Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-10-19
SALISBURY LAID IN ASHES.
Over q Million Dollars Lost by Sunday
Nights Fire.

THE BUSINESS PORTION OF THE TOWN WIPED
OUT AND MANY PRIVATE RESIDENCES DE-
sTRoYED-PEoPLE WITHOUT HOMES AND DE-
PENDING ON CHARITY.
Twothirds of Salisbury, Nd, is in ashes One
hundred and ninety buildings are destroyed, a
million dollars has gone up in smoke and five
hundred people, who u few days ago were COM
fortably seated in their homes are without
shelter and for food must depend on the charity
Of the few persons who escaped a similar fate.
There is not business building left standing,
save two or three small groceries at the extreme
eastern end of the town. The court house and
few churches are all that are left of the public
buildings. The population seem dazed over
their misfortune and hardly realize that they
are worse off than the Inhabitants of Charles
ton, whom they have assisted for the past four
weeks. The burnt district includes all the
High, st. Peters, Williams East Camden, West
Camden, Broad, East Park, West Park, West
Chestnut and Main streets.
THE HEART OF THE TOWN IN RUINS
On the last-named street stood two solid bust
ness blocks. This is a district in the center of
the town of halt mile long an i quarter of a
mile wide. The Opera house. Masonic Temple,
Odd Fellows hall, the Episcopal, Catholic and
southern Methodist churches, the advertiser
bank, the Salisbury, Peninsula and Home
hotels are all in ruins. There are, besides sew
e en- dwellings burned, mostly belonging
The loss will reach 81, 900 OOO covered by
about two-thirds that amount of insurance,
distributed among all of the most promi-
nent companies Of this country aud England.
THE TOWN 70 BE REBUILT OF BRICK.
Amid all this desolation the business spirit of
the town is triumphant. AT meeting OF the
citizens, called yesterday by John Tracy presi-
dent of the board of town commissioners, it was
decided to begin rebuilding the town in brick
at once Most of the buildings were OF wood,
which caused the rapidty OF the confiagration.
w be- a and very %Esn
town Will look better than ever before
Many of the merchants will put up temporary
preaching and 1t will be impossible to put up
substantial structures this fall. Food is very
The population is huddied together at night in
ahe dwellings, snp principally belonging to
Weil-to-do last week sleep in the houses of their
hired men. The fire broke out Sunday night at
naifpas six in The Stable belonging to S. Frank
Ioadvlne 10 the southwestern part OF the town,
near the W1conico river. The wind blew from
the southeast, and the flames spread rapidly
into the western part O: the town. When that
was destroyed 1t veered around to the SOUTH
west and swept away the remaining portion
OF the business houses and pushed on
into the residence portion, where the
naines were nnaiiy got under control.
a DREADFUL NIGHT
AS soon as the alarm was given the local fire
company brought out its engine, but il was
found to be out of order and useless. Dispatches
were at once sent to Wilmington and Crisfeid
Tor aid, but before it came the worst Was over.
Inc anguish or the women they watched
their homes melt away was enough to appal
the stOuteSt heart. The streets were crowded
with terrified women, screaming children and
haii-Intddened horses that ran every way
through the crowd to escape the flames. FOrtu-
nateiy no loss OF LIE occurred.
The nre Is believed 10 have been started by
Winder Culver, who finished u term in the
penitentiary last August for killing a resident.
Early sunday morning he shot Thomas Ellis a
private Waterman, and has not since been seen.
lie has threatened TO burn the town often, and
as Tue nre was evidently the work of an incen-
diary, every thing points to him as the guilty
party. He is supposed to have also disabled the
fire engine. -