The sun., 1900-04-28
.bTTAWA'S GREAT FIRE
over Twelve Thousand People Are
Now Without Homes.
LOSS UP In THE MILLIONS.
Town of Hull Completely Wiped Out
and the Capital of Canada Also
Sufferer From the
Flames.

Ottawa, April 2I.-The greatest fire in
the hi, tory of Canada was that which
visited Hull and the western district of
Ottawa. The loss is roughly estimated
at from $15 5,O00,000 to S1I,OOO,0O0. Over
$4,000 people have been rendered home
less. There is no means of arriving ut
absolutely reliable conclusions i'll these
reports as yet, but the numbers cannot
well be below those figures.
The major part of Hull, with its i'm
m,nsc industrial establishments and the
homes Of their operatives, was swept
clean. as well as Victoria and Dalhousic
wards in Ottawa. The valuable lumber
piles are now smoldering. and the loss on
this score alone cannot be less than
S3,000,000
1Er scenes that were witnessed i'll Hull
ana Ottawa would appear oycrdrawu il
incorporated i'll II romance. Under the
broad canopy Of m April Sky. cainpcd
with all the belongings Of their homes
that they could rescue. and that WAS pre-
cious little. the poorest of the poor of OF
iaM;l and people of position iii society
or course, il had small beginning,
and most of the stories of its origin are
appcryphal. What is known is that Il
small fire broke ont iii the center Of
Hull, hut that is IL common occurrence
there. and attracted little attention. Ii
soon had devastated II great part of Hull
and spread toward the river. famed by u
strong wind, threatening and ultimately
destroying five of Il. b. Eddy's mills
Then il leaped the Ottawa river and
swept across Ottawa, carrying every
thing in front of it.
Government Heavy Loser.
Tho Dominion government is among
the heavy losers. the Chaudirre bridge
having toppled into the river from the
warping effects of the heat.
Several people, including fireman, are
dead. There were some narrow escapes.
. DIR. Glashan. public school inspector, was
busily engaged i'll trying to save the Well
ington street school and experimenting
the removal of the furniture. So sudden
ly lid the fire come upon the school that
, the roof was nearly falling in before he
was notified. He was helped from the
building by the carrtaker just as the ROOT
l collapsed and both were covered will,
burning cinders.
o Most of the lumber piles in Ottawa and
Hull have disappeared, and now mere
heaps Of only charrrtl wood and ashes
(. mark their sites. Half n dozen churches
/ and schools have been burned; the Eddy
o company's paper pulp mills. match fac
) tory aud including t. Il. Eddys palata
residence, and their entire establishments
t with the exception only of the sulphid,
|. works which were out of the line of fire
4 have been destroyed Bronson x West
on'S mill, the Hull Lumber company
l. mill. one of Booths mills AMI the McKn,
u comunny's premises, enc of the p0wc
e houses Of the Ottawa Electric. company
. the HUI watrrw3rkS, the Hull court
house and Jail tho pHstollice, the convent
y almost every business place and ahnl
e fOO dwellings and shops in Hull hav
e hern destroyed. Indeed practically moth
T ng ot Hull is lel1 hut the church aud
= lyw houses beyond il.
I;uiI's Reminding Industry.
Tho only industry lcft stunning iii ITu
: is the Gimour X Huston lumber IN Il
81 1T the cNtnnu cast end. The steel str.
4. pension bridge which ronuccts The city /,
!, OTTAWA with Hull WAS also destroyed.
J. ON tho Ottawa side many iii. lrS
q lcnc were included in the fire are;
al among thcm that Of j. Il. Bn til, whic
a. alone WAS estimated III $lUO,Oa0; the rr,
dcnce Of his Sun-inlaw. y. +. Elrci
N close beside, and Hon. George Foster
IN residence. in the same locality. Lr'
le Cranncl, manager for Mr.. Bronson. IN
- Mr.. Purr of the Paris mill had tw
~ beautiful houses. out Of which they wei
e. not able to take anything, so quickly Iii
s- the flames extend. The Canadian l.;
OF cifc railway depot on the Chandler
- flats burned quickly.
= The fire broke ont in the house of NJ
nc Kirouac, on Chaudierr street, Hull.
is said that Mrs. Krouac was light.n
of her stove to get the family dinner an
"A set the chimney on fire. The fam,
AZ spread to the roof and quickly comm,
1t, nicated to adjoining houses. and, as the.
be was a heavy gale blowing at the tim
= the fire was soon beyond control.
Hundreds of homeless persons slept
the open air last night or wandered abo,
Ir. the streets of Ottawa and Hail. althoue
homes We're freely thrown open to ii
homeless and many were accommodate
in the drill hail. the Salvation Army ba
racks and other places.