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I . loss Over $12,000,000 With $8,885,000 Covered by Insarance. 7t will be some days before a defi-Igatcd with authority to deal with nitp stateiiient of tfic losses sustained firms who sulTerod by lire, and think in Toronto's devastating coall:igra- | proper acconimodatioii can be pro- tion can be ascertained, but a con- ; vided on the E.xhibition grounds, sorvalive estimate jjlaces them at j KENTS LIKELY TO GO L'P. over $12,000,000, of which §8,885.- | The fires ravages will have the OOO arc covered by insurance. In all effect of stopping house-building this j 12-2 buildiii!;s were destroyed. 223 | ..lummer. All the available labor firms alTected, and about 10.000 peo- : and material will be needed in the yle thrown out of employment. Al- work of replacing the wholesale ready a nuiMber of firms have secured temporary offices. fcjo soon as the insurance cUiiras can be adjusted or appraised, gangs of n.en will be en- gaged to clear away the debris. While many busines.s men arc stunned and i Cre will probabl.v be a raise in rents bewildered by the catastrophe, the j owing to the scarcity of houses, majority of thcni take a hopeful view A CUUIOL'S TRICK of the situation. and from what | of the fire demon was the leaving THE WORLFS MARKETS B_EPORTS FROM THE X-EADUIO XEADE CEHTLES. Prices of Cattle. Grain, ClieoaB, and Other Dairy Produc* at Home and Abroad. Toronto, April 26.â€" Wheatâ€" The market is quiet for Ontario grades, with the demand limited. No. '2 white and red Winter are quoted at 92c low freights. Spring wheat is nominal at 87c east, and goose at 81 to 82c east. Manitoba wheat easy, with No. 1 Northern quoted at 98c Georgian Bay ports; No. 2 Vorthern at y4c. and No. 3 North- ern at 91c. No. 1 hard is nominal at 99c. Grinding in transit prices are 6c above thos>? quoted. Oats â€" ^The market is steady, with sales of No. 2 white at 31 Jc east. No. 1 while quo.ted at 32c east. Harley â€" The maricet is quiet, with the demand limited. No. 2 quoted A Expected Battle Has iNot Been Fought. could be gathered, the district de- stroyed will speedily bo replaced by more pretentious structures. niE OLD lUON BLOCK on Front Street, just east of the Customs' house, proved to be the cru-K of the situation. This building unharmed the sign of Mcilahon, Broadfield & Company, wholesale crockery dealers, in the Phoenix block. Front street, adjoining the customs house. Only the front wall of the building stood, yet the sign which overhung the sidewalk looks was occupied by Mcilahon and Broad- | f% ^^^^ht and sound as the day be- field, gottcry and crockery dealers. '°™ '"'' °'^^- and it was at that point that the great and deciding battle was waged. houses now in ruins. Uriclxs are said to be very .scarce, and lumber has increased 25 per cent. The re- sult of the change in the building '^^ *3 to 4.1c middle freights; No. 3 situation brought about by the e.xtra at -."J to 43c. and No. 3 at 40 to 41c midai-,' freitfhts. Peas â€" The market is unchanged, with No. 2 quoted at 65 to 66c out- side, with choice milling lots at 67 to 69c. Com â€" The market is quiet, with prices unchanged. No. .'J .\meric«n yellow quoted at 54c on track. Toronto; No. 3 nii.ted at 52c. Can- adian corn is nominal at 38ic west for yellow, and 38c for mi.xed. Rye â€" ^The market is imchanged, with No. 2 quoted at 59 to 60c east and west. Buckwheat â€" The market is un- changed, with demand moderate; Ic middle A DESOLATE SCENE. Standing at the corner of Front From Wellington Street south and:^'^"'*. ^^^v streets, one begins to j No. 2 quoted at 50 to west, as hxr as the Queen's Hotel, j [^^^^}f° t*".", "^»^°t of the awtul des- j freights. and extending to the Esplanade, prac- tically everything had been consumed, and the devouring elements had I traction that has been wrought. On j Flourâ€" Ninety per