The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 12, 1898, Page 1

the Library. + f This Paper to be taken from not i +4 4 Call VOLUME LXXXIV.—NO 104. SAN FRANCISCO, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1898. PRICE FIVE CENTS. LIFE AND PROPERTY DESTROYED BY FIRES IN COAST TOWNS = = B — _':;\.\ — NEW WESTMlNSTER, B. C., AS IT APPEARED BEFORE IT WAS LAID WASTE BY FIRE. NEW WESTMINSTER REDUCED TO ASHES Number of Fatalities Large and the Property Loss Over Two Million VANCOU ER B. C, Sept. 1L—The | n of New Westminster destroyed by fire this| ng a loss of $2,500,000. suffering are the lot of | and s of homeless people. Food, and aid of all kinds are being | edly dispatched from Vancouver | to the ill-fated “Royal City.” | It is not known how many people lost | Dollars. nadian Pacific depot. It crossed the street at this point. Thence it went up the street, taking In the other side of Front street and Columbia street, the business thoroughfare of the city. Block after block caught fire and in a few minutes there was nothing left of what had been the business portion of New Westminster. From Columbia street the conflagra- their lives, but it is feared several have | tion spread up the hill to a huge build- be w n burned to death. Campbell, a fire- , fell from the roof of a burning ding and was killed. A woman opped dead from fright. Another was ‘11l died while rescuers were »ving her from a burning house, while a third suffering from typhoid fever, who had been twice from residences which were in the burning zone, did not survive the shock. So fierce were the flames that apples on the trees on the side of the street opposite the burning houses were roasted. Three river steamers were destroyed —the IEdgar, the Gladys and Bona Con- | cord. Every industry save the big Royal City Planing Mills and Cleve- land Canning Company plant has been destroyed. The Canadian Pacific Rail- way station and the bridge across Fra- zer River were burned. The fire started at about midnight on the river front and was causad by a spark from a steamer. Fanned by a fierce gale, the flames spread at such a rapid rate that within three hours ten streets were ablaze. The fire was first noticed at Brack- man & Kerr's wharf, on Front street. From there it spread down to the Ca- removed | ing built upon piles in a gully bridged by Carnavon street. There was a great space under this building filled with dry seasoned lumber. The air got in with the fire and gave it great play. | There was a whirlwind of flame v-hich belched forth destruction. From this point the fire spread. The English cathedral was quickly at- tacked. The Baptist church followed and the Central Methodist also. All | were destroyed, together with a large | number of residences. The inhabitants | had to flee for their lives. | The fire swept down Carnovon street, and quickly enveloped the big brick | courthouse and the wooden City Hall. | Fortunately there was a big open space | here and the flames were not able to leap far enough to take in the big Cen- tral School. Agnes street, however, | had got alight and on one side of Royal | avenue. All the houses on that street | were completely burned. The wind was | blowing furiouslv down Frazer River toward the north. If it had been blow- ing the other way the whole of the Catholic church buildings, convent and | hospital and other structures would have been burned. . This morning there was no water TROOPS AT MANILA READY FOR ACTION Plots and Counter-Plots in the Philippines That Cause Ameri- cans Uneasiness. Speecial Cable to The Call and the New York Herald. Copyrighted, 1898, by James Go BY SOL N SHERIDAN, rdon Bennett. MANILA, Sept. 11.—The irritat titude of certain irresponsible nati that American troops are now kept action at a moment’s notice. - are daily leaving their employers the rebels. able disturbance by attempting to youthful to bear arms. occasion serves. agent of the Spanish clerical party have not been able to verify these f:3egagagadueRued e uTuguBugaBaFagaTeTaTaTus Aguinaldo’s orders, not to mention the secret efforts of the ecclesias- tical party to promote disturbances with the intention of leading the revolutionary government to certain ruin, has become so serious A feeling of insecurity and unrest exists. Hundreds who are now on strike in cigar factories and other establishments are recruiting Aguinaldo’s ranks, The “dictator” made a trlumphal formally taking possession of the new capital in the Saopaloc district. Friday night the imsurgent band of Juan Blanco created consider- One captain was mortaily wounded. Juan Blanco is & man who deserts from one party to another as It has been persistently reported that he The eignal corps is putting down a cable from Cavite to Manila. o6 108 306 306 108 06 306 10X 308 J08 3 10X 30¢ 308 308 30306 10X 10§ 10K X3 0K 0 308 308 0 308 30¢ 30¢ 30¢ X0k fon induced by the aggressive at- ve leaders acting in defiance of in barracks under arms ready for Many