Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-04-28
AFTERMATH D FIRE
Eighteen Thousand Persons Made
Homeless BY Fire in Hull and
Ottawa, Canada
Many Arc Insutnciently Clad and
Hundreds Are in Need Of
Food.

Relief Funds Coming From Larger
Cities Of America, Canada and
England.
Ottawa, April 2S.-Ottawa is today
the scene of restitution which nothing
but the kind hearts and ready purses
of strangers can relieve. Eighteen
thousand persons are homeless In this
city and in Hull as the result Of the
great fire which burned itself out yes
sterday. OF these a large part are In.
pressing need Of food and in many;
eases even of clothing, which they have
no means to provide for themselves. n
Already a huge relief fund has begun
to pile up, and the expressions OF good
will (which come from the United States
and England as we'll as from Canadian
cities, with their earnest Of contribu-s
lions, are cheering the workers for re-
lief at home.
For the aid OF the sufferers the gov
eminent of the dominion decided at a
cabinet meeting to contribute 100000,
of which $4,000 will be made immedi-
ately available. The city council OF OF
stawa has given $4,000 and private con-
tributions here will probably make this
tcity's home relief fund $1,000, 900. The
Ontario government has given $4,000
and Toronto has promised the same
amount. The bank of Montreal tele-
phoned that it was sending $4,000
Private subscriptions to the amount OF
$4,000 We're secured with little effort.
Large sums have also been wired
from London, Eng, and New York has
sent promises of big subscriptions. The
mayor of Ottawa has also received
kilograms from mayors of many cities,
including one from Mayor Maybury, Of
Detroit, saying that private persons
We're preparing to send checks, and
that ifit was desirable public subscrip-
ton lists would be opened.
A relief committee has been formed
by the citizens and this. together with
the Roman Catholic aichbishops of
Ottawa and Montreal, will make an
appeal for relief to the country.
The condition of the homeless Is such
as to make the speediest action neces-
sary. Probably 10000 of them are mill
men, factory hands, day aborers and
their families. most of whom are utter.
~ destitute. With many mouths to-
feed, they have nothing at all at their
control. Some of them escaped with
not even adequate clothing for daily
wear. Two thousand people in Hull
passed the night again in the open air. 4
To make the situation all the worse
the burning of the mills and yards will
make 1t impossible to give the sufferers
employment for some time to come. and
they will have to be supported for weeks
until employment can be secured for
them elsewhere or the mills can be re-
built.
The bare statement of the facts of the
seventeen hours fire. az they can now
be summed up, are appalling. The total
number of houses and buildings burned
in the two cities is 2,40Ol. Three thou
sand families are homeless. The losses
.conservatively estimated, are 81. 900, 900.
The area burned over in Ottawa ex-
tends two and a half miles from north to
south, with an average width OF half a
mile. Hull is practically wiped cut of
existence. Three-quarters OF the resi-
Idences are ma sses Of smoldering ruins
while the only big buildings still stand
ing are the Gilmour sawmills. the Eddy
sulphite mill and the Roman Catholic
cathedral.
The backset to the business OF this
part OF the country which will result
from the fire is something which can
hardly be calculated. The destruction
of the leading industries of the twin
cities has been so thorough that 1t will
be hard indeed to replace them, even on
a smaller scale. Large numbers Of
leading business men will come out OF
the confiagration ruined, with no hope
of recovery. Some Of the Canadiansin-
surance companies will, it is said. be
unable to pay.
For the rebuilding OF any OF the great
mills and industrial plants large
amount Of outside capital will surely be.
required. No plans for any part of the
work OF reconstruction have yet been
announced. none of the proprietors hav-$
Ing yet recovered from the first shock OF
the disaster.
f The suffering to the homeless was all
the greater from the fact OF the bitterly
cold weather which came Thursday
night. Hull has been especially unfor-
tunate. as one small ferry boat Is the
only means of communication with OF
taWa. and the bakeries and stores be-
ing consumed, the one boat had to be
depended on for transportation OF all the
supplies that We're had.
As far as has been possible the people
of Hull have been brought across to OF
tawa, where they have been sheltered in
the drill hall, the exhibition buildings,
the Salvation Army barracks, the Ath-
letic Association building and the con-
vent of the Good Shepherd.
All the Canadian insurance companies
are hard hit. They will lose in the ag ::
#gregate about $1,000, 600. AS yet the COM
paIies do not definitely know their cx-
act Losses Among the United States.
companies interested are:
Aetna OF Hartford, Conn.
f Fire Insurance Company OF Hartford.
( Hartford Fire Insurance Company.
Insurance Company of North Ameri-
Ca.
Phoenix Insurance Company Of Hart
ford.
Queen Insurance Company Of Ameri-
ca.
Phoenix OF Brooklyn
American and Connecticut.
The losses of these will range from
500. 900 to 100000
49,