cent. i)atents are I every hand are ruins almost as far ! unchanged. Buyers at $3.60 mid- spread east on Front Street to the Minerva building on the north, and the .McMahon-Broadlield building on the sonth. It was a question if the flaiiies could be held in check, and all the energies of the brigade were ad- dressed to saving t!ie Ci:stoi'.is housse and the Minerva building. The fear was that with the high and erratic wind prevailing the lire might con- tinue in its cours»- eastward. and as one can see. Within the whole burned area there is not a single wall intact, and such us are stand- ing are mere crumbling ruins, like- ly to fall at any time and a menace to all who approach. In one or two instances the rebuilding may begin from the first story, but in the great majority of cases not one brick can be left upon anotiier. and work must begin from the founda- tions. Desolate as tlie widespread ruin cat northward up Vonge Street into | appears in daylight, at night it is the hfart of the retail section. i gruesome and awful. .A. dull, fitful It is perhaps idle to conjecture j glare partially illuminates the shat- what might have happened had the | tered walls and ragged spires and brigade been unable to prevent the I turrets that alone meet the eye. lire froBx spreading to the Customs : Every cellar is iilled with smoulder- building and the premi.scs of the Min- j ing debris, over which the tires play die freights in buyers' sacas for ex- port. Straight rollers of special brands for domestic trade quoted at S4.30 to §4.50 in bbls. Manitoba flour unchanged. No. 1 patents, $5.30; No. 2 patents. $5, and strong bakers', $4.90. on track, Toronto. Millfeed â€" Bran is steady at $17 to S17.50, and shorts at SIS. .50 here. .\t outside points bran is quoted at $16.50, and shorts at $17.50. Man- itoba bran in sacks, §20, and shui-ts, $21 here. er\a Conspany. It would h.ive COUNTRY PUOPCCE. Apples â€" ^Tlicre is a quiet trade, with prices steady at $2 ta §2.50 per bbl. for the best stock. Dried Apples â€" Tivf demand is lim- Much of the flame is burning gas. of ;ited. and prices are steady at 3 to doubtedly leaped acro.ss Yonge Street which there is a strong odor every- to the Board of Trade and adjoining j where, despite the efforts of the Gas buildinsis, and would have worked iii Company gangs to cut it off. As way eastward and probably north- j an illustration of how it collects, ward into the retail sections. the writer was standing on Bay The b»irne<l district presents a very I sfeet about 9 o'clock, when sudden- , desolate scene. Jagged walls with ! 'j' '* short distance awuy. there was great gaping holes rei'rcsents all that warehouses was loft of magniCavnt and oirico buildings. The Pj-cmen were greatly hampered I â-  f colli tf* in their fight against the devouring j ^ eleiiie«ts by the mass of oxerhoad ' wires. The experiences thus gained sho'ild DiaUe the Council insist that all wires should be placed under- ground in the down-tov.n district. One of the vagaries of the (Ire was the fact that an old frame buildin puff of blue flame shooting up- ward. It was thought the pave- ment had been blown up. but on ex- amination it was found to have through a grated manhole, laro on walls here and there from hidden flames, the low .smould- ering (ires in the debris, the murky. red smoke, and the unspeakable ruin recall nothing but the infenio. RATES ARE RAISED. .Vt a special meeting of llie Cana- on l.ornc Street was left standin-. al- i'''^" t ire Inderwrilers' Association, thou-h the sup[X)Stwlly lir.-proof struc- : *]<â- '<? on 'Thursday afternoon, it was tares on either side of it were con- ;,^'«<^"'^'^ to . nc.eu.se the rates in , I Toronto. 'Inc extra rates call for ^ "" CARNARVON A VICTIM. I*" addition of $1 to the rate on all , ,V . . ,, ,, ,..„ 1 mercantile, schedule nnd other spec- Thi- Earl oi Carnarvon, the o«net ij^n^. r,,^^,, ,.j^,.,„. ^^^ ^^^,„^ .