The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-05-03
BIG FIRE AT OTTAWA
Thousands of People Made
Homeless aud Destitute.
Loss MORE THAN S15,OOO,OOt
Fire Was Barely Under Control at Mid
night-GOvernment Aid for the Saf-
ferers-Many Mills Gone.


Ottawa, Ont, April 28.-Five square
miles of territory burned; over 1850
dwellings, factories. mills, stores and
other buildings destroyed, entailing a
loss estimated to reach $40, 900, 600,
and between $4,000 and $4,000 men,
women and children homeless. is a
summing up of the havoc wrought by
the fire which has been raging at Hull
and in Ottawa since / O'Clock yester.
day morning, and at midnight was not
completely under control.
Most of the lumber piles in Ottawa
md Hull have disappeared. and are
now mere heaps of charred wood and
ashes. Half dozen churches and
schools, number of mills, the Hull
water works, the Hull courthouse and
Jail, the postoffice, the convent-almost
every business place and about 200
dwellings and shops in Hull have been
destroyed. Indeed, practically moth
ing of Hull is lett but a church and a
few houses beyond it.
The spot where the fire originated is
about quarter of a mile from the main
street of Hull, and as gale was blow
ing from the northwest right in the di.
rection of the lumber piles and mills
on both the Hull and Ottawa shores Of
the Ottawa river and Chaudiers falls. it
was soon seen that the fire was almost
certain to be large one. By ll:30
the fire had gotten good hold on Main
street, and the entire street, with
dozens of cross streets, was burning.
Practically there is not house left in
the street.
About this time the fire made jump
of nearly half mile, and ignited
Eddy's woodward, near the match fac
troy. 1t was soon in flames, and the
5O-mile.an-hour gale which was blow.
ing drove high column of flame across
Bridge street, and set fire to the Eddy
paper mill and the other buildings of
the company. The fire at this time
also sprang across the Ottawa river,
and caught the sheds in the rear of the
Mackay Milling Company, on Victoria
island, and in few minutes the lum-
Der piles on Victoria and Chandler
islands, one of the power houses of the
Ottawa Electric Company, the Victoria
foundry and half the buildings on the
two islands were in flames.
The result is that the whole of that
part of Ottawa, known as the Chandler
fats, surrounding the Canadian Pacific
railway station; where the lumber
mills are all located. is fire-swept. The
only buildings standing in the whole
area is that of the Ottawa carbide fac
tory. which is newly erected and fire.
proof.
From the flats the fire extended
across the Richmond road, on to Ro-
baskerville, and as far as the expert
rental farm. Westerly the fire took
IN Hintonberg and Mechanlcsville, so
that on the Ottawa side of the river
there is larger area covered by fire
than on the Hull side. 1t is estimated
that at the present time the number of
people homeless in the two cities and
suburban towns is not less than IL, 900
and it may reach $4,000.
Hull has population of about 49,
900 people, and more than half of them
are homeless tonight. The entire busi-
ness part of the city, including the
courthouse, postoffice, public buildings
and newspaper Offices, is one mass of
ruins.
The government has given the drill
hall and the city the large exhibition
buildings to accommodate the sufferers.
All the institutions in the city which
have any accommodation at all have
lent hand to aid the distressed.
On the Ottawa side of the river the
loss is still greater. There are in ashes
the Bronson & Weston Lumber Com
pany, the Ottawa Electric Railway
power house, the Martin and Warneck
mills, the Victoria foundry, the Otta.
wa Saw Works, the Ottawa Speciality
Com pany, the Pain Planning Mills and
several other industries. There are
also some fine residences included in
this area. Among them are those of j..
r Booth, which was valued at $l0O,
600; the residence of his son in-law, A..
w. Fleck; that of Hon. George Foster,
Lewis Runnell, manager for Mr.. Bron-
son, and Mr.. Pain, of the Pain Mills;
the latter two beautiful houses, out of
which their owners were not able to
take anything, SO quick did the flames
extend to them.
As soon as the members of the gov.
ernment saw that the fire was to be a
disastrous one, the acting member OF
public works telegraphed to Montreal,
Peterboro and Brockville for fire appli-
ances, and all assistance that could be
sent. But, although they arrived
speedily, they were of DO avail.
The fire originated through fire in
q dirty chimney, and the high winds
caused the flames to spread rapidly,
coming to the Ottawa side of the river,
and that portion of the city east OF Di-
vision street was almost entirely burned
down. Here and there building re-
mains.
London, April 2s.-A special dis
datch from Bombay says: "The cholera
is raging fearfully at the great camp
at Godra, where thousands of famine.
stricken natives are receiving relief.
A hundred and fifty corpses were re-
moved yesterday, but 100 others had
to be left because it was impossible to
procure bearers"
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McMinnville, Tenn, April 27.-John
Watson and Bill Brown, both white,
and Sonnie Craine. colored, were
hanged here today for murder.