native workmen with the open Intention of joining entry into Malols Saturday, disarm recruits considered too is the to spoil Aguinaldo’s game. I reports. fr3a3agegedegateBaeRagaguagagatageyugugagagel | - PRESCOTT, - Ariz, Sept. 1%—The town of Jefome, near here, was com- pletely destroyed this morning by fire, with a loss of over $1,000,000 in prop- erty. Eleven bodles have so far been recovered from the ruins, while a score or more persons are missing. The fire originated from a gasoline stove in a cabin and spread so furious- ly and fiercely that it was impossible to save even clothing. The fire was confined exclusively to the business portion of the town and the open ground intervening between it and the mammoth works of the United Verde Company saved the lat- ter’s plant, otherwise the loss and suf- fering would have been terrible. Many people from Jerome -~~~ arriv- ing here on special trains, while those remaining are being cared for by the company. The area of the fire was confined to a narrow gulch and ravines leading to it, in which were located substantial wooden and stone buildings, the latter melting as rapidly before the flames as pasteboard. Over 150 residences, aver- aging in value $2000, twenty-five gen- eral merchandise and other stores, sa- loons and stands of all kinds are in ashes—in short, not a single business house remains. The only building to escape was the Methodist Church. d@Are Missing. The number of pesple wlio are home- less is placed at 1500 and they are being cared for by Messrs,Giroux and Allen of the mining company. Two special trains left here to-night for the scene of the disaster, carrying tents and other material to comfort the distress- ed, and a meeting is being held to raise money for the needy, of whom there are many. The loss is complete, little in- suranee being written in that camp, owing to the gerat risk and the inade- quate water supply. The United Verde management is now kindly caring for the sufferers, until other arrangements are made. The building the fire originated in was the scene of a drunken carousal last night, and while no demonstrations are being made against the men who are responsible for it, attention will be given to them later. Various parties are now endeavoring to extricate the remains from the ruins and until the ground cools sufficiently to permit rescuers to approach the de- bris, it will be impossible to ascertain definitely the names of the victims. Several prominent mining men in the West are said to have been in the town at the time and are unaccounted for. The fire started at 7 o'clock in the morning and spread with such rapidity that in less than two hours not a house MANY LIVES LOST IN A FIRE THAT DESTROYED JEROME Eleven Bodies Have Been Recovered From the Ruins and a Score or More Persons il anarea that would cover five blocks was left standing. On the other side of the gulch hun- dreds of pounds of glant powder was used in the attempt to. arrest the flames by demolishing buildings, but eye-witnesses state that as soon as a &ap was made the scattered buildings were licked up as if by suction and thrown hundreds of feet in every di- rection, only to ignite and increase the fury of the fire. It is said that the entire family of a man and wife and three children, who endeavored to save what they had been years In accumulating, have been found in the ruins. As the agrivals from the scene reach the city the de- vastation reported is found to be only the more pitiable and sad. Dr. Woods, the company physician, narrowly escaped losing all the patients in the hospital, but by good judgment a score of inmates were saved by him by being removed early and hastily. The reservoir which supplies the town with water, was undergoing re- pairs at the time, but eye-witnesses state that had the water been abund- ant after the fire had gained headway, the result would have been the same. So complete is the disaster that refu- gees in this city to-night are not only penniless, but are without necessary clothing as well. 2 supply for the use of the burned-out citizens. There was not a single butcher, baker or provision shop that was not destroyed, and there was only one small hotel saved. Some of the burned-out peonle retired in the early hours this morming in the open air in front of the school house. They cover- ed themselves with blankets and lay down to sleep under the sky. The loss is roughly estimated at $2,- 500,000; insurance, $1,500,000. Bank vaults withstood the fire. One insur- ance company’s vauit was blown up by pFunpowder. A citizens’ committee has been form- ed in Vancouver to give relief to the sufferers. The Provinc’~" Government is assist- ing. Financial Minister Cotton receiv- ed the news in Victoria about noon. He got blankets, tents and other supplies loaded on a special train which reach- ed Nanaimo, 74 miles distant, in less than two hours. The steamer Joan was in readiness there and reached Vancou- ver in record time. Here a special Can- adian Pacific freight was ready, and the supplies were loaded and sent to ‘Westminster. FLAMES RACED FROM STREET TO STREET Residents Given but Time to Escape Alive Without Attempting to Save Their Belongings. 