The House of Commons was ting late last night when the fire started. It took an immediate hold of the inflammable wooden reading room and the newspaper files which were adjoining the Chamber. The latter soon filled with smoke and flames.
The Hon. Martin Burrell, Minister of Agriculture, and Dr. Michael Clark were badly burned. The Premier, the Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Borden, had a narrow escape from his room. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Leader of the Opposition, was als> in his room, but escaped more easily as it was nearer the main exit.
The Speaker's nieces were overcome by the smoke in the corridor to which they ran confusedly. Two artificers and two soldiers are also reported t> have perished. The library is said probably to have been saved, but the Parliamentary records have been destroyed.
Later.
Firemen are still watering the amoking ruins of the Houses of Parliament. The walls are standing
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.