The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-05-07
LARGE AMOUNT is RAISED
Local Pride May Act to Prevent
Official Appeal Asking
Assistance.

from a defective electric wire, accord
ing to the best belief, and burned for
nearly ten hours. In that time the
property destroyed is estimated at
from $40, 100000 to $15,0 00, 900 accord
ing to the city map 49, blocks were
burned, many of them in the heart of
the business and residence sections.
The estimate of houses to the block is
10, hence 1900 of them went up in
smoke. Many Of the finest public
and private buildings were destroyed,
including hotels, theatres, churches
and residences. Casualties cannot be
accurately estimated tonight. That
there were several seem to be we'll
authenticated. Among them was that
of the fire chief, who sustained a bad
fall ."..I
The mayor mas ordered all of the
saloons closed and has impressed help
to clear the wreckage.
At 100 a. M, the situation is ap-
preaching desolation in a large Sec
ton of the city. The burned district
reaches from Burbridge street on the
north to st. Johns river on the south,
a distance of two miles. The width of
the burned area is Is blocks, about
100 blocks in all. Within this space
practically everything is in ruins. In
Bay, street the principal mart of
trade, the Western Union Telegraph
company's building is the first build
ing standing. Everything west of
Laura and Bay streets is gone.
At 1:O5 O'Clock the IRE was under
control, having practically burned
itself out.
Suburban settlements, with the *
ception of La villa, are intact. La
Villa was badly burned, but the extent
of the damage can not be told until
tomorrow. Thousands OF persons are
on the street tonight homeless, with
practically all of their worldly posses
sions on their backs. Depots of the
railways, situated in the southeastern
section of the city, have been turned
into temporary lodging houses and
hospitals. The weather is fine so that
there will be no suffering or that
score. Meeting of the city council
commercial bodies and charitable in
situations will be called for Saturday
to arrange ways and means for caring
for the sufferers. 1t is not known YET
if al appeal for help will be issued
though it is thought likely that the
e~xigencies of the occasion will demand
-,,11 11e;oo- II Sr hN,01 thof a n, n n
peal can be avoided.
morning, says the property loss viii
exceed SIS. 100000. Ten to fiftee1
thousand people are homeless.
Jacksonville, Fla, May jackson
ville's great fire, which began yester
day, has burned itself out. One hun
dred and fifty blocks Of Lne city have
been LAID waste. The loss will not bt
known, even approximately, for /;
week, but it is believed It will amour
to $4,000, 600.
There are many rumors afloat o
loss of life, but as every undertake,
in the city was burned ouL, it is i'm
possible to ascertain the facts. On
story which is persistently reiterated
is to the effect that a party of me-
and women, driven to the river by tn
fire, were compelled to jump into tn
water and that several of .nem Wer,
drowned.
Mrs. Holman, a negro woman, wa
burned in her house and her charre,
remains we're buried by friends sthi
afternoon.
The burned district is 13 block
wide and two miles long and extend
from the st. Johns river, where j
burned the docks to the waters edge
to Catherine street on the east, an,
Davis to the west. This immense are
was swept as clean as a floor.
The city is under martial law an
all of the available state militia |
on duty in the streets. Some orde
is being brought out of the confusion
Jacksonville is facing an emergenc
call, and has organized for relief Q
Ten thousand people are homeless
and many Of them left On forenoo
and night trains for st. Augustine an
other cities and nearby towns, Will
numbers of river craft took many
4 other places on the st. Johns river.
Supply stations have been esta'
lished in various parts of the city an
all day they have been thronged b
the hungry. Inc pIouupt oCSAOA :
Secretary of War Root in tenderin
the use of the barracks at Fort Ba
rancas near st. Augustine, was r.
ceived with gratitude ON every side.
The last, coast train, leaving her
at 5 o'clock this afternoon, carrie
over 1000 people to st. Augustin'
who hope to receive temporary she
ter from the government.
A committee was appointed at
meeting of citizens this afternoon
telegraph to the governors OF the va
ious states to send all the tents the
a spare. It will be weeks befol
anything like permanent shelter ca
he provided for the homeless ar
Jacksonville will be for some time
city Of tents.
The relief fund raised by the cit