THE GREAT FIRE AT QUEBEC.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 443, 3 January 1867, Page 3

THE GREAT FIRE AT QUEBEC.

The Home News quotes the following as to the great fire at Quebec: — “It seems that the fire began at four in the morning in the house of Mr Trudel, grocer. St. •Joseph-street, near Jacque’s Cattle Market. The wind blew with such violence as to cause serious apprehensions. The Fire Brigade and the Sappers soon arrived, but there was some delay in getting sufficient water. Meantime the fire made rapid progress; no less than ten or twelve houses were on fire, and the lumber and wooden sheds on all sides were ignited. By half-past 5 o’clock, 80 houses, all built of wood, were in a blaze. The flames, driven by the wind, werea preading in all directions. At half-past sis over 150 houses were wuoumvu* Xi«v juic uAV* iuu uiOH? 'li

Joseph ana Notre Dame des Angssstreets to the junction of St. Yalierstreet, carrying every thing before it.

Crossing St. Valier-st. the fire spread into St. Sauvour, and amongst hundreds of wooden houses raged with defiant fury. House after house fell a prey to the flames. The fire crept back, continuing its work of destruction. At eleven o' dock the whole centre of the lying between St. Sauvour and the lower streets naming parallel with the ri-

ver were a charred and barren waste; and having nothing to feed cm there. the conflagration distributed itself in opposite directions, the wind increasing again, and blowing in gusts from every direction. Three separate conflagrations, were observable at one time. The- -conflagration ceased at about 5 o’clock, when there was nothing more for it to feed on. A moderate computation places the number of houses destroyed at 2.500, ana the loss of real property at from2,soo,(XK> to 3.000,000 dollars. Over 25.000 persons are thrown on the charity of the world. On Sfc. Lauvre and Stone streets, out of 2,000 houses, only 175 are left- standing. The families living in these were all of the poorest class, and very few of them saved from the flames any clothing except what was on their persons. The body of a man, burnt almost to a crisp, was dragged out of a house in St. Sauvour, near St. Yalier street. It could not be identified. Sergeant Hughes, of the Royal Artillery, was blown up and badly, though not dangerously, burned. Lieut. Douglas, of the Aurora, was severely hurt by a falling building. Several of the seamen received contusions, but so far as is known, no one was seriously injured. Lieut. Benm, of one of the regiments, had his arm broken by a falling beam. The different societies of the city have placed at the disposal of the authorities their halls for the families who were unable to procure tents. The skating ground, the City Hall, two drill sheds, and the Marine Hospital are filled. The governor-general, immediately after being notified of the sad catastrophe, ordered 10,000 tents to be forwarded to Quebec for the accommodation of the houseless sufferers. In the Sisters of Charity Hospital are 250 persons under their charge. The sisters have been among the poor houseless creatures, furnishing food and clothes, and administering to the wounded. On the evening of the 15th (at the call of the Major of Quebec) there was a great mass meeting to assist the sufferers. A more numerous and influential assembly never convened in the city of Quebec. The citizens whose property escaped injury were doing everything in their power to provide relief for those who bad been rendered houseless and penniless by the greatest fire that has ever taken place in America. The sufferings at Portlend cannot be compared to those endured at Quebec. A committee was appointed, who will appeal to the charitably disposed persons throughout the Continent for funds to rebuild the city and provide homes for tbs poor before the approaching winter sets in, 15,000 dols. were subscribed at the meeting, and 5000 dols. during the day. Coroner Prendergast held an iuquest on four bodies taken from the ruins.”

haytl The Panama Chronicle has received full details of the late terrible explosion : The city of Port-an-Prince, Hayli, which has lately been the scene of a series of disasters, was, on the morning of the 12th of September, at the hour of four, visited by another sad catastrophe, due to the blowing up of the State arseual, which at the time contained nearly 2,000 kegs of gunpowder, with a number of projectiles and other missiles. By this sad event upwards of 100 houses were blown up, and non-official accounts say that between 200 and 300 persons were killed, and an indefinite number were wounded. A correspondent of the Morning Journal describes the explosion in the following terms: — “ When the report took place the earth shook as from the result of an earthquake. Every house, door, and window was simultaneously thrown open, iron bars and fastenings were rent as if they were pieces of rone or cnitt-ri. t'fifCili fpjl shelves, and was crushed to atoms.” The same correspondent continues:— “ The distress in this place is beyond the conjecture of the transient visitor. Business is very bad, provisions are scarce, money not to be bad even at the most fabulous rate of interest. Exchange continues very high, and ihe crop of oorTeo not yet making its appearance. Fortunately there has been; an abundant harvest of bceadstons, such as plaintains and

both qualities of native potatoes, with vegetables. Had this not been the case there would have been something not far short of starvation.” It was at the time supposed that U'-is explosion was brought about by an incendiary; but it appears from official squiry that it was purely accidental.