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put out the fire but merely because they thought that I should know what was going on.The men certainly done very wrong in not calling me when they first discovered the house to be on fire and altho I might have been deceived as well as they yet they should have called me at once. The house was about 30 years old and was in very poor affairs and if I had not newly shingled the roof last summer it alone would be no great loss, but there was some considerable property belonging to the Establishment destroyed with the house an account of which I shall if possible give you herewith.
James Jackson lost all he had but a few of their clothes. Solomon Knock lost considerable. Martin Elys loss is heavy beside a large chest full of good clothes, he has lost his bed and bedding and all the clothes he had hanging up and all his boots shoes caps hats & also 2 guns and all his papers including a Note of Land he held for £46 with several years Interest due on it. Also ten one pound notes, a Sovereign, and £4,,15,,71/2 in British Silver. This latter sum had been in his possession only about 36 hours. John Humphrey, A McIsaac, John Brady, William Hodgson and R.F. Morash lost everything they had in the house leaving some of them without a change of clothes and none of them with anything more than a change. I had only a few small articles in that house consequently my loss is so light that I may say that I have lost nothing.
I have sent Jackson and his family to the foot of the lake Station and have the rest of the people in the "Sailors Home". The store that is building will soon be so far on as to afford shelter in case of emergency and the houses at the South side, and West End can accommodate a considerable number of persons. Yet I think we had better put up another house for our people. I have shingles and framing stuff and some other things on hand and now forward a list of what wll be required to complete a suitable house and if you say that I may put one up and will forward me materials in time I think that I can do it with a full Island crew before next winter and finish the stove too. Perhaps I might want a mason in the latter part of summer to build chimneys. I am willing to do all