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Show Control of the Alia Weevil Ten Persons Lose Their Lives In the Flames; 8evera Hundred Are Ipjured Colon, April 30. More than half tho city of Colon was swept by a disastrous dis-astrous flro which started shortly after af-ter 2 o'clock this afternoon. Ten persons aro known; to ho dead, Including two native policemen, and several hundred havo been Injured, while between 10,000 and 12,000 others, oth-ers, mostly negroes, havo been rendered ren-dered homeless. Tho loss Is estimated at about $2,-000,000. $2,-000,000. Tho flro destroyed completely twenty-two city blocks nnd was not controlled con-trolled until twelve buildings In its path had been destroyed. Many arrests havo been made for looting. Tho town is now under tho guard of z native polico and two com pontes of the United States coast artillery, who aided in fighting the ilres. Half tho population havo lost all their belongings. Tho Are started in tho heart of tho city and soon was beyond control of tho native flro brigade. Tho wooden buildings, of which tho town is almost al-most exclusively constructed, burned like tinder. Most or the largest stores. In Colon, all of thorn carrying heavy stocks of merchandise, were directly in tho path of the flames. The cause of the Are has not yet been learned and probably novcr will be known. A high wind was blowing at the time tie fire broke out, and late in the afternoon, when it was spreading spread-ing fast and myriads of sparks were being carried in tho direction of Crls-, tobal, firemen in the canal zone began be-gan dynamiting buildings in the path of the flameo In order to form a gap when the conflagration might bo stopped. stop-ped. For a time these efforts were fruitless, but later tho Are was brought under control All the banks in tho city were destroyed de-stroyed and part of the railway station sta-tion was burned. All that part of tho city from Seventh street south to past Twentieth street nnd on Front street eastward beyond Bolivar street was destroyed. . |