^ ^^ . .o I! ially rated risks; of burned buildings at lb and 18 lia.v .j,,^ ,.j^n.j, j^„ .^n ,.^g^^^ except dwell- ings and their contents outside the Street, occupied by Cockbtirn and Rea and D. Morrice Sons Co.. and of the building least^l by the Wyld. Darling Co.. at the soulh-<.'a.st corner of Bay and Wellington Streets, is the fifth bearer of the title, which was created in 1793. He was born thirty- abo\e districts. An exception is made in favor of ri.sks on residential stores outside the congested districts allowing a rebate of 25 cents on them when the usual warranty is furnished. Sprinkler risks and eight years ago. His Lordship lig- j risks on lire-proof buiUlings will be ui-e.s on the voters' list of Tordtato advanced half the above extras, under the democratic appellation of ; When more than one compa-iy take "E. Carnarvon." nnd under this sob- ' the_ risk a reduction of 15 per cent, riquet he has been frequently porson- j from the rate on the building aod ated at eIectioi\s by pluggers. who.se ! 10 per cent, on the stocks moy be general appearance nnd bearing were-nl'owod on the 80 per cent, co-in- the reverse of aristocratic. | surance clause. FUTURE UNIMPERILLI-^D. I }'*^^ aboyerates mean nn average .. . . ^ 11 I • .. .advance of ,5 per cent, on risks The c.t.y s .utme w,l be m no ay ^^.^^^^ ,^^ congested district, and of toil.er.llwl by luesday s great fire. , ^j, . ^^.^^ „,^ ^^,j ^.^^ out.'.-ide the This .s the opinion expressed by ^li^tHct. except on dwellings and contents. ANOTireil FIRE. Damage estimated at about $35.- 000 was done bv a (ire which broke Mr. Byron K. Walker, General Man- their ager of the Canadian Bank of Com- j inercc. Mr. Walker is of opinion. ] however, that Toronto should pro- i lit by the many tragic experiences of the Vast and the overwhelming na- ture of the present catastniphe to put her house in order. He recall- j ed the great (Jlobe. Osgoodby and | Simp.son fires, in which damages re- . suited to the amount of S2.17S.000. ; and yet the City Council had dgne nothing to secure an adequate wa- ter pres.sure. More stringent regu- lations in regard to the buiUling of great cstnhlishnients were absolutely responded. .Vs mi nece>isaiT in a large commercial city i be spared were p 3i per lb. Evaporated apples, 6 to 6ic per lb. Ueaii»â€" Trade is (juiet. with prices steady. Prime beans are quoted at SI. 50 to $1.60, and hand-picked at ?1.65 to SI. 70, Hop.s â€" I'he market is unchanged at 26 to 32e. according to quality. Honey â€" i'he market is quotixl at 6 to 7c per lb. Combs quiet at §1.50 to SI. 75. Hay â€" The market is quiet, with oderings moderate. Timothy is quoted at §9.50 to $10.50 a ton here. Straw â€" The market is dull, with prices unchanged at $5.50 on track here. Slapic Syi-up â€" The market is quiet at $1 per Imperial gallon. Potatoes â€" The inai'Uet is firmer, with oflierings small. Choice cars arc quoted at 90c per bag on track here, and inferior quality at SOc per bag. Poultry â€" The n-.arkct is steady, with limited olTeri:igs. Chickens. 11 to 13c per lb. turkeys are quoted at 15 to I7c per lb. for fresh killed. NO SERIOUS FXGHTING. A despatch to the London Daily Mail from St. Petersburg says no news has been received from the Yalu River. N'o credence is to be attached to the reports that there has been serious tightiiig there. The latest official despatch deiiDitely states that all is quiet there. This disposes of the reports tele- graphed to St. Petersburg and re- peated in London, declaring that a severe battle has been fought near the mouth of the Valu River, and that the Japanese army has suflered a serious check. One despatch from Port Arthur declared the Japanese Were defeated with a loss of 7,000 men. It is also reported at St. Peters- burg that Vice-Admiral Togo's squadron has returned to Port Ar- thur. If this is correct it fore- shadows probably another bombard- ment. It is pointed out hero that Togo's boisterous calls at Port Arthur usu- all}- are made abour, ten days apart. It has been eight days since Port .