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At Least Twelve Horses Die in Blue Bonnets Fire Blaze Levels Barn to Ground; Casualty List May Rise to 17 MONTREAL, Quebec, May 17.— At least 12 and possibly 17 race horses were burned to death last night when a fast-moving fire gutted a 0,000 barn at Blue Bonnets race track, where the season opens tomorrow. The blaze broke out in barn No. 8, where 30 of the 700 horses here for thd meet were stabled. Trainers and groom* led most of the animals to safety, but three owners said the flames spread too quickly for them to get out a dozen or more. Owners W. K. Smith, of -Boston; Pat Santos, of Toronto, and Patrick Hinphy, of Montreal, each lost four horses in the fire. Hinphey said he believes another of his animals perished in the flames. Most of the 700 horses were turned loose by quick-thinking trainers and grooms. They milled around in the huge oval track, then some stampeded into Decarie Boulevard, main artery leading into the city from the northwest. Two hours after the fire went out, police and track officials were trying to round up frightened animals in busy Cremakie Boulevard, five miles away from the track. Fire department officials said barn No. 8 burned to the ground within a matter of half an hour after the blaze was first discovered by Hiromi TJyiyama, a Japanese Continued from Page Forty Twelve or More Horses Lost In Blue Bonnets Track Fire Continued from Page One jockey who was sleeping there. They said cause of the blaze may have been spontaneous combustion "in the hay. No estimate of damage was available, but several horse vans against the walls were destroyed, as well as other equipment. Firemen were hampered by the crazed horses turned loose and thousands of spectators, who were attracted by the glare of the fire that outshone the bright; lights of Decarie Boulevard. Trainers and jockeys mounted ponies to round up the stampeding race horses, some, of which were scattered along the street car line which runs near the race track. Lucien Chartrand, general manager of the track, said the season opening will not be postponed. The fire was prevented from spreading to other barns by a gap of about 40 feet which separated the 200 by 40-foot building from its nearest neighbor. Blue Bonnets, a 1 1-8 mile oval track, was opened June 4, 1907. It can accommodate 750 horses. The names of .the horses lost identified to date are as follows: Chama, Challemain, Starry Dawn, Joblots, Sweet Eleanor, Tetro, Primus, Indian .Barney, River Flares, Fairy Story and Paulas Choice.
