MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY. SYDNEY, April 20.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 28

MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY. SYDNEY, April 20.

Lord Northcote has cabled to the Mayor of San Francisco conveying the sympathy of the Government and people of Australia. The Lord Mayor of Sydney has similarly cabled en behalf of the citizens. > A PACIFIC CABLE BULLETIN. WELLINGTON. April 20. The latest bulletin, received at' 1 p.m. yesterday by. the general managef of the Pacific Cable Board, says : — The fire is still losing, and thejsntire city is doomed. ' - • Every building in the business part of the district and nearly half the residential sectioii_are destroyed. v No large building is left standing. The greatest loss of life occurred in South Market street. Six hundred bodies have been recovered. St. Agnew Insane Asylum, in San Jose, has been destroyed, and the majority of the inmates perished in the flames: Reports from the interior aro also alarming.

THE FIRE UNDER CONTROI*." HOW THE FIRE WAS STAYED. THE USE OF DYNAMITE. I * ______ | SIX TOWNS DESTROYED. I MILLIONAIRES' MANSIONS | DESTROYED. SUBSCRIPTIONS POURING IJST. KILLING THE LOOTERS. - NEW YORK, April 20.

I It was decided in San Francisco at noon to djTianiite all the residences on the east side of Van Ness avenue, between Golden Gate and Pacific avenues,^ a distance of a mile. This is the most fashionable quarter. • The Fairmost Hotel, on N °b Hill, which had only just been built at a cost of three million, dollars, is blazing fiercely. Thirty-six Salvation Army buildings, their provincial headquarters, public halls, and industrial institutions are burnt. v The Government lost stores worth 3,700,000d01. Owing to the swift advance of the fir© gun-cotton navy shells were used instead of dynamite, which is exhausted. It is stated that 100,000,000 dollars' worth of securities are stored in the deposit vaults in the burnt-out banking quarter. It is not known whether the vaults are safe. Six Pacific St. Francis Hospitals and the College of Physicians were saved by dynamiting all surrounding buildings. The residences of Huntington, Flood, and O'Brien, and scores of other millionaiies, were destroyed by fire. The Mechanics' Pavilion has been temporarily converted into a morgue and hospital. Of the burnt, only 10 out of every 100 injured were saved. The rich are flying to tlie Bay cities, but the poor remain, being unable to meet the boatmen's exorbitant demands. Looting is rampant, despite the death penalties. A sailor bayoneted one thief. Ten thousand frantic Chinese and thousands of Italians, Spaniards, and Mexicans fought each other until f he soldiers restored order. Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Geiserville, Cloverdale, Dopland, and Ukiah are destroyed, and many persons killed. There are a thousand dead at Santa Rosa alone. General Funston has been advised that a tidal wave destroyed Terminal Island, a seaside resort. Shocks were felt at Los Angelos, Honolulu, Bosnia, and Manila. A shock in the Quincy mine, Calumet, in the State of Michigan, killed a miner and injured four others a mile below the surface. There is no definite new 6 in regard to. the shipping. The members of the Conried Opera Company took refuge in the St. Francis Hot-el-; Signor Caruso (the great tenor) is safe. Despite the dynamiting of a mile of resi* dences on the east side of Van Ness avenue, the fire spread to the westward, involving the whole of the millionaires.' mansions and the suburbs. ' -- The two lady millionaires and leaders in New York society who have been ruined, their property being in San Francisco and uninsured, are Mrs Oelrichs anc^ Mrs W. K. VanderbUt, jun. - ~~ Several wealthy Chinamen refused to leave their Bhops, and were burnt to death., Lieutenant Pulis was blown up by dynamite while trying to relight a fuse. The Sub-Treasury Building was tfe< stroyed, but the cash, was saved. Axrapgemeftte bare. besn made to ljak»