\rthur was under the Japanese guns, and another bouibardnieut is due. In spite of the rumors of activity near the mouth of the Yalu, . Japan's plan of campaign is still as much of a secret as it was at the beginning of the war two months and a half ago. No one can yet say that the Japanese will or will not cross the Yalu at Wiju; that they will or will not attempt to land al 'I'akushan. at Talieuwan Bay, at Kin-Chau, at Yin- Kow or west of New-Ciiwang. No one knows where Japan's arm- ies are concealed. Russian scouts believe there is one ciivisiou at Wiju, but the hiding pl.-\ce of the other di- vision is a mystery. It is known that they sailed from Japan, some of thetu weeks ago. They may be in Corea â€" or Tibet â€" as far as anyone here, iu Paris or St. Petersburg, knows. HOSPITALS FILLED. A despatch to the London .Stand- ard from Kieff says it is stated in military circles that 10.000 troops are in the hospitals in Manchuria, chiefly typhoid patients. THE DAIRY MARKIOTS. Battel' â€" T'he market is quiet, with pricvs as a rule unchanged. We ((Uote : â€" Finest 1-Ib rolls. 16 to lOJc choice large roll*: 15c: se!e(^ed dairy tubs. 15 to 15.1c; medium and low grudvs. 12. J to 14c; creamery prints" 20 to 22c; solids. 18 to 19c. Eggs â€" Receipts are fair, and prices unchungetl, with sales irt 14c per dozen. Cheese â€" Market continues quiet, with prices steady. %Ve (piote : â€" Finest September's. lOJc; new cheese. 10c. HOG PRODUCTS. Dresijed hogs olTerings small. are unchanged with Car lots are quot- out in the Phillips and Wrinch ware- {ed at §6.25 delivered here. Cured hotisje. 8 Wellington Street west, at ' meats are in good demand at un- 10 minutes to 8 o'clock on Thurs- j changed prices. We quote :â€"Bacort, day evening. The firemen playing long clear, 8 to S'c per lb. in c; the -streams on the ruins of tho|iois. -Mess pork. §17 to $17.' burned buildings a block west of tho.tio.. short cut, $18.50. Phillip.s and W'rinch building, saw a I Smoked nu-aUsâ€" Hams. light to like T'oronto. and in his opinion an effort should be made to separate the manuincturing from the distri- buting houses. The insurance wns carried naestly by P.ritish houses. but a great tii^e was none the less a dead lo.ss. Although many great businesses had been destroyetl. there was no doubt that the rebuilding oi them was a matter of a very short time. BY-LAW St SPEXUED. 'I'he Board of Control at a .•special session took steps to relieve the d»- X olume of lUune shoot from the warehou.se. A genera! alarm was rung in and all the ivels in the city .Vs many men as could laced in positions medium. 12 ic; do., hea>-y, 12c; rolls, lOc; shoulders; 9Jc; backs, ISJc; breakfast bacon. I2i to 13c. Ijxritâ€" The demand is fair with prices unchanged. We quote : â€" Tierces. 71c; tubs. 8c; pails, S^c; compound. 7J to SJc. I UNITED STATES MARKET'S. I St. Louis. April 26. â€" Wheat closed Iâ€" Cixsh. 951c; May. 90c; July. 82 Jc- I Milwaukee. April 26â€" Wheatâ€" No. ,1 Northern. 97c; No. 2 Northern. etoi»- 93c; old July. 86 to S6|c bid. Rye |_Xo. I, 72c. Barte,vâ€" Steady; No. ! 30 MILES .VLONG THE YALU. j It is reported that the Japanese , are landing troops and constructing j buildings al llunij-CliUiin. below iY'ongampho. .Vdvices received at Seoul also state that the Japanese lines now extend 30 miles alonjj the 1 Yalu River, reaching from Yongam- 'pho to 10 miles above Wiju. The Russians arc strongest at Antung. j Tiger Hill is. as it was in the Chino- j Japanese war. the key to tlie silua- 1 â- tion. j I Three islands, one above and two i below Viju. will facilitate e.n at-; ; tack as thoy offer a base for artillery j ito cover the crossing of the Yalu. , Advices