The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-27
.$I7,OOO,OOOL LOSS
Five Square Miles of Territory
Burned Over
In the Cities of Ottawa and
Hull, Canada.
THOUSANDS HOMELESS.
Fire Started From FIue on
the Hull Side.
Spread Rapidly and Soon Crossed
the River.
$500 HOUSES BURNED.
Public Buildings Are a Mass
of Ruins.
Lumber Interests Are Among
Heaviest Losers.
Lumber Interests Are Among
Heaviest Losers.

Toronto, Ont, Apr. Dispatches
from Ottawa summarize the situation
at Ottawa and Hull as follows:
Buildings destroyed 1000.
Buildings destroyed 1900.
Total loss, both cities, estimated,
$2O,oOO,OOO.
Total insurance, both cities, esti-
mated, $12,OOO,OOO.
Lives lost, so far as known, four.
Some of the losses are:
Booth Lumber Company, $3,OOo,-
900; Eddy company, $3,OOO,OoO; Nc
Kay Milling company, $5OO,OOo; Hull
Lumber company, $7oO,ooo; Elec-
tric Light Company, $25O,ooo; Do
minion Carbide Works, $15O,ooo.
ottawa. Ont, April 27.-At a. m, the
fire which has ragged here and in Hull
since IL a. m. yesterday was under con-
troll. The number of buildings destroy
ed will probably aggregate 900, entail
ing a. loss of from fifteen to seventeen
million dollars. Between 1900 and 49,
900 men, women and children are home
| less. -Four lives were lost.
GOVERNMENT GIVES 100000
Ottawa, Ont. April 27.-The gov
| ernment at a cabinet meeting today
| decided to give 100000 to relieve the
sufferers of the Ottawa and Hull fire.
Ten thousand dollars will be given Tor
/ immediate use. The city council has
| decided to give $4,000.
! The entire stock of the Export 1.um-
| Der company was destroyed, and it is
| estimated that the loss will foot up
| It is estimated that about $50 million
! feet of lumber has been burned in Hull
| and ottawa
If the wind continues from the north
| east the city will be safe, as the fire
has about burned itself out towards
| the country. Should the wind turn and
| blow some of the burning debris toward
| the city there would be great danger of
| it breaking out again, as everything is
as dry as match-wood-
Most of the lumber piles in Ottawa
| and Hull have disappeared and are now
| mere heaps of charred wood and ashes.
| Half a dozen churches, schools, num-
| Der Of mills, the Hull waterWorks, the
| Hull court house and jail, the postoffice,
| the convent-almost every business
| place and about 1000 dwellings and
shops in Hull have been destroyed. In
deed, practically nothing of Hull is left
but a church and a few houses beyond
it.
The spot where the fire originated is
about a quarter of a mile from the main
street of Hull, and a 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
|
was soon seen that the fire was almost
certain to be a, large one. By half past
IL the fire had got a good hold of Main
street and the entire street with dozens
of cross streets, was burning. Practical
ly there is not a house left in the street
MAKES A JUMP.
| About this time the fire made a jump
of nearly half a mile and ignited Ed
dy's wood yard, near the match factory
| 1t was soon in flames and the so miles
an hour gale which was blowing drove
a high column of flames across Bridge
street and set fire to the Eddy paper
} mills and the other buildings of the
company.
The fire at this time also sprans
across the Ottawa river and caught tbs
f sheds in the rear of the Mackay Milling
D company on Victoria island and in
] few minutes the lumber piles on Vic
teria, Chaudiere islands. one of the pow
er houses of the Ottawa Electric com
: pany, the Victoria foundry and half tn,
E buildings on the two islands were il
flames.
e The result is that the whole Of tha
Q part of Ottawa known as the Chaudier
e Flats, surrounding the Canadian Pa
/ cific railway station, where the lumbe
= - mills are all located, is fire swept
i The only building standing in tn
whole area is that of the Ottawa Car
r bide factory. which is newly erecte'
e and fire proof.
: From the flats the fire extended acros
n the Richmond road on to Rochester
vile, and as far as the experiments
$ farm.
3 Westerly the fire took in Huntonber
: and Mechanicsville, so that on the OF
: tawa side of the river there is a large
e area covered by fire than on the Hu
: side.
e It is estimated that the number G
e people homeless in the two cities an
& suburban towns is not less than 12.OC
n and it may reach 5000.
n HOMELESS PEOPLE
r Hull has a population of about 12OC
/ people, and more than half of them al
a homeless. The entire business part {
r the city, including the court house, posi-
d office, public buildings and newspape
l. Offices is one mass of ruins
The government has given the dri
i hall and the city the large exhibitio
'e buildings to accommodate the sufferer
, All the institutions in the city whic
? have any accommodation at all hay
L lent a hand to aid the distressed.
-e The only industry left standing j
d | Hull is the Goulmer & Houston Lurnbt
u mill at the extreme end beyond the cit
~, ~ limits, near Gatinau Point.
" The Hull Lumber company's mills, IL
g. extensive works of F. B. Eddy bot
er match and paper factories, as well E
IS his residence, are all in ruins as well
r the Interprovincial bridge which col
e. meets the city of Ottawa with Hull
sT On the Ottawa side of the river IL
n n loss is still greater.
There are in ashes the Bronson
Weston Lumber company mills. the