Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-04-29
LOUISIANA FIRE;
1000 HOMELESS
PART OF CITY OF LAKE ST.
CHARLES COMPLETELY
WIPED OUT.
PUBLIC RECORDS ARE DESTROYED
Several Hundred Buildings Burned,
With Loss Of $3,oo0, o0o.-Depart-
ments From Nearby Places
Unable to Check Blaze.

Lake st. Charles, La, April 25.-
Famed by high wind, fire swept 20
or more blocks of the city, destroying
several hundred buildings and result
ing in property loss estimated at
about 100000. Two thousand per-
sons have been rendered homeless.
When it became apparent to the To-
cal fire department they could not
cope with the blaze, requests for aid
were wired to Beaumont and Orange,
Texas, and to Jennings, La, all of
which were within radius of so miles
of Lake Charles. The Southern Pa
cif1c railroad offered special trains to
bring the volunteers from neighboring
cities.
Many houses in the path of the
flames were dynamited, but showers of
sparks were swept beyond the gaps
thus made, igniting the buildings on
the farther side Within short time
the wind had driven the fire over
space of two miles in length, leaving
q mass of ruins in It's wake.
While many Of the building de-
stroyed were frame cottages, scores of
handsome structures also fell prey to
the flames. Stores. churches, the city
hall and other prominent buildings
were reduced to ashes.
Starting in the old opera house in
Rival street, near Pujo, the fire spread
to adjoining buildings. burning out the
northern portion of the business Sec
ton and then sweeping into the resi-
Dental district.
Aid IL Sufficient.
Hundreds Of frame cottages were
burned to the ground and while about
1000 persons were tlns rendered
homeless, there appears to be no suf-
fering. That portion of the city which
escaped the ravages of the fire threw
open its doors to the needy and in
some instances as many as five and six
families are being cared for in one
home.
The Catholic convent with several
hundred inmates was totally destroyed
but the sisters as well as their charg-
es, were given immediate shelter in
the homes of Catholic families in the
city.
While no disorders marked the ex-
element, which the town experienced,
the mayor last night deemed it advis-
able to enlist the aid of the local COM
pany of Louisiana state troops, and
the members of this organization were
placed on guard in the burned district.
Early estimates of the fire, which
place the amount of damage at $3.O00,-
900 are believed to be excessive and
more conservative figures range from
$1,000 900 to 100000. The northern
half of the business portion was COM
pletely destroyed, all stores, ware
houses and other buildings there hav-
ing been burned.
The principal building destroyed was
the new Calcasin Parish court house.
erected a few years ago, at cost of
several hundred thousand dollars.
Offers Of Assistance.
While telegraphic communication
with the outside world was for time
disarranged, all of the wires were not
crippled and last night several hun.
dred kilograms offering aid were re.
ceived from many sections of the coun.
try.
Mayor Behrman, of New Orleans,
wired, offering any assistance that
might be needed, but it is believed
that the city will be able to handle
the situation without outside assist
ance.
Next to the courthouse the costliest
buildings destroyed were those of the
Holy Cross convent, Catholic church
and rectory, the loss amounting to
100000.
Three hotels, including the C'air, the
Walker and the Walden, were burned,
which with the buildings adjoining
them represented another loss of
about 100000.
In addition to these buildings the
Catholic knights hall, the Lake house,
the Drew building, the City hall and
the Christian church, the Bourneaux
market, the Braden warehouse and
scores of small stores, shops, office
buildings and many residences were
reduced TO ashes. 1t is estimated that
the insurance will amount to less than
one-third of the total loss incurred in
the fire.
In the burning of the courthouse all
of the tax collectors records and part
of the records in the clerks and as
SCISSORS Office were destroyed.