800 HOUSES DESTROYED
40,000 PEOPLE  HOMELESS.

OTTAWA, Wednesday.

A conflagration broke out to-day in Hull, situated on the bank  of the river
opposite to this city.

Eight hundred houses - forming half of the town - were  destroyed, rendering
40,000 people homeless. Several lives were lost, and some  persons are
reported missing.

The Great Lumber Mills were saved. The loss is estimated at  5000,000 dollars.

The Governor General has offered his assistance to the  inhabitants and,
along with the Princess, visited the scene of the  disaster