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Olht spent Hospit the mc rcu 3h don AL 1 fort] roon in t} «Iifl‘xc th 9 smou PARL Outbreak Came Suddenly While House of Commons Was in Session. They wore wife of (h in H10“: 11' MOST PICTURESQUE A (Icspatch from Ottawa says: The Canadian Parliament Buildings are in ruins. Fire which broke out at nine o’clock on Thursday night in the Com- mons reading room swept with tre- mendous fury down the corridors. and leaped to the galleries, and in the space of three minutes had filled the whole wing with an impenetrable vol- uro of smoke. It was followed quickly Thvy “’0? hm he most rugp; he fire occurr It appears earned that. W oopk flfi‘ont < people gning' in for The entrance to the the circular library Origin of' the Fire a Mystery. le origin of the fire is a mystery. may never be known. There were spirions of inrondinrism, possibly by German agent, but as policemen To on guard at both doors of the am where the fire started and others the room itself, it would have been ficult for anyone to deliberately set > fire without being detected. A oulxk-ring cipzu‘ butt might have no i!, ghough smoking in that quart- .1 la It 0 people are known to be dead. are Madame Bray, wife of Dr. ‘ of Que-boo, and Madame Morin, of Dr. Louis Morin, of Quebec. were mmrzts of Madame Sevigny, of the speaker, and were cut off CANADA’S PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS ARE DESTROYED BY FIRE m ring mpar butt might have though smoking in that quart- fiposcd to be prohibited. Fil- 1 thousands of loose papers, es leaped from stand to stand almost inconceivable rapidity. same time the smoke rolled ‘ dense clouds of suffocating While an alarm was instantly the escape of members, of l the galleries. and the House th so small a list of missing, apartment TURESQUE PUBLIC BUILDHNG IN AMERICA IS A SHAPELESS RUINâ€"TVVO WOMEN AND FOUR MEN PERISHED. buildin the he fine block of buildings is here seen. The photograph was taken on an opening day when there weEe many' at function. To the left of the picture is seen the tower of the Library. where the fire raged most savagely. maker’s private apartments is just around the corner on the left of the picture and between that corner and TBU the building, Mr. Ide went in posite direction and got out Senate wing. His hair was but he was uninjured. Mr. Edgar N. Rhodes, Speaker, who was in the ch: the last to leave and he stat the chamber as he left it was his way through the burning reading room his secretary, Mr. Ide, also fled from the burning building. But while Mr. Burrell turned to the west and passed through the Commons side of the building, Mr. Ide went in the opâ€" posite direction and got out by the Senate wing. His hair was singed, Turned Up Safely. After the escape of Hon. Martin Burl-ell and the appearance of Dr. Michael Clark, of Red Deer, suffering- from the effects of thes moke, a 1‘8- port spread that Messrs. Logie (Northumberland), E. W. Nesbitt (North Oxford). and Jas. Douglas (Strathcona) had failed to make good their escape from the burning chamb- cr. This report, however, was sub- sequently contradicted and it was said that the members had been seen and that Mr. Nesbitt had sustained a slight injury to his hand. When Hon. Martin Burroll left his office and made The flames started in the reading room between the Commons Chamber and the library. This room is sheath- ed in wood, very old and very dry and this, with the hundreds of newspapers, fed the fire until it was a roaring fur- unce. Hon. Martin Burrell, Minister of Agricuture. was in his office off the reading room when he found himself confronted suddenly with a wall of flame and a curtain of black, suffocat- ing smoke. He rushed through the fire and in making his escape was bad- ly burned about the head and face. He was taken to the basement and treated by Dr. Dugal Stewart, of Lun- enburg, and other members. His face was scorched and singed and his hands cut and bleeding. Members of the House. of Commons, in the Chamber and the various Par- liamentary offices, had to fight their way to safety. People in the upper storeys of the building had marrow escapes, many having to be taken out by ladders. bad fright. Both Madame Bray and Madame Morin, however, appeared to have taken the wrong turning down the corridor