Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-20
TORONTO IS SCORCHED
Visited Last Night by Worst
Fire in History.
LOSS WILL BE MILLIONS
THE WHOLESALE
AND RETAIL BUSINESS DISTRICTS.
Marrow Escape Of the Fire Chief
Forced to Jump From the Top
Of Building.

TORONTO, Ontario. April 2O.-The fire
that ragged throughout the night and up to
an early hour today in Toronto's wholesale
and retail business districts was the most
disastrous in the history of the city. The
total loss is conservatively estimated at be-
tween five and six million dollars.
The 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 width. Every build
ing 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 dis
tances of a few hundred feet to whole
block.
Early in the evening when the fire as
sumed alarming proportions appeals for
assistance were sent to London. Hamilton,
Montreal and Buffalo. Special trains were
at once started from these points, but it
Of them began to arrive and in the mean
time the local ffemen were having the
fight of their lives.
Marrow Escape of Fire Chief.
Despite the crashing of walls and the
confusion only one serious accident oc-
CURED. At an early stage of the fire Chief
Thompson got trapped by the flames and
was forced to jump from the top Of h
building. network of wires broke his
fall and saved his life. He escaped with
broken leg. When the chief made the
leap for his life traveller from Montreal
was on the roof with him and no trace of
him has since been seen. 1t is probable
that he perished in the flames.
The fire started in the elevator shaft
In the rear of the Currie building. Thence
the flames spread across the street to
Brown Brothers and from there east to
Bay street. The wind which had been
brisk, increased to a gale.
In a brief space Of time Front street on
both sides was like a roaring furnace. For
over half an hour the fire in Front street
burned fiercely, practically unchecked. 1t
then began to work its way back up Bay
street, Gordon Mackay & Co.'S warehouse
serving as fuel.
A few minutes before midnight the Can
ada Rubber Companys plant started to
burn. While it lasted this furnished the
hottest and fiercest contlagration of the
night. The flames, shootings hundreds OF
feet into the air and scattering great
masses of sparks and cinders on every
side CONTINUED north on Bay street un-
til a complete circle of fire had formed
around the Brock building. on the south
west corner of Bay and Wellington streets,
over which the flames had hurdled In their
first dash south The Brock building was
soon in ashes.
Park Saves a Hotel.
It was only the intervening park that
saved the Queens Hotel, one OF the HhesI
hostelries in the city So imminent seemed
the danger that all the guests hurr1eoiy
packed their belongings and left and
l~la
hctel.
The flames leaped across Bay street IN
half a dozen places. and shortly before
midnight it became apparent that the Wnole
block south of East Wellington street from
the Queens Hotel and the Old Manning
residence facing on Wellington street was
doomed.
The Gordon Mackay building on the
northwest corner of Front and Bay streets,
which for nearly seventy years was one OF
the finest establishments in the city, made
a fierce blaze.
The Copp Clark building and Warwick
Brothers and Rutters were destroyed al
about the same time. The scene when this
whole block of great wholesale buildings
was ablaze was appalling.
Heat Was Intense.
The heat was so great and the smoke and
flying embers so thick that the fremen
were absolutely helpless and could not get
near enough to the fire to play a single
stream upon it. To add to the terrifying
effect of the scene came bombardment OF
exploding giant crackers and other fire.
works stored in the Copp Clark building.
The fire next leaped across Front street
to the Mcpherson Brothers boot and shoe
warehouse and adjoining buildings. East
ward on Front and south to the Esplanade
the flames leaped from building to building
with irresistible fury.
In forty-five minutes the flames had lev
eled every building between Front street
and the Esplanade on the west side OF Bay
street.
The firemen, who had been forced to re-
treat slowly along Front street and the
Esplanade, concentrated their forces and
made another desperate stand They failed
this time. The flames leaped across the
street below Front street and destroyed
Mclaughlin Company's -four mills at the
southeast corner of Bay and Front. From
there the fire took an eaSterly course to-
ward Yonge street and dangerously near
the wharves On the southwest 1T burned
itself out for lack of fuel. The flames were
also spreading toward the east along both
sides Of Front street and the south side OF
Wellington street.
Firemen's Efforts Impotent.
At o'clock the Eddy warehouse the
Lincoln paper mills warehouse and the
Kleinert Rubber Company's warehouses
street On the south side the warehouses
of H. s. Rowland, Sons & Co., the Dogs
| Paint Company and the Dodge Split Pulley
| Company were burning, the intensity of the
! fire being increased by the highly infiam-
| mable nature of the contents of the build
| ings. So impotent were the efforts of the
| fremen to check the ravages OF the flames
| that all hope of checking the fire before 1t
reached Yonge street, one block east of Bay
street, was abandoned.
On West Wellington street opposite the
Brock building, Wyld Barling's ware
house, Buntin Ried Company's store, the
warehouses of w. & l.. Samuel Benjamin
Company, A. Bradshaw & Sons, Kilgour
Bros. and the Union Bank were destroyed
before the fire was fought to a standstill
| The customs house, four-story stone
building at the corner of Yonge and Front
streets, was the barrier that stopped the
progress of the flames toward the eastern
end of Front street. Tons of water were
thrown against the sides of the customs
| house. That ltructure was not seriously
damaged. Dynamite was used on several
small buildings
Hundreds of streams of water are still
| being poured into immense deposits of
| glowing embers, but the fire has spent it's
! force and all danger has passed.