jU,UUU ioaves aaily m the undamaged area, also to deliver daily 10,000,000 gallons of •water. The damage to tne Leland Stanford University js estimated at 4,000,000d01. The disaster to the Agnew Asylum is minimised. Eleven officers and attendants were killed and 20 injured. Fifty-five patients were tilled and 120 injured. Several New York firms have each subscribed from £2000 to £15,000. All cities are vicing in their contributions, and already 10,000,000d0l have been raised. A special train -with 100 surgeons and a trainful of provisions and tents has arrived at the scene of disaster. Relief organisations have been started in France and Germany. April 21. The Sailors' Home is intact. Relief stations have been established at Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, San Bruno, and Roid. Tne abattoirs have been destroyed. Five thousand three hundred cattle rushed -into the streets, trampling and goring people who were in their way. The docks -between Howard and Folsom streets have been saved. Mount iapulin, which was supposed to he extinct, is emit-ing smoke irom a new fissure* in its side. - The heat from the is meeting the snow at the summit. --- The .Mayor announces? that the fire is now under 'control. Kubelik (the -famous violinist) and family left .San JPrancisco a week ago. The Collier's Theatrical Company, which is -en route to Australia, is safe. It has not-saikd yet. Cannon were used to assist the . dynamiters to destroy Van Ness avenue. The Hamburg- American line cabled offering a gift of £5000, but President Roose--velt declined the offer with warm thanks, the "Cabinet -having decided that foreign assistance is not needed in view of thebountiful .-response made by Americans. The. Dominion House of Parliament has voted 100,000dol, and the San Francisco, Carnegie, jmd Standard Oil Trusts have each donated lOOjGOGdoI. Eleven" clerks, apparently dead, were' found amongst -debris in the Post Office. They had been without water and food for three days. They are now recovering. The police poured all the alcohol from the saloons ard grocers' stores into ' the gutters. They also seized all the provisions, which they are distributing eparingly to long queues ofsapplieunts. T-he -water -famine is even more serious than that of food, and furious -fighting toqk. place -until ths military seized and distri- ; buted the water.; -' .Hundreds wirndered to the- hills' in -search of' -water, and drank' anything they found. The works are nearly -repaired, and it , is hoped that lOjOOOJOOO .gallons .per day will soon be.j available. --'-'/■ I The sparks present a piteous aspect at ; night. All social distinctions have disappßared, and rich ard poor, criminals and respectable people, Chinese, foreigners, and negroes, society belles and factory girls, are all luddkd together, yet disposed to help one another. .Great efforts are being made to restore the Seiver system, and thus avert a pestilence. A committee of bankers inspected the banks' vaults, and reported them to be intact. The vaults are securely guarded. The bankers are confident that depositors •will "be paid in fulL The bankers and merchants are conferring at Oakland respecting the question of rebuilding the city on a greater scale than ever, and also on the question of the pre- j venfion of a financial panic. Many refugees have died from exposure. iFive babies have been born in the parks. Many thousands of refugees have left the city, and all the towns in the vicinity are threatened with a shortage of food. The Mayor of San Francisco hopes that one-fourth- of the city will be saved, chiefly the suburbs, but the best and richest sections have- been destroyed. Great ,guns bombarded the millionaires' quarter for hours, and ■unspairing destruction -was wrought. Eventually the progress of the fire was stopped. The police atd firemen worked until they •were utterly exhausted. The soldiers acted heroically, averting a pandemonium. Three warships which are building at the Union Iron Works are safe. A menagerie broke loose, and the frantic animals, which were roaring terribly, ceated a panic until the soldiers shot them | or they perished in the flames. j Trains with supplies are beginning to arrive, and public kitchens have been opened in the church vaults and the basements of houses. The conduct of the people generally have | been exemplaiy, but 40 looters have been shot. ! April 22. ; Except between Nob Hill and the northeastern .strip on the water front the file has been checked. The skilful use of fresh supplies of -explosives saved the western section, stopping the ilames at Van Ness avenue and Octavia street. measures have been taken to assist the sufferers. A quarter of a million people are homeless and famishing, and hundreds of bodies litter the .streets. Th.6 citizsQs have been compelled by ■ force to -assist in the burials. soldiers who are guarding the Mint tilled \L4 people who were attempting robbery. IChe latest reports confirm the statement that the .-progress of the fires has been Stayed, -particularly on the water front.

4 Ueneral .runston reports tn?t tne water supply is encouraging. LONDON, April 20. The London banks have offered to aid the San Francisco banks. Many English organisations are goiitributing liberally. The Times states that the British offices are insured to the extent of about 20 millions sterling in San Francisco. The London stock markets are weak. Insurance shares fell heavily, and investment stocks are lower owing to the fear that the insurance companies will ba compelled to realise to pay the claims. April 21. The Times and Standard city editors agree that the loss of the British insurance ODmpanies in San Francisco itself has not exceeded £10,000,000.