The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1916-02-10


ed last night by fire declared unofficial
y to have been caused by the explo-
sion of a gas bomb or an Internal
machine. Two guests of the wife of
Speaker Evigny were over come by
smoke and persisted. Several police
men were buried under the debris
when one end of the building collaps-
ed. The number of persons taken to
hospitals had not been determined
early this morning.
Frederick e. Pardee, chief Liberal
whip, and William S. Loggie, a men,
Der of parliament from News Bruins
wick are missing and it is expected
that they lost their lives.
1t has been established that the first
burst of flames in the reading room or
the house of commons was preceded
at least by one explosion and probably
two. The force of the conclusion was
so severe that persons standing some
distance away were hurled to the
floor. A rigid investigation to deter
mine the cause of the fire already has
been undertaken by the Dominion au-
thorities.
The flames spread with such amaz-
ing rapidity that the Ottawa fire bri-
gade was virtually helpless to cope
with them. Aid was sent from Mon
treal on a special train, but at 1
o'clock the fire was still raging.
The loss cannot be estimated in
The building was valued at
about $5,O0O,O0O, but the contents are
of inestimable value.
There was no insurance.
At midnight the house OF commons
and senate chambers had been de-
stroped, and as the great clock
doomed out the hour, the flames were
sweeping the magnificent tower and
licking their way to it's top.
The parliament library at the rear
of the building probably will be saved.
Soldiers were assigned to carry out
its contents. Members of parliament
spectators in the gallery of the lower
house, government employees and
others, who were in the building, mar
rowly escaped death or injury. With
in few minutes after the fire began,
the corridors were filled with smoke
and at many points walls of flames
barred progress.
Colonel George Bradford, member
of Manitoba; Madric Martin, mayor of
Montreal, and member of that city,
and Constable Helmer, a guard, were
at the entrance of the reading room
when the fire started. All three as
serted that it began with a terrific
explosion which filled the reading
room with flames and burst open the
swinging doors.
The force of the explosion was so
great that all three men were thrown
fiat on the floor. In their opinion an
explosive bomb or an Internal ma
chine was responsible for the fire.
There were many doors to the great
building, but since the outbreak of the
war all except the main portals have
been closed to safeguard the legisla-
tors. This made escape more difficult
and probably was responsible for the
deaths of Madame Bravy, of Montreal,
and Madame Morrin, of Bruce, in the
rooms of the speakers suite.
Madame Svigny saved her children
by throwing them into firemen's net
and leaping to safety.
Another woman saved herself in the
same way. Among those severely
burned was Minister of Agriculture
Burrel, who fell unconscious after
plunging through a curtain of flames
and cropping his way along smoke
filled corridors.
One Of the first men to make his
way out of the chamber was Colonel
John Currie, who commanded the four
regiments of the Canadian first divi-
sion through the battle OF st. Julien,
where he was overcome with asphyxi-
ating gas.
Colonel Currie at once organized in
to fire brigade the members of the
house, telegraph operators and police
who manned several lines
of emergency hose. They played
streams Of water on the flames, but
without apparent effect, and soon were
driven back by the terrific heat.
Sir Robert Borden, the Canadian
premier, who was in the building, es-
capped safely, but Martin Burrel, minis
ter of agriculture, was burned severely
about the head, and DR.. Michael Clark,
member for the Red Deer district, was
burned about the hands.
Rev. Atkinson, Of Sanborn, who has