Vancouver, 22nd M Once more the fire demon has visi Dawson City and the Klondyke ea again in ashes, The whole central portion of the city, all along the waterft and for two blocks back from the n was destroyed in a roaring mass of flame, The city's loss will be in the neighbourhood of x million dollars, and of the LI buildings that were swept away only one was insured, Incompetency in operating the lire steamer is charged with being the cause of the heavy loss. Police, soldiers, and citizens did heroic service, however, and now the rich are joining hands with the poor in making provision for the destitute.
'The really great fire that Dawson people have been dreading with 4 genuine apprehension has nearly swept away the city. 'Phe previous conflagrations, thonzh bad enough in themselves, sink' into cance when compared with this fire of the night of 26th April. The scene of its origin, the wind, the hour and scores of other elements seemed to favour the city's oF time enemy, and within half an how of the time that the first smoke was: seen there was no root to question thes extent of the disaster that was then vending. "The city is yone" was the erg ¥ int cant from hundreds of anxious watchers, how nearly the terrible fear 1 yas ces was Wi sed by the blocks of burning, steaming rains that next day marked the path of the great fire The news of the cently ation in the north was brought to Var jtouver on Sun. day by Messrs. Reilly ay q F. L. Humes, the litter the son of ¥ favor Humes, of Seattle. They had an " ceeediugly dittioult trip outaind are the on! yy people who have arrived from Dawson within a month on account of the dither dries of travelling at this time of year. T' ey left the day after the fire when men fu the city of the north were beginning t, recover their nerve. Arrangements Wer e already yoing ahead to rebuild the portion of the town that was burned. They yushed ouy on their tough trip over the ico and soft snow and arrived at Skagway a week ago in time to catch the Tees for Victoria. - There they arrived at midnight on Saturday and came over to Vancouver by the Charmer. Mr. Humes, who is a bright young American, gave a very graphic and undoubtedly authentic description of the fire.
The long.drawn, dim twilight of the long winter-end night of the north was just beginning to make itself noticeable at 7.30 o'clock on the night of the 26th when the fire broke out. The flames were first noticed by Fireman Farrell coming from the roof of the rooms of Helen Holden, located in the second fiver of the Bodega saloon, on the west side of First Avenue. There' was said to have been a drunken row going on in this woman's rooms and that the immediate cause of the burst of flame was the overturning of a lamp. Information on this point was, however, very difficult to obtain, but of the location of the bluzo in the first instance there is not the least doubt. As the first jet of smoke curled up from the bullling, the i sprint to the fire alarm.
ocourred the circumstances thats are regretted by everyone and are charged. to mismanagement. "The response to the alarm was prompt enough to win the favour of all who saw the gallant rush of the fire No time was lost in hurrying the er. But twenty-five minutes lapsed before a drop of water trickled through that hose and within half an hour after the alum was turned in the fire was utterly beyond control. The first five minutes of the fice went slowly by and the next ten minutes more slowly yet no water came. It was duny" hat dreadful time that the thin ¢ yf of smoke which Farrell had seen grow into a huge volume ant the little blaze spread into a roaring flood of fle me and smoke that penetrated far into the oven ing sky. The usual broczo fr up the river came in fitful gusts of wind to fan but it was too mass of flame licked up everything within its reach. Every means was used to prevent the spread of the fire, and mar buildings were torn down, but seeming"
The fire state to no good purpose. been said, osset A beice nozzles cause ay in getting water to the 1 it to be sven that the neighbouring by" \idings ware doomed. Next door the tu storey" building, ne Northern, Datent ited by the dry moss in the seams ether 34 the logs, and with it the Tivoli thea' eon the north. The Northern Cafe Chi the north and the Board of Trade on {Pe south came next, and still there was ao water from the engine. The general alarm grew and preparations were made for moving from the entire block. Then the bazaar and library buildings took fire on the south, followed rapidly by the a restaurant. The Tivoli theatre created such an intense heat that ing on the south side of Front Street took fire as if spontaneously and it was just at this moment that the water supply failed after a fitful life of just a few weak minutes. Then practical men saw the city was doomed.
From the Aurora restaurant to the Aurora saloon was short work for the flames. Tt was here that the Grst bucket brigades were formed. Sonne of the buildings were blanketed, so that there was not a portion of them left uncovered. Bucket brigades were formed, some of the gangs being 190 feet long. The pails of water were passed from man to zau to the roofs of the houses where they were poured on the blankets. Then the great heat would drive the ti fighters from, the rout of each building in turn, but in every instance the greater part of the furnisfiings of the hotels and saloons were sassed, An hour after the fire bad started, the swampland back of Dawson was littered with all manner of household goods, gambling tables and saloon fixtures. There were bedsteads, mattresses, and blankets lying around in heaps.
Meanwhile the long Tivoli building had communicated the heat and roaring flames to the cabins at the rear occupied by the deni-monde and leaped from cabin to cabin, The Aurora saloon and hotel made a terribly hot fire which Second Street and the two-storey building of the Victoria saloon—house and restaurant: were involved as it by magic—esusing serious danger to the throngs of men' who lined the roof. Down in the street hystorical women were flying in all directions.
Meanwhile the hell of flame had been spreading on the waterfront, notwithstanding the repeated attempts to tear out buildings in time to prevent the spread. The flames fought ayainst wind on the waterfront with a diabolical persistence.
AIL this time the fire fiend had been clean sweep of Second Street on oth sides, Strenuous efforts were made, to sare the Bank of British North Auvarica building with all the valuables jp" awas known to contain. Tt was found that the contents of two small race had been saved. ble paper', ju possession of the bank were destirveq, "tht it is computed that the tot"', toss to the institution will not be mor. than $5,000. 'The safes had not beer poned when the messengers left for Vancouver. A lot of gold dust was lor', and the day after the fire the ollici? ye of the bank had a rocker running "che ground. Half a dozen oil cans had "arcady been filled with gold and the debris and dirt was paying handsomely.
The Bank of British North America reached the corner. Across Second-avenus was the Parsons Produce Co.'s large build-and for a while the flanes were stayed that direction, being forced to he content making rapid headway along Second avenue, The Ottawa house was soon afire, followed by " succession of the apartments of the demi-monde, Than the heat yot in its work on the Parson Produce Cv.'s building and the men had to scamper to get out of the way. This building, according to all information obtainable, was the only one in Dawson that was insuced.
The losses could only be estimated when the men left for the const, but the fact that ILL buildings were burned and 15 more torn down affords a good basis for an estimate. Besides this, the loss in goods hurriedly removed feom stores, and cartied, 1 many eases, by unknown' people and umped into mud and water, must mount into the tens of thousands. "Many of the burned buildings, including the four business blocks, were by far the best in Davwvson, built at an enormous expenditure, with all the costliest luxuries in the way of fittings which were brought into the country by the use of seemingly bottom less pocket books. Conservative estimate: place the loss at from half a million to niillion dollars; nearer the latter figure.
Drunkenness was resultant from many saloons burning at once. Whisky eand barrels, and when men could wot drink lay in heaps at every hand in bottles, it from any of these they tapped it out of the water blankets. It was served out by the cupful by those who rushed to save their property. Col. Steele, of the Mounted Police, anticipated the result, and as soon as it was known that the fire was beyond ordered that all the saloons be he grey of dawn appeared the facts when it is said hundreds of drunken men could be seen in every direction.
The building capacity of contractors in Dawson is now being taxed to the utmost. Phe embers of the once busy centre were still aglow, when merchants bevan to rebuild. Unskilled labour is receiving $1 and mechanics $1.50 per hour. There are plenty of provisions for everybody.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.