Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-04
FIVE DEAD In FIRE
AT OTTAWA, CANADA


save the Library building, which is
one of the most beautiful on. the con-
ttnent, and the fight was successful.
While the fire burned the passage
from the readingroom up to the walls
of the Library. its progress was stay
ed there. No damage was done to the
building but considerable loss to the
books, particularly those which were
in the basement, was caused by wa
ter. The fire was under control about
5 O'Clock though several streams were
still being played on the interior.
Caught by Turret
Morning did not reveal any casualty
other than those reported last night.
Mime. Bray and Nine. NORM, of Que
bee, who were caught and suffocateo
in II room, and the three men who
are thought to be buried under fifteen
feet of debris comprise the list. They
were caught when a turret at the
north side of the building fell. Mr..
Loggie, who was reported missing, is
now believed to have escaped. AS
vet the debris where the three men
are believed to be buried has not been
removed.
Ths fire started in the reading
rooms of the House of Commons.
Colonel Sherwood says there is abso-
lutely no ground for rumors that the
fire was of incendiary origin ut
started right under the nose of
policeman, he stated.
"The fire spread with amazing
rapidity, but this may be explained by
the contents of the room, papers, light
tables, etc"
The report of warning having
been received from Providence two
weeks ago is officially denied.
Superstructure Falls
The central part of the main build
ing. including the chambers of both
a .A-tt
ed. but the front and end walls are
apparently in good shape though eX-
perts will have to determine the
structural damage. Both the east and
west ends of the building are but
little damaged with an exception OF
the roof and top floors. The towers
were completely ruined, the super
structure falling with a crash, though
the masonry still stands.
Valuable Collection Burned
1t was announced by Premier Bor-
den to-day that until other arrange
ments are made parliament would sit
in the Victoria Memorial Museum,
which has a spacious ground floor.
The first sitting of the commons was
called for o'clock this afternoon. The
senate will reassemble at the museum
on Tuesday next.
While conditions have permitted
only a hurried survey of the damage
to books in the parliamentary library,
the indications are that $4,000 vol
umes, including an immense and in
valuable collection Of ecclesiastical lit
erature, have been destroyed.
William S. Loggie, member of par
Lament for northumberland, n. B., is
reported missing. 1t was stated last
night that Frederick f. Pardee, the
chief Liberal whip in the house Of
commons, was missing. but il was sub
/ SnnlnntlV
MIA, Ont, yesterday morning, and that
he could not have returned before the
fire.
The financial loss is difficult to esti-
mate, but the contents of the building
were of great value
Splendid Structure
The parliament building was rated
as one of the finest Gothic structures
| on this continent. 1t covered four
acres on Parliament Hill.
Several persons who were burned or
otherwise hurt in fleeing through the
corridors before the swift rush of the
! flames or in escaping from the win
dows are in hospitals to-day. One of
the most severely injured is Martin
! BuTrell, minister of agriculture, who
was burned about the head. DR..
| Michael Clark, member for Red Deer,
suffered burns about the hands. Sir
Robert Borden, the Canadian premier,
escaped without injury.
Jump Into Nets
Nine. Bray and Nine. NORM. who
were guests of Nine. SeVigny, wife of
the speaker, were trapped in the speak
er's rooms. Nine. Sevigny dropped her
two children into a tiremen's safety
met and then leaped into it herself, as
did another of her guests, Nine. Dus-
sault, OF quebec. They escaped un-
/ hurt. When the firemen reached the
speakers chamber they found Nine.
| Bray and Nine. NORM unconscious.
| Vain attempts We're made to revive
| them with pulmotors.
Explosion Preccdes Fire
The origin of the fire can be deter
mined only by an investigation, which.
it is understood will begin as soon as
possible. The fire started in the read
/ ing room of the house of commons and
/ Colonel George Bradbury, a member
/ of the house from Manitoba, Mayor
/ Medric Martin. of Montreal, and Con-
/ stable Ilelmer, who was standing at
4 the entrance of the library, agree that
/ it was preceded by an explosion which
/ blew open the doors of the library and
/ knocked down persons standing near.
They say they believe the explosion
was caused by a bomb or Internal ma
| chine. Policemen were on guard at
both doors of the library and other
persons were in the room itself so that
/ it would have been difficult for anyone
deliberately to set the fire without de-
/ lection. Suggestions were made that
/ the blaze started from a smouldering
cigar but. but smoking was prohibited
i'm the library.
In this room were thousands of
! loose papers, among which the flames
! leaped with almost amazing rapidity.
! Smoke rolled in dense volumes out
! through the doors and out through the
chambers and the house of commons,
| where that body was sitting. With the
I spreading OF the alarm members OF
the house of commons, spectators in
the gallery and attendants fled in panic
! for windows, 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
! Burrell, who was overcome by smoke
as he fled through corridor and was
dragged TO safety by Robert Rogers,
the minister of public works.
Flee in Panic
! Colonel John Currie. who COM
! mandcd a regiment of Canadians in
the Battle of st. Julien. in Flanders.
| hastily organized a fire brigade of
members of the house and attendants
and fought the fire with lines of hose
! in the corridors, but could make no
| hcadway. The blaze spread so fast
that when the ottawa fire department
arrived the building was doomed Aid
was summoned from Montreal, but as
the special train laden with fire appa-
ratus and a company of the firemen
]