The San Francisco call., 1898-02-05
Government Buildings and Courthouse Are
 Destroyed.
Said to Be the Greatest Con- flagration That Ever
 Visited Alaska.
A Murder That Leads to the Death of Mother and Her
 Babe
Special Dispatch to The Call.

JUNEAU, Alaska, Jan. 31 (by steam ship City of Seattle to Victoria, Feb. 5. To night the most severe conf1agra- tion that ever occurred in Alaska, next to the burning of Baranoff Castle. the old Russian Capitol building at Sitka, March 1T, 1894, visited Juneau. The Government building and courthouse, occupying the most conspicuous eleva- ton in the city, was burned to the ground Nearly all the Government records were lost. A heavy gale was blowing and no fire department on earth leaving out of consideration the two hosecarts that Juneau has, could have extinguished the castle of roaring fire,
 The illumination was seen for forty miles up Lynn canal. and 1t lighted up beautifully the surrounding noun tains of snow.
 Despite repeated petitions the au- thorities at Washington have refused to provide fire plugs for the city or a safe for the records. The loss is al- most irreparable. The brass ball of the flagstaff, which melted and ran into shapeless mass, was picked out of the ruins and sold the same night after it cooled by weight as a gold nugget to a Klondiker awaiting the next days boat to Puget Sound.
 The Government jail was also in the building. All the half dozen prisoners were liberated. One of them volun- tarily helped United States Commits sioner Ostrander to save records of his office. The fire was caused by the ex- plosion of lamp.
 The riffro if of tf,a earth fa rO11ncffnV in large numbers at SBaguay and Dyea. It very nearly controls the for mer town at the present time.
 The third murder occurred there last night. Two men are lying dead, one woman and her babe are dead, as a re- suit of the shock, and a third man is seriously, if not fatally, wounded.
 Early in the evening the beautiful young wife of Deputy United States Marshal Mark Rowan presented him a son.
 Dr. J. H. Moore, formerly of Poca- tello, Idaho, assisted at the presenta- tion. The Marshal said he would &C., company the doctor home, as it was late and the town was filled with tough characters. On his return Rowan, who was also correspondent at Ska quay for the Anaconda Standard, heard a big row in Rice's dance hall and
 
 time to get in range of an indiscrim- mate shooting and drew his own re- volver. A man named McQuade claimed to have been robbed by a woman and demanded restitution of the money.
 When refused he drew a revolver and Jim Fay, a bartender, shot him dead. Then drunken man drew his revolver and began shooting in all directions. It is not known where McQuade came from.
 Mark l.. Rowan was appointed from New Whatcom, Wash. When she heard of the death of her husband the shock in her weak condition was too much and she died. The newborn infant followed his mother a few hours later. There is great indignation among the best classes of citizens of Skaguay.
 An indignation meeting was being held yesterday morning when the City of Seattle left, and vigilance commit tee will probably be formed to take the law in it's own hands. It was suggest ed that a few hangings on Broadway might have the desired effect, and it is probable that the next outrage will be followed by a hanging party Fay gave himself up. He claims self-de- fense. There has been hold-up or a burglary or something of that sort nearly every night for the last three weeks. HAL HOFFMAN.