3 WVANCOUVER, B. C., Sept. 11.—New Westminster from 11:15 on Saturday night until 5 o’clock this morning was a sea of flames and now the town is a mass of ruins. The business portion has been completely destroyed—in fact, the city has been practically swept off the face of the earth. The conflagration began in the hay on Brackman & Ker's wharf at about 11:15 o'clock. - The crowd which was promenading up and down Columbia street on Saturday, as is usual at the close of the week, had thinned out. All were at home or on the way home, save little gatherings of men, who lingered on the corners. These groups were sud- denly startled by the dull boom from the firebell, and a shower of sparks was _seen to rise from the river front near the city market building. The clatter of hose carts along the almost deserted thoroughfares and the ringing of fire gongs caused the streets to fill rapidly again and the size of the blaze to the southward indicated to the hurrying crowds that the firemen had a large contract on their hands. The firemen had located the blaze in a huge pile of hay—about 200 tons— stored on Brackman & Ker's wharf. The hay had been there since early in the season and the sultry summer had thoroughly prepared it as fit food for the greedy flames. Hose lines were speedily attached to the nearest hy- drants, but even while this was being done the roof of the Brackman & Ker building burst into flames and fell in. The stern-wheeler Edgar, which had tied up to the wharf shortly before 10 o’clock was by this time enveloped in flames. Her cables parted and she drifted down the river on the outgoing tlde, a grand but awe-inspiring sight. To the Edgar many ascribe the out- break of the terrible conflagration. It is said that sparks from her furnaces set fire to the hay, but it is said by others that her fires had been banked an hour before the alarm was given. Still others attribute the ' disaster to some man who threw a match on the wharf after lighting his pipe. A half- dozen different theories for the origin of the fire are advanced; nor is this to be wondered at, for there were at least six distinct conflagrations blazing within fifteen minutes after the first alarm. S The Edgar drorped rapidly down the stream, but the set of the current car- ried her inshore and she fouled the steamer Gladys, which was tied up to the Canadian Pacl.lc Navigation wharf. Despite the strenuousefforts of the crew and many volunteers, the Gladys took fire almost immediately. The timbers and buildings of the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company, dried by the heat of the summer, were ignjted and the men on the wharf were forced to re- treat or meet an awful death. Tha two boats broke clear of the up- per end of the wharf together, and in 2 short space of time had struck the sternwheeler Bonacord. She, too, be- ‘on Columbia avenue came ablaze. Her cables parted and away she went v ith the other two in this carnival of destruction. By strange ill-luck the waters, as though in league with the flery element, carried the ships close along the wharves which line the Frazer River. All were ripe for the blaze, and wher- ever the vessels touched fires started. All the canneries and sheds on the water front were ignited. The Gladys and Edgar soon foundered and sank. Th= Bonacord was scuttled to prevent her setting fire to the Royal City Plan- ing mills. At midnight the citizens saw that the city was in imminent danger. There was only a puny stream of water to fight the fire. Chief Ackerman was away on a holiday and Foreman Wat- son was in his place. The Mayor tele- phoned to Vancouver that the city was on fire. In an hour and a quarter the entire fire brigade of Vancouver was on the scene, and the two brigades pumped water from the river, abandoning the reservoirs. The Vanccuver boys did noble work, actually checking the fire westward at the Queen’s Hotel block, and again several blocks back from there in the residence portion. At the Brackman & Ker wharf, where the fire had its origin, two firemen were driven from their hose by the heat. The people in the Columbia Hotel, Just across from Brackman & Ker, soon recognized the danger of thelr position and desperate efforts were made to save their effects. Lytton square, upon which the east side of the hotel faces, was lumbered with all sorts of per- sonal property. The fire spread to the Market build- ing. This was food for the flames, and in an instant Chinatown, which is on Front street, east of Lytton square, was blazing from one end to the other. Frenzied Chinamen rushed up and down in despair. Acting Chief Watson soon recognized the futility of trying to save any of the wharves or property in that vicinity. 