The Van Buren press., 1904-04-23
TERRIBLE FIRE
At TORONTO, ONT.
Five or Six Million Dollars Worth
Of Business Property Mass of
Smouldering Ruins.
Two HUNDRED And FIFTY firms
have Been PUT OUT OF BUSINESS.
One Human Life is Believed to Have
Been Lost, and Fire-Chicf Thomp-
son Had n Narrow Escape, Break
ing IA Leg in II Desperate Leap for
Life.

Toronto, Ont, April 2t-The fire
that ragged throughout the night and up
to an early morning hour III Toronto's
wholesale and retail business district
was the most destructive in the his
tory of the city. The total loss is con-
servatively estimated at between S5,-
000,0 900 and $6,000,000. Tie principal
warehouses of the city were reduced
to ashes and nearly $50 firms were put
out of business The area covered by
the fire is three blocks in length and
varies from half a block TO two blocks
in length, and from half a
block to two blocks in width,
Every building on Bay street
from Melinda street southwark
to the Esplanade at the water front,
was wiped out, and the fire spread on
Wellington and Front streets and the
Esplanade along the water front, from
their intersection with Bay street for
distances of few hundred feet to Il
whole block. The total number OF
buildings destroyed were: Bay street,
east side, 20; west side 30; Yelling
ton street, north side, -; south side
L Front street, north, 90; south, q;
Esplanadae, 4; Piper street, l.
The Principal Losers.
Following is a list of the more i'm
portant firms burned out: E. & s. Cur
RE, ties; Pugsley, Dingman & Co., To-
ronto Soap Co., loss 100000; insur-
ance, $4,000; Gillespie, Anley & Co..
hatters; w. r. Brock Co, dry goods
loss on stock, 100000 insurance, $780,
600; Rolph, Smith & Co, Autograph
ers; Brown Brothers, stationers, loss,
100000, insurance, s250,000; Gordon
Mackay & Co., dry goods loss, s55O,OO0,
insurance, 100000; Atkinson Brothers,
fancy goods; Cockburn & Rea, milli-
ners; Dignum & Moneypenny, woolens.
loss, 100000, insurance s75, 200; Dodds
Medicine Co.; Laight & Westwood, no.
tons, loss 100000 insurance, $4,000;
Richie & Ramsay paper; f. w. Gil
more & Bros, silyerware Canada
Paint CO.. Crown hotel Brereton 4
Manning furs; W. J. Gage & Co.. sta
TONERS, loss, 5000, 900, insurance, $780,
600; Copp, Clark & Co, stationers, loss,
. 100000 insurance, $l75,O0O; Warwick
Bros & Rutter, loss, $4,000 insur-
ance, $150000 Gale Manufacturing Co.,
white wear, loss, $4,000. insurance.
100000; Gutta Percha & Rubber Co.,
loss, 100000, insurance, 100000;
Charles Cockshut & Co, woolens loss,
100000, insurance, S250000 o, Eek
ardt Casket Co., loss, 5000 900, insur-
ance, 100000; Wyld, Darling Co, dry
goods, loss, 100000, insurance, $780,
600; Dominion Fence Co., loss, Sl25,-
600. insurance $500; Buntn, Reid
Co, stationers, loss, 100000 lusur.
ance, sos ,0OO Corticalli silk Co.; Car
law building Gault Brothers & Co, dry
goods
Narrow Escapc--A Missing Man.
At an early stage Of the fire Chief
Thompson was forced to jump from
the top of building when trapped by
the flames A network Of wires broke
his fall and saved his life, He es-
capped with broken leg When the
chief made the leap for his life, tray-
eler from Montreal was on the roof
with him, and no trace Of him has
since been seen, It Is probable that
he persisted IN the flames,
The FIRE started in the elevator shaft
in the rear Of the Currio building Then
the flames spread across the street TO
Brown Bros and from there east 20
Bay street The wind, which had been
brisk, increased to gale. A general
alarm was sounded, but before all the
force had reached the scene the fire
had loaped TO the high buildings occu-
pied by Anley n Co, and Pugsley, Ding
man 4 Co, Then Sucking & Co.'S
building adjoining Currios on the
east caught fire, Almost slmultane-
ously flames began to shoot out OF
the Brown building, and the Hremen
were Obliged to split their forces The
roof of Dingman & Moneypenny's
building on the northwest corner OF
Bay and Wellington streets, was the
next place to burst into flames, In
an incredibly short time Stockings
CurIc's, Browns and Dingman 4
Monoypennys were all mass OF
flames, and the streams OF water
thrown into them had no apparent eff
feet
The Gale Manufacturing Co.'S lm-
mense plant, In the rear OF Anley A.
Co., was the next to fall prey to the
fro, and shortly aftorword the flames
from the east side of Dlngmon
Monoypcnnys were carried across 10
the east side of Bay street to the Oillco
Specially building.
saved ny n park,
II was here that the fremen united
forces and made desperate stand to
check the progress OF the flames north
ward IN the heart OF the city, They
won, but rot until they had lost con-
troll of the flames which were nov
sweeping down Hay street toward the
river front The Office OF the Evening
Telegram, the next building north OF
the once Specially building, was
slightly damaged IN the two hours
night with the lasihs fameg,
Il was only the intervening park that
saved tho Queens hotel, one OF the
a..a, h,ui,iriaa Ia thu rauutry 40