The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-15
A FEMALE FIRE FIEND"
WOMAN WHO HAS A PENCH ANT FOR
THROWING LIGHTED LAMPS.
MOIIie Mitchell Starts a blaze i'm Daw-
son, and Forty Buildings Valued
Mt $5OO,OOO Are Burned.

SKAGUAY, Alaska, Nov {, via Victoria,
B. c.. Nov. H.-Klondikers arriving in this
city to-day bring the news that tine city of
Dawson has been visited with $5000O0 fire,
in which forty buildings We're burned, nclud-
ing the new postoffice and some Cf the best
structures in the city. The fire took place on
the morning of Oct. 16. 1t starred in the
Green Tree saloon as result Of row Letween
two women of the town. Belle Mitchell
threw a lighted lamp at another woman.
The lamp broke the oil spread and in a
few seconds the building was on fire. The
fire started at $40 a. m. The fire year
ago was caused by this same woman, who
threw a lamp at man with whom she had
a quarrel. A month ago she tried to burn
her own place in Third avenue, in Dawson,
by throwing a lamp at woman, and near
ly caused a fire by again losing her temper
and welding another lighted lamp.
At the time the police gong sounded the
fire alarm a 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 get
ting the mail matter out was quickly done.
Although nearly all the mail was saved It
show where formerly forty buildings stood
are a few blackened logs. If it had not
been that about two thousand men turned
out and worked like Trojans with wet
blankets buckets of water and axes. and
aided in the operation of the fire apparatus.
the whole town would have gone up in
smoke. The Klondike Nugget says the
losses will be difficult to estimate. Some of
eyixyp
$40 900; Pattison & McGrath's New England
saloon. $4,000; postoflce building, owned by
Alexander Mcdonald, $4,000; Green Tree
saloon, $35 600; Empire bakery building, $40
OOO Mcpherson & Johnson, stock and build
ing, $4,000; Vancouver Hotel, $4,000; John
Sargent, saloon, SO 1000; New York store and
Ladies' Bazaar, $21, 600; Case & Gilsey.
$4,000; Dawson Tortoni, Jack Thorn pro-
pretor and Nellie Lewis and several 9TH
ers $4,000: Hibbard boot and shoe store
and sixteen small buildings, $4,000; E. A.
Suffer- jeweler, lost everything he had; l..
Flatew, tailor, $4,000; John Mcdonald
stock and building tailor $1,000; George
Brewett, tailor, 5000; Foley, butcher, $1,000;
Seattle lunch counter, $1,000; restaurants,
small stores etc, on opposite side of the
street $29 $50; twelve cabins, furniture, etc,
$4,000: damage to buildings by water to
stock, etc. $50000; damages TO goods and
stocks throughout the entire burned dis
trict, claimed by losers to be 100000 de-
ducting so per cent. $4,000; total loss, $50S.-
COO There is no insurance at Dawson and
the loss falls entirely the individuals.
The mounted police are investigating the
origin of the fire.
The miners now in Skaguay left Dawson
on the steamer Ora and at White Horse
transferred to the steamer Olive May and
came TO Bennett. From White Pass they
came to this city the railroad, which is
operating two trains daily between this
city and the pass. Very little ice was found
I'm the upper river, which Is remarkable at
this time of the year. The first ice seen
was coming out of the Teheena into the
Yukon. At Marsh lake there was little
ice but it was not over a quarter of an
inch thick and the steamer had no diff
Guilty 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
i'm the spring.
1t is said there is not enough lumber and
window glass in Dawson to rebuild the
burned district and that the people are in
distress and will have to live in tents for
the rest of the winter.