5 The fire having obtained the mastery on Front street made its first attack by a diagonal move. Soon the Columbia Hotel was a MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MOURN There Is Universal Grief Over the Assassination of Austria’s Be- loved Empress. VIENNA, Sept. 11.—The plans for the funeral of the late Empress Eiizabeth, who was assassinated by’ an anarchist yesterday at Geneva, contemplate bringing the remains to Vienna next Thursday, a lying in state on Friday and the obsequies of interment on Sat- urday. Every flag in the city is at half-mast to-day and the theaters, races and other amusements are suspended in- definitely. All the Archdukes and the Archduchess Marie Valerfe have ar- rived at Schoenbrunn. It was reported last evening that Emperor Francis Jo- seph had gone to Geneva by a special train, but this was an error. At noon to-day he had not yet left Schoen- brunn. Crown Princess Stephanie, who has been staying at Darmstadt, has been summoned. The Emperor’s fortitude is the topic of universal admiration. He is bear- ing up manfully, despite the terrible shock, which in view of his age, had in- spired the gravest apprehension. Al- though at first stunned and then slight- 1y hysterical, he soon regained his self- control and displayed remarkable calm- ness. Occasionally, however, complete- ly overpowered by his grief, he moaned piteously, repeatedly sobbing the name of the Empress. Addressing Prince von Liechten- stein, Chief Marshal of the imperial household, he exclaimed last evening: “It is inconceivable how a man could lift his hand against one who never in her life injured any, who did nothing but good. Nothing is spared to me in this world.” . He managed to sleep several hours last night, and said this morning he felt comparatively well, discouraging the attempts of his attendants to dis- play solicitude for his health. The shock of the news crazed one of the court servants, who rushed from the palare to the Burgplatz, shrieking: “Where is the murderer of our Em- press?” Dispatches of condolence are arriving at the palace from all parts of the world, testifying to profound horror and sympathy. Among them are messages from President McKinley, from Em- peror Willlam and from nearly all the Buropean sovereigns. The court will go into mourning for six months. DEMONSTRATION OF SWISS OFFICIALS TO SHOW THEIR SORROW BERNE, Switzerland, Sept. 11.—The Federal -Council met this morning and sent the following telegram to Em- peror Francis Joseph: “The Swiss Federal Council has the honor to express to -our Majestv its profoundest grief and deepest indigna- . tion at the horrible crime to which her Majesty Empress Elizabeth has fallen a victim. Our pain and indignation are all the greater owin- to the foul crime havi-~ been committed on Swiss ARer- ritory. The Council hastens to assure your Majesty at the same time of its warmest sympathy and that of the whole Swiss people in the great loss vour Majesty, the imperial house and people of Austria and Hungary have suffered through your exalted lady's death.” The flag on the Federal building is at half mast. 7 "e Council reassembled this afternoon to consider the steps to be taken. It is expected that the ju- dicial authorities of the Canton of Vaud will conduct the inquiry and the trial. The Geneva Canton met to-day and decf@#.d to issue a proclamation ex- pressing the horror of the Government BOSTON CITIZEN DENOUNCE SHAFTER They Charge That ip the Cuban Campaign He Was Guilty of Gross Incompetency. war to its conclusion. 2:ns of Boston. 0000000000000000 C00CO000000000000000C0O00 BOSTON, Sept. 11.—We, the undersigned citizens of Boston, after reading the arraignment of General Shafter by Congressman Fitzger- ald, do hereby heartily approve of the stand the Congréssman has taken in the matter, and respectfully call the attention of every loyal citizen of Massachusetts not only to the barbarous methods employ- ed by General Shafter in conducting the late campaign in Cuba, but also to the way he has glossed over the ill-treatment, starvation accorded our own gallant Ninth, who proved themselves equal to the task allotted them in every fight, from the outset of the Resolved, That we, the citizens of Massachusetts, call the atten- tion of the whole nation to Shafter’s gross incaompetency, careless- ness and ignorance, and that we demand -ublic investigation of the way he has carried out his duties during the late campaign in Cuba. John J. McCarthy, F. H. Downey, William A. Buchanan, Normiley, M. Neary, J. Murray, A. John E. Leahy, John Reardon, Timothy Raferty, Frank T. Fay, Wil- liam Hayes, J. H. Buckley, D. P. Donoaldson, John J. Purcell, Thomas Hennessey, F. J. Hendrickson, T. J. Dur- ney, Robert E. Lee, D. J. Murphy, Peter F. O'Nelll, John J. Gilmore, 8. Pollard, Patrick F. Donovan, Hugh R. Smith, Peter F. Johnson, M. O'Brien, Charles F. Mackenzie—Resolutions adopt:d at a meeting of citi- neglect and T. J. Raweliffe, T. Keney, M. McCarthy, H. F. Cunningham, 0000000000000 0O0000C00DO00D 0000000000000000