The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1899-05-25
FLAMES DESTROY DAWSON CITY.
III Buildings Go up in Smoke.-A Loss Of
S4,0O0,O0O.

he main portion OF the city OF
Dawson was destroyed by fire on April
26, causing the loss of So, 900, 900. In
all, III buildings including the Bank
of British North America, were burn
ed.
News was brought down by L. S.
Hume, son of ex-Mayor Hume, of
Seattle, S. Toklas and another person,
who left Dawson on April 27, and
made their way out by canoe to
Lake Lebarge, and then over the ice,
having a perilous trip. Toklas reports
that the fire occurred April &c in the
very heart of the business centre Of
the city, commencing near the opera
house on the water front and spread
ing with unusual rapidity.
1t was driven by strong north
wind, destroying everything in its way
on that street down to, and including
Donahue & Smiths establishment.
The fire then took in all of the water
front buildings abreast of the same
| block, in other words the fire crossed
the street, burned through and spread
over to Second street, covering the
principal business portion of Dawson,
leaving it all in ashes.
With the firemen helpless and pow
erless to do anything, the fire consum-
ed everything from the Timmins Royal
Cafe down to and opposite Fairview
Hotel. Every building burned like
tinder due to the fact that they had
been standing for nearly two years
and the logs were dry as powder. The
fire spread with. such rapidity that the
citizens appeared panic-stricken and
unable to save anything in the way o
furniture and clothing, so that the
losses when footed up, promise to be
even greater than at first estimated.
| Among the most prominent firms
burned out were the Royal Cafe
Donahue & Smith, Mcclellan & Nc
Seely, Parsons Produce Company
Aurora Saloon, Bodega Saloon, Mad
den House, Hotel Victoria, McDon
AIDS Block, Bank of British Nortl
America and score OF smaller firms
and business houses.
The fire came at time when th'
mills and dealers in building materia
had exhausted their winter supple
and were waiting for the opening o
navigation to replentlsh their stocks
The result is famine in all kinds o
building material and furniture, sue
as sashes, doors, locks, hinges, etc
A few articles still remaining outsid
of the burned district have quadruppl
ed in prices. Doors are selling 70
SIS each, door locks SIS each AM
everything in proportion.
The town is paralyzed becaus
nothing can be done until the open
ing of navigation, which will not b
for several weeks. The first boat &C
| ing down with building material wi
, reap harvest.
: AS has been the case with all fire
, in Dawson, this one was caused by
drunken woman upsetting a lamp
None of the big warehouses of the A
aska Commercial Company, nor tn
, North American Trading and Trans
portation Company were touched b
. the fire, so there will be no shortag
of provisions even If the lakes shoul
, not open for navigation before tn
middle of June, which is not predlc
ed.
The heaviest losers by fire are Me
: srs. Mcclellan & McSeely, who had a
immense.stock of ironiand tinware an
: miners supplies taken in at heavy e.
4 pense, and the Bank of British Amer
!. ca, whose rather flimsy vault did nj
withstand the heat, papers in 1t belr
e destroyed. The bank also lost lare
n amount of gold dust