when they left their rooms and to have been trapped at one end of the hall. When their bodies were recovered the smoke had proved too much and life was extinct as a result of asphyxiation rather than the fire itself. Rhodes, Deputy in the chair, was as, Deputy As soon as the seriousnOSS of the chair, was fire was realized fresh detachments of stated thatlDominion police were rushed to the was empty. hill and efforts were made to hold back ES BUR in the far north-east corner of the building, escaped without hat or coat into the lower lobby and ultimately made his way to his principal quarters in the east block. Dr. Michael Clark, of Red Deer, one of the last members to reach the 101)- ‘by, was half choked with smoke and {was very weak. He declared that [other members were still in the chamâ€" Zber, but appears to have been mis~ jtaken in this. ‘ Sir Robert Borden, whose office is Montreal Sends Aid. A specoal train brought a detach- ment of the Montreal fire brigade. Many members and employes who were caught in offices ‘upstairs were assisted out of the window by the fire- men. Dr. Cass, of Yukon, was helped out of a window by Mr. Thos McNutt, of Saltcoats. Simultaneously the automatic sprinkâ€" lers opened, but nothing that this euiqpment could do had any effect on the on-rushing' fire. An automatic fire alarm brought the city fire brigade and in a few minutes all Otawa's fire fighting equipment was on the Hill and pouring tons of water into the building. The first effort to stop the rush of flames was made by the House of- ficials and the Dominion police, who are constantly on guard in the corâ€" ridors. Fire hoses wer pulled from their racks and several streams of water Were played on the flames. ing the addition built on a few years ago, in which are situated the Speakâ€" ers’ quarters, Premier’s office, press room, members’ rooms and restaurant. In the latter the staff were just get- ting things in shape after dinner when the alarm of fire was given. They raced for the exits and so far as is known all got away in safety. Madame Sevigny, wife of the Speak- er of the House, was forced to leave her apartments by one of the windows. The fire soon enveloped the Com- mons Chamber on all sides and the historic old theatre was in ruins. It spread over all the west wing, includ- The fire and smoke swept through the long corridors with amazing rapid- ity, and the members, clerks and visitors had the utmost difficulty in escaping through the dense, sufi‘ocat- ing clouds that filled the lobbies and staircases. Sir Robert Borden's Escape. Fire engines continue to pour water on "::~ s-till smouldering ruins. ‘ 3:1 Hall, where the Duke and .. 1: of Connaught and their (19 V.i_‘l'1-'L', tho brilliant “Princess Pat,” dwgll, has a cordon of detectives drawn about it. Others are hidden be- low stairs in the kitchens and ser- vants quarters. All the public buildings are strongly guarded. Soldiers are everywhere. The gold bullion under charge of the Finance Department is guarded by a special force with loaded rifles. Water Street 1,200 men of thefi 77th Regiment stand guard about the Parliament House grounds. No one is permitted to en- tel: Ottawa, Feb. 4.â€"Ottawa is a mili- tary camp to~night. No less than W. R. Bradbur‘y, stock broker, was standing near the postâ€"oflice in the main chamber when he heard a crash. Before going: any distance he heard another explosion of some kind which knocked him ofl" his feet. Major Ger- ald White, M.P., also heard two sep- Mayor Martin, of Montreal, who was one of the first to discover the fire, says he heard an explosion, but wheth- er it Was caused by spontaneous com- bustion 01' s“ ‘den fire among the news- hustion or 5‘ ‘don fire amon‘ papers he is unable to say‘ the thousands who had assembled to witness the fire. The police were re- inforced by troops who formed a cord- on about the burning building and as- sisted the firemen. Many seem to take it for granted that the fire was the work of an in- cendiary, and in the absence of con- firmation the stories of Mayor Martin, Mr. Bradbury and others were eagerly listened to. A despatch from London says: The Germans have closed the frontier between Belgium and Holland, accordâ€" ing to a despatch from Amsterdam, which-adds that great movements of troops are in progress. The