonald,
stock and building tailor, $4,000; Seattle
lunch counter, total loss, $4,000; restaurants,
small stores, ETC., on opposite side of the
street, $4,000; twelve cabins, furniture, etc,
$4,000; damage to buildings and stock b.
water, etc, $4,000; damage to goods and
stocks throughout the entire burned dis
trict, claimed by losers to be 100000, de-
Quoting 80 per cent, $4,000; total, S503, 900.
There is no insurance at Dawson, and the loss
falls entirely upon the individuals.
The mounted police are investigating the
origin of the fire. 1t was at first thought that
the fire was the result of an incendiary, but
this suspicion had been entirely dissipated
before the passengers for the outside left
Dawson.
The passengers now in Skagway left Daw-
son on the steamer Ora and White Horse,
transferred to the steamer Olive May and
came to Bennett. From White pass they
came to this city on the railroad, which is
operating two trains daily between this city
and the pass. Very little ice was found in
the Upper Yukon, which is remarkable at
this time of the year. The first ice seen was
romng out of the Teheena into the Yukon
AT Marsh lake there was little ice, but it
was in patches and not over quarter of an
inch thick and the steamer had no difficulty
in pushing her way through. The Ora is the
last steamer of the season. All the rest are
now tied up until the river opens in the
spring.
1t is said that there is not enough lumber
and window glass in Dawson to rebuild the
burnt district and that the people are in
distress and will have to live in tents for
the rest of the winter.