Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-25
MILLION IS LOST
Costly Fires Occur in Various
Parts of the United
States.
DESTRUCTION AT AALEsLUND
Not House Left But Hospital
1000 People Are
Homeless.

San Antonio. Tex. Jan. -. - WOlr-
sons retail dry goods store on Main
plaza caught lire and is 4 total loss.
The store did ,arge business with
all of West Texas. and carried a stock
of goods valued 1t more tkan $50.
UGO. The building was worth $50
0UO. Total insurance. S24J.0o0.
Hartford. Conn. Jan. 2J.-The most
disastrous fire that has threatened the
business section of the city in years
started i'll the 1ive-story block corner
of Main and Kinsley streets. In ten
minutes the structure was Il roaring
furnace, and the loss is close to $780,,
coo.
Sour Lake Suffers.
Houston. Tex. Jan. 2J.-Fire de-
stroyed six blocks of frame business
houses at Sour Lake. and got into the
Cannon tract in the oil field. doing
considerable damage. The loss is
placed at 100000, on first estimate.
New York, Jan. -. - The building
Nos. 54G-J4S Broadway. occupied by
MOrimura Bros. Japanese goods: X.
r. Bonar " Co. hats. and Crawford "
Quigley. Rossenwar Bros. and Finkel-
stein X Maaget. clothing, was de
stroyed by fire The total loss is esti-
mated at $25O.0OO.
Camping at AaIeslund.
Aalesund. Norway. Jan. 2J.-The fire
which swept over this town destroyed
every building i'll il with the exception
of the hospital The l1.OUO inhabitants
OF Aale>und were compelled to camp
i'll the open. as only few damaged
and uninEabitablc houses We're LETT
standing. The children of the town
had TO be housed temporarily in the
church at Bor@und. The panic among
the people was 80 great after the out
break of TIE flames that jail attempts
at leadership or discipline became out
OF the question: 10 excuses. however.
were committed. The people first en-
deaVOred to save some Of their prop
erty. but they soon found that they
had quite enough TO do to save tEeir
own lives.
Nothing Left in Two Hours.
The destruction of the town WAS
complete within ii couple Of hours
twenty steam fishing boats ana many
sailing SmackS were sunk in the har-
bor i'll order to save them from the
flames. but three steamers and many
smackS were burned 1t is believed
now that only three per> OnS lost their
lives. SuccOr has arrived from Mode.
Bergen and other places. and pro
visions are being distributed. Relief
have been formed and have
invited public subscriptions. The king
and queen of Sweden and Norway
have contributes 81 800 to relief fund.
and all the other members of the royal
family have also subscribed.
Loss May Reach $J.OOO,OOO.
Most of the inhabitants of the town
lost everything they possessed, and
only in very few cases were the dam
ages covered by insurance. Thousands
of persons had to spend twenty-fOur
hours in the open fields. where they
We're without food and exposed to Il
bitterly cold wind and IL driving rain.
1t is estimated that the money loss
will he not less than S4,OOO.0OO. and
NAV reach S5.OCO.0OO The disaster
comes ut Il peculiarly hard time of
year for the fishing folk. for the new
season was just opening. The fisher
men of Aalesund always have been Il
prosperous class, and the fisheries were
conducted according 10 the most mod
ern methods.