from the Province of Ham- | igyung, in North-eastern Corea. state, 'that the country folk along the, : northern border of the province are ."vlling cattle and supplies to the 'Russians. The Province of Hamg- t yung is the former home of Yiyongik. I jn former Corean Minister of Finance, j iwho. on account of his pro-Russian j sympathies was transported to Jap- ;an last February by the Japanese : authorities. I Several Corean ofTicers suspected of i I being Russian spies have been ai^ | 'rested. i SJIALl. EN'GAGE.MKN'T. , The following telegram from Vice-: iroy Aloxiell has been received at St.; {Petersburg by the Eliii^eror;â€" I j "Quite ' a series of ix-coniiai-ssances carried out on the Yalu have shown that the Japanese arc concentrating in considerable force. It is believed that they have one division to the consisti'd of 86 cars, of which, how- •ever. 31 were from Chicago to t'le [seaboard. Arrivals totalle<l 1.225 ihead of cattie. 168 sheep and lambs. 11,935 hogs and 182 calves. Business j was good, and after some "nolding oil ' tiyers and sellers got together and 'Jiretty well e\"crything was disposed of. Exjiorters, heavy S4.o0 to $4. SO Bulls, export, heavy. ning to concentrate troops in Wiju,' from which place they have moved the Corean popidation. "Information has reached me thai quantities of material, apparently parts of pontoon bridges, are being collected opposite the Island of Ma- bikhie. I "Our scouts have killed t'vo Jar iPanese scouts, one of whom appeared â-  to be an oilicer. I "On our right (lank our sco#ts exe- cuted daring reconnaissances. ex- tending over several days, on t!ie left . bank of the Yalu, as the result al which it has 'oeen ascertained that there are only a few troops south of I the River Pomakua. but that iha I Japanese there are occupied in pre- â-  paring boats. I "A Russiaa detachment of two oir i ficers and 32 men proceedi'd tiiither in i three boats. The detachiuent was, j however, discovered by ti!i?=?ncmy and ; shots wore exchanged, three of out HHemen being killed. St.ifT-Capt, ;Smeizin and 11 riflemen were severely, ' and I ieut. Pushkin ai»t four nieU ^slightly wounded. The detachmeni â- returned to our bank of the river un- ider the cover of two of ^- guns." ! Gen. Koiu-opatkin t -Jlgraphcd t<i the Czar on Friday 'h.3f he had de- cided to take tTie oir.ti.^^i.'^t cpnsider- ; ing the force now at his disjiosal suf- ificient. He says he will l.a\o no- thing to chance. He th'-r»!Ln-- gavu [orders to advance a bris;'.J»^ of in- fantry, supported by a x'-:^g foreu ' of Cossacks. Five thousanS-Cossacks jare also advancing in No â- â€¢ :i â-  . -' "m ! Corea, and are said to be .-^e ii^jf ; miles from the Yalu. TWENTY RUSSIAN.S K!LLK'». The Russian Emj.^ror has ri'Ct,'L%e.-l the following telegram from Viceroy Ale.xieff. bearing Friday's dale: â€" "1 resiiectfully report to your Ma- iest.v that to-day during the placing of mines by some steam launches Lieut. Pell and 20 men were killed through a mine e.xploding prtuiaturely under the stern of one oi the laaich- es." \iceroy AlexietT's annoiincemont has added to the gloom which has pre- vailed since the disaster to the Petro- pavlovsk. "We are paying the price oi care- le.ssness." said a member of the Ad- miraUy. "and previous oisastors see!U to teach nothing." The War Con'-iiission suppressed part of the Victrcy's despatch, which sh.owed where the mines were being laid. It is bolieved that as launches were employed, they were mining the entrance to the harbor in order to prevent the Japanese from forcing an entrance and attempting to de- stroy the remaining ships. It is evi- dent from the closing of the entrance, that Vicero.v AlexiefT has no intention of letting hi.s siiips go to sea again, even against an inforior force, though this may not be the policyt of Vice- Adinirnl Skrydioff. who will deter- mine on a plan of