The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-04

SsvaraI persons who were burned TftTlerypise hurt in fleeing through Inc corridors before the swift rush or tte flames or in escaping rom the windows are in hospitals today. one ~ taaaa most severely Injured is Mar *tr, E7,,rraIl. minister of agriculture, vyT1n vvas burned about the head. Sir NrichaeI Clark. member for Red Deer, e,1ffered burns about the hands Sir Robert Borden. the Canadian premier escaped without injury
 Mrne. Bray and Mime. Mortn were guests of Mime. Sevignys wife or the Speaker. and were trapped in the sspeslrST,m rooms. Mine. Sevigny dro1ped her two children into a hre- mems safety net and then 1eaped into if herself. as did one of her guests Mime. Dussault, of Quebec. They es- caped unhErt- When the nremen reached the speakers chamber they found Mime. Bray and Mme9 MOTH tYneonscfous- Vain attempts were made = revive them with pulmotors-
 The origin of the fire can be de- 4ernfned only by an investigation The fire started in the reading room of the House of Commons and Col. George Bradbury. a member or the House from Manitoba; Mayor Medr1ce Martin, of Montreal and Consta,ole Helmer, who were standing at the entrance of the library, agreed that it was preceded by an explosion which blew open the doors of the library and knocked down persons standing near.
 They say that they believe the ex- nIosion was caused by a bomb or in- guard at both doors of the library and other persons were in the room itself so that it would have difficult for anyone to deliberately set the fire without detection. Suggestions were made by the blaze started from a smouIdering cigar butt but smoking was prohibited in the library.
 In this room were thousands of loose papers, among which the flames Ieaped with amazing rapidity. Smoke rolled in dense volumes out through tie doors and into the chamber Of the House of Commons where that body was sitting With the spreading of the alarm members of the House of Commons spectators in the gallery and attendants, fled in panic for win dows, doors or fire escapes. So swift was the rush of the flames that many narrowly escaped. One of these was the minister of agriculture, Martin BurreII, who was overcome by snake as he fred through the corridor and was dragged to safety by Robert Rogers the minister of public works.
 Col. John Currie, who commanded a regiment of Canadians in the battle of St Julien, in Flanders hastily or eanized a fire brigade of members of the House and attendants and fought the fire with lines of hose in the cor rfdors but could make no headway. The blaze spread so fast that when the Ottawa fire department arrived the building was doomed. Aid was eurnoned from Montreal but as a spe- ciaI train laden with fire apparatus and company of fremen was leaving that city about midnight, the call was countermanded.
 The tall central tower of the par 5lament building fell at 1:30 a. m- to- day. and about the same time three -four men were crushed beneath the falling roof of one of the wings. By o'clock the flames were rolling through the Senate building but the fremen believed the library would be saved.
 The parliament building included central building with two wings. in all 470 feet in length with a tower 228 feet high and library building in the rear. Many valuable sculptures, paintings and decorations adorned it's rooms and corridors. It was erected in 1865 of cream coIored sandstone a. bluff ris- ing 150 feet above the Ottawa river.
 One of the most stubborn fights of