The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-27
SWEPT By FIRE
FIVE SQUARE MILES OF HOMES AND
FACTORIES DESTROYED,
And Between Twelve and Fifteen
Thousand Men, Women and Chill
dren Rendered shefterless.
CITY OF HULL IN RUINS
AND THE LOWER PORTION OF OF
TAwA, ONT, BURNED.
Former Place Was just Across the
River and the Fire Leaped over
the Water with Fury.
LOSS MAY BE S2o,o0o,00o
CORRECT ESTIMATES DIFFICULT TO
FORM THIS MORNING.
| Insurance About s2,5oo,0oo, with .
New Canadian Company Pos-
sibIy the Greatest Loser.
SEVERAL VILLAGES BURNED
WHOLE CHAuDIERE FLATS AFLAME
AT ONE TINE.
| One stretch of Fire seven Miles Long
Only Two Lives Known TO
| Have Been Lost.
Insurance About s2,5oo.ooo, with q
New Canadian Company Pos-
sibIy the Greatest Loser.
WHOLE CHAuDIERE FLATS AFLAME
AT ONE TINE.
One stretch of Fire seven Miles Long
Only Two Lives Known to
Have Been Lost.

OTTAWA. Ont, April 27.-Five square
miles of territory burned over. more than
$500 dwellings. factories. mills. stores and
other buildings destroyed. entailing loss
estirated TO reach s2o.Oooooo. and between.
1900 and 1900 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 IL o'clock yes
terdey morning and at midnight was not
completely under control.
Most of the lumber piles in Ottawa and
Hull have disappeared and are now mere
dozen churches and schools. number of
mills. the Hull water works. the Hull
courthouse and Jail. the postoifice, the con-
vent-almost every business place and
about 1000 dwellings and shops In Hull
have been destroyed Indeed, practically
nothing Of Hull is left but a church and
few houses beyond it.
The spot where the fire originated Is
about a quarter of a mile from the
main street of Hull, and, as a gale
was blowing from the northwest right
in the direction of the lumber piles
shores of the Ottawa river and Chaudiere
Flats. 1t was soon seen that the fire was
almost certain TO be a large one. BY II 80
O'Clock the fire had got a good hold OF
Main street and the entire street. with
dozens OF cross streets, was burned. Frac-
tically. there is not a house left in the
street. About this time the fire made a
Jump of nearly half a mile and ignited
Eddy's wood yard, near the match factory.
1t was soon in flames. and the fifty-mile-
an-hour gale which was blowing 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 a few minutes the lumber
piles on Victoria and Chaudiere 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.
OTTAWA, Ont, April 2s. $50 p. m.-The
city of Hull has been burning since noon
to-day and all that remains at the time OF
writing is a small corner ia the east end
of the city and before long IL. too. will be
in ashes There are few houses standing in
the suburbs of the burned city. Hull had
population OF about l2ooo people and more
than half OF them are homeless tonight.
The entire business part of the city, in
Guiding the courthouse. postoffice. public
buildings and newspaper offices Is one mass
OF ruins The population is almost entirely
composed of people who work in the mills
| or who derive their business from those
works.
The fire crossed the ottawa river I'm the
afternoon. took hold among the lumber
piles on the brink of the river and extended
10 the lumber yards and mills. The result
known as the Chaudiere flats. surround
ing the Canadian Pacific Railway station.
/ where the lumber mills are all located. Ii
fire swept. The only building standing in
the whole area is that OF the Ottawa car
bide factory which is newly erected and
fire proof From the flats the fire extended
across the Richmond road on 20 Rochester
VILE and as far as the experimental farm.
westerly the fire took I'm Huntonburg and
Mechanicsville. so that on the Ottawa side
OF the river there Is larger area COW
cred 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 surrounding towns Is not less
than 1900 and IL may reach 1900. The
government has given the drill hall and the
city the large exhibition buildings 10 ac-
commodate the sufferers. All the institu-
tions in the city which have any accom-
nodation at all have lent a hand 20 aid the
distressed. The only industry left standing
In Hull Is the Goulmer & Houston lumber
mill. at the extreme end beyond the city
limits near Gatineau point and II IL still
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