operations when he assumes command. MOUTTI OF Y.VLU BLOCKED. Numerous skirieishes in t'ue vicinity of the Y'alu River are reported. Ja- panese scouts cros-sod the river twelve miles above Wiju and reconnoiteicd the Russian position. The.v sustain- ed no loss. The J apanese have es- tablished posts on the small islands near Wiju. It 's bolieved that they have succeeded in blociiing the mouth of the river. The lU'ssians arc e.x- tetKling their I'ortifications. The.v arc strongly reinforcing their troopa on Tiger Island, opposite Wiju. whi-re a severe battle was fought in the Chiuo-'a:>aiiese War. to fight the new fire, and thus it was prevented from spreading. Af- ter nn hour's strenuous work the fire was extinguishcil. Mr. Phillips stated that the loss to his firm would amount to $25.00O or $3t5.- 000. which was almost entirely covered l\v insurance, distributed in .several companies. The top floor of the building was used as a room. SCARCITY OF BRICKS. Ij. r;Ic; sample. 38 to 60c. Oats- It is feared among builders and ar- Standard, 43c. Coraâ€" No. 3. 47 chitectR that the supply of bricks ! to '**'«; •'"'.\' ^.^'l?"!^- mand for accommodation. It waa for building will w ill be enormouslv ' Dulu.th. .Vpril 26â€" Wheat closoiiâ€" decided to susivnd the operation of : inade^iuata to the demand for cxtmt- ^''''o. I hard, 98ic: No. 1 Northern the builOing by-law so (ar as neces- sary to permit of the erection of temporary one-story buildings on vacant land, under the direction of City "Architect McCallum. Commls^i^ sure to Bock to th» city from Sioner ^Wenung^ nifa Chiet TlvoaijPgm j ahrfoynrting places Ai oidkv \o ofc- slvo building operations. The de-^89Jc: mand for hrickla.veTB. utscions, build- (8950; ers' laborers, and carpenters will bp enormous, and thou-sands of men No. 2 Northern, 87Jc: May, July. 90 1 c: September. 81 J c. C Vll'LK MARKfn'S. Tortprito. April 26.â€" T'he run at the Cit\ V^attJle JWHnrket fhis n^ning THE J.VPANESK PLAN-; ' , A despatch to the London p:xi>ress from Nagasaki, by way of Shanghai, claims that an eminent Japanesi! siatcsniau coiiuded to the correspond- ent at Tokio, on condition that his identity should not be revealed, an iniporlant statement, of which tbo tollowij'g is the gist: â€" Japan dot's not intend to push the war to the bitter end. She does not wish to humble Ru.sPia. but she is rc- solvetl to accomplish the ii-iuoval of the menace oi Russia's power in the Far East, atid is coiuaknt that she can accomplish this. She will de- stro.v as man,v Russian warships as possibli? aEd capture the remainder. She wi'.l then take Port .\rthiLr and Vladivostock. and make her position in Corea so iuipivgnable that Kussia cannot jiossibly gain a foothold there. When uH this is accomplished, shu will offer terms of pence. ha\ ing at- tained the objects for which she wont to war. but until this is accomplislb etl, she will not listen to any prt>- posal except an unconditional ac- ceptance of her Uims. CLATM J. VPS LOS'r WARSHIP. It is persistent I.v iistvrtcd by th» â-  Rus.^ians- that a •lapni»ese c'rui.sel [was sunk cfl Port .\rthur. .\)iril t.". nn() that the Jap«»nesc muiorpc ; cniteers T.isthin and Ka.suga wpo . â€" ^f, - â€" |dnmag>?d teisppr lively below aa J^>1tl <^f Wiju. Ihey are also l>ogiar jabove the water line. cwt 3.50 3.75 da. light 3.30 4.00 1 Feeders. SOU lbs. and U|>- wards . 3.00 3.25 Short keep. 1.100 lbs 4.00 Stockers. 4(H» to 8*X> pounds .2.50 3.l2i do. 90<> lbs 2.75 3.50 Butchers' cattle. choice . 4.25 4.30 do mediuai a.80 4.15 do picked t.25 4.40 do bulls 2.75 3.lX» do. rough 3.0O 3.40 Light stock iiulls. cwt 2.25 2.50 Milch cows 3U.00 C>5.'H> Hogs, best 4.90 do light 4 65 Sheep, expol-t. cwt ... 4.00 4.35 Lambs , 5. .50 0.121 Bucks 2.50 3.25 Culls, each 8.50 4.0O • Spring Lambs".. •.?.-.!> 5.5(> fCalve.'s, per c»' :'. i>0 5.oa 1 do ^nch-..„ â- * 1 .i> S (.MJ- 'ii- »y,. / i ^.