DISASTROUS CONFLAGRATION.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 12 September 1901, Page 4

DISASTROUS CONFLAGRATION.

Great Fire in Russia.

The great fire on Galley's Land, St. Petersburg, started in a slip built of wood occupied by the first diss cruiser Witaz, in course of construction, and in an incredibly short space of time slip and vessel became a roaring mass of flame. The firo brigades of tho whole city were summoned, but before their arrival tho adjoining workshop?, designers' offics, ;.nd other offices were in flames. With the designers' office over a thousand valuable plans were butned, including thosd of all the vessels building there. The fury of the conflagration wa3 such that a first-class cruiser building in another ■'&. was only saved with the greatest difficulty. She caught fire, but the flames were extinguished before they had done any great amount of damage. The cruisers Pallas and Diana were also threatened but were towed out into the middle of the river in time. Several lighters and other vessels, however, were consumed.' W 7 hile the cruisers were being removed flaming splinters, carried across the River Fontana by tho wind, set fire to the immense navy provision stores containing an enormous quantity of grain and other food reserves, tho bulk of which was soon destroyed, as well as a bridge across the Fontana.

Tho fire broke out abouS two in the afternoon, and at four it wa3 raging ovar an area nearly two miles in circumference and it was not until dark that all fears of further extension of conflagration were set at rest. Tho firo went on, however, until dawn, causing damage estimated at a total of many millions roubles, includ--ing about a mi'lion for tho Wiliaz, the nlmost only remaining trace of which is a deposit of about 14,000 cwt. of molten steel. Most sensational reports aro current as the cause of the disaster, which is very widely believed to have been connected with the recent labour agitation. The belief in incendiarism is strengthened by the statements of various persons that at the very outset they saw flames break out on different points of the great area finally devastated.