The age-herald., 1900-04-27
FEARF u WORK
 OF THE FLAMES Loss is Already Estimated at
 s2O,OOO,OOO. TIE CITY OF HULL DESTROYED 12,000 Canadians Are Homeless The Flames Have Crossed the
 River at Ottawa and Con-
 tinue Their Course.
THE CITY OF HULL DESTROYED

Ottowa, Ont, April 26.-Five square miles of territory burned over, more than 2,5O0 dwellings, factories, mills, stores and other buildings destroyed, entailing a loss esti- mated to reach s20, 0,OOO,OOO. and between R,- 900 and 15000 men, women and children homeless, Is a summing up of the havoc wrought by wire which has been raging at Hull and Ottowa since il o'clock yester- day morning, and at night was not com- pletely controlled.
 The fire originated through fire in dirty chimney and the high wind caused the flames to spread rapidly in the direc- ton of the lumber piles and mills on both the Hull and Ottowa shores of the ottowa river and Chaudiere flats. The total loss is estimated at s15, 100000 and insurance at s2,5OO,OOO. Last night the fire in Hull had about burned out The business portion is all gone and about half of <the residences. The only means of communication between Ot- tawa and Hull is by boat. From o'clock the only water to be had in Hull was from the river.
 The casualties so far reported are Miss Cook, an old woman, who was burned to death in her house; an unknown man found dead on the Canadian Pacific railroad track and James Maven and James Merryfeld, reported fatally injured by falling timbers. At midnight the fire was practically un- der control J. R. Booths principal lumber yards at St. Louis dam have all been saved. But from 2. part north to the Ottawa river almost everything is consumed. It is almost impossible tonight to get individ- ual losses. A. T. Wood M. F., considers $300O0OOO a conservative estimate.
 City of Hull Destroyed
 Ottawa, Ont, April 26-9 D. m.-The city of Hull has been burning since noon today and all that remains at the time of this writing Is a small corner in the east end of the city and before long it, too, will be in ashes. There are few houses stand ing in the suburbs of the burned city. Hull has population of about 12.OOO people and more than half of them are homeless to- night. The entire business part of the city, including the court house, postoffice. public buildings and newspaper offices is one mass of ruins.
 The population is almost entirely com- posed of people who work in the mills or who derive their business from those works.
 The fire crossed the Ottawa river in the afternoon, took hold among the lumber piles on the bank of the river and ex- tended to the lumber yards and mills. The result is that the whole of that part of Ottawa known as Chaudiere flats, sur- rounding the Canadian Pacific railway sta- tion, is fire swept From the flats the a. rot1 on to Rochesterville and as far as the experimental farm. Westerly the fire took in Huntonburg and Mechanicsville, so that on the Ottawa side of the river there is larger area covered by fire than on the Hull side.
 Twelve Thousand Persons Homeless
 It Is estimated that at the present time the number of people homeless in the two cities and suburban towns is not less than l2,0OO, and it may reach 15,0OO. The govern ment has given the drill hall and the city the large exposition buildings to accommo~ date the sufferers. All the institutions in the city which have anw accommodation at all have lent hand to aid the distressed. The only industry left standing In Hull is the Goumer and Houston Lumber mill just beyond the city limits, and it is still in danger. The large Roman Catholic ca thedral is still standing, but the flames are surrounding it.
 Nothing can be done to stop the fire. It will burn itself out to the waters edge. The Hull Lumber company's mills, the ex- tensive works of Ebeddy, both match and paper factories, as well as his residence are all in ruins, as well as the inter-pro- yincial bridge which connects the city of Ottawa with Hull.
 On the Ottawa side of the river the loss is still greater. There are in ashes the Bronson and Weston Lumber company mills the J. R. Booth Lumber mills, the Mckay Milling company, the Ottawa Elec- trio Railway power house, the Martin and Warneck mills, the Victoria foundry, the Ottawa Saw works, Ottawa Speciality com- pany, the Pain Flaming mills and several other industries. There are also some fine residences included in this area, among them that of J. P. Booth, which was valued at $100,000. The residence of his son. in-law, A. w. Fleck that of Hon. George Foster, Lewis Runnell and others, out of which their owners were unable to take anything, so quick did the flames extend to them.
 Assistance Asked For
 As soon as the officials saw that the fire was to be a disastrous one, the acting minister of public works telegraphed to Montreal, Peterboro and Brockville for fire appliances and all assistance that could be sent But although they arrived speedily {hey were of no avail Nothing could stop whole blocks and broke out in every direc- tiop. .s.
 The Canadian railroad station, a large wooden structure, which Is on Chudiere flats, was among one of the first buildingi to go The large cliff which extends from
 Continued on Second Pagel