transfer of troops is supposed to be connected with the reported plan of the Ger- mans for an attempted drive to Calais. The official communiques issued by the French War Office on Friday deal with artillery actions. French artil- lery bombarded an infantry column and convoys entering Raye, and other bombardments Were directed against the German positions in the Tahure sector, in Champagne; the sector of Transfer Supposed to be Connected With the” Attempted German Drive to Calais MME. MME. erk of GREAT MOVEMENT OF TROOPS *ate explosinos E. HENRI BRAY, Quebec. . R. LAPLANTE, ASSistant of the House. DESJARDINS, plumber, 259 Toll of the Dead. LAW, MP. for Yarmouth. MORIN, Quebec. Ottawa Is Alert. Two Explosions N THE HOLLAND FRGNTIER Foe Will Tax All Bachelors. A despateh from Copenhagen says: The German Government proposes to tax all ‘bachelors, according to de- spatches received here. â€" ludicrous t plc cannot quered." A despatch from London says: M. Stunner, the nevi Premier of Rus- sia, has declared in an interview in the Novoe Vremya, of Petrograd, as quoted by Reuter’s correspondent there, that his policy would be in- spired above all else with the one idea of bringing the war to a success- ful issue. He said no proposals for a separate peace would provide a sol- ution of the pioblems which con- front the nations as a result of the world-wide conflagration, and added: “Those who speak of financial or economic exhaustion of Russia appear ludicrous to me, for the Russian peo- ple cannot be exhausted or con- Last of the Germans Driven Across the Frontier to Spanish Guinea. A despatch from Madrid says: Franco-British troops operating in Cameroons the German Colony in Western Africa, have driven 14,000 German troops across the frontier to Spanish Guinea, probably ending the Entente campaign for this important German territory. Word was receiv- ed in Madrid on Sunday that the Ger- man troops had been disarmed and interned as soon as they crossed the border. Only 900 of the German troops Were regulars. The other were colonials recruited from among the African tribes in the colony. NEW RUSSIAN PREMIER DEFINES HIS POLICY CAM EROONS CAMPAIGN ENDED. A despatch from Ottawa says: Four new “pioneer” battalions are to be recruited in Canada, according to an announcement made by Sir Sam Hughes on Wednesday. Plans are now being worked out for the organiz- ation of these battalions. They will include a considerable number of practical railway engineers and con- struction men. Col. Robert Low of Halifax, a wellâ€"known contractor, will probably have charge of one battalion. It is the intention to at- tach at least one “pioneer” battalion to each Canadian division at the front, One to be Attached to Each of the Canadian Divisions. FOUR NEW PIONEER BATTALIONS TO RECRUIT‘ measure discloses a scarcityiof these materials, and also indicates that Germany is preparing for a war of long duration. All Products of Textile Industry Confiscated by Government. A despatch from London says: According to Berlin newspapers, as quoted by Reuter’s Amsterdam corre- spondent, a new order was put in force on February 1 under which the greater part of all products ’of the textile iniiustry was confiscated. The Tageblatt says it is highly significant that on this occasion the Government does not seize raw material, but fin- ished articles. Included in the list are all materials for clothing suit- able for army or navy officials, all goods for under garments, blankets, inclusive of horse cloths, colored lin- en goods, linings and sailcloths. Ber- lin newspapers point out that this GERMAN ARMY SUPPLIES ARE BECOMING S( ALPHONSE DESJARDINS, Do- minion policeman, 289 Somerset Street east. RANDOLPH FANNING, Posto Department employee. The Emperor is said to have taken a hand in the planning of the recent Zeppelin raids on Paris and England at conferences held by a council in Armentieres, at which Admiral von Tirpitz also was present. The Copenhagen correspondent of the London Daily Mail telegraphs: It is rumored from Berlin that the Kais- er has been for some time on the western front, where he inspected the Belgian frontier. Two days ago he was in the neighborhood of Loos when the attack on that city was made. raine‘ thc Harazoe, in the Argonne, and in‘ Nomeny-Morville front in Lor- SCARCE. rfi'ice