Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-08-18

DELMAR, Aug. 17.--A waste of
olackened land half mile square,
marked here and there by tall uneven
chimney stacks, with an occasional
mound OF wood or rubbish smouldering
or burning tltfully near by, is all that
remains OF the little town of Delmar
which was burned off the face of the
earth yesterday afternoon and last
night. stores and dwelling houses,
schools and churches, about 1876
buildings in all, were destroyed, and
nearly all the inhabitants of the village
are now without roof to shelter them.
The fire started in the post-office at
iS.4o O'Clock, and at 10oclock last night
IL had burned itself out, During the
afternoon one fireman was killed by
falling Chimney and several people We're
injured. Others are missing, and in the
confusion which reigns everywhere they
mad not been found up to late hour.
THE KILLED AND INJURED.
The man who was killed was a col.
ored man named James Venn, aged %,
who lived near Salisbury, and who had
volunteered his services as fireman.
The injured are: George Gordon, Jr.,
leg broken by jumping from window;
Samuel Thomas, severely burned about
face and arms; NJ. Hurst, ribs broken
and severely burned; Mrs. Hart, taken
to Wilmington, suffering from shock
and severe burns on the body; Charles
Hicks, Colored, burned ON the face and
chest.
The missing are Mrs Anna Rogers, 80
years old, and bed ridden, supposed to
be dead; Frank Gear, Edward Verts,
Carolina Smith, school teacher;
Charles Mccain, a fireman from Sails
bury; the 1S-months.old daughter of
George +. Owens, supposed to be dead.
The town of Delmar lies six miles
south of Laurel and seven miles north
Of Salisbury. About 100 people live
there, according to the last census, and
during the past year it has been grow.
ing faster than any other town in lower
Delaware or upper Maryland, Its rail
way facilities are excellent, and big
new depot has just been built on the
Delaware division of the Philadelphia,
Wilmington & Baltimore branch of the
Pennsylvania road For many years it
has been a great fruit shipping point.
THE CIGARETTE DID IT.
The railroad runs alongside the town
and the village stores were built in three
blocks near the depot. The church and
school house and town hall were not
300 yards away and the dwelling houses
were either sandwiched in between or
lay block or moro further back The
buildings nearly all made OF wood,
were pretty close together and the post.
office, two-story structure occupied a
central position. So did the Delmar
Hotel and the new town hail, all of
which were destroyed.
At 1890 o'clock Postmaster James II.
Tyre was in the post-otlice talking to
half a dozen men who had dropped in
to sec him. The men were smoking and
II boy had lit cigarette and was sitting
on Il desk Uttered with papers. In a
few minutes the whole party went out
to greet William l.. Sirman, the Speaker
of the Delaware House of Representa-.
tives, who had just returned from Dover
with news of the Democratic State con.
vention, While they were talking to.
gether flames had burst oat inside the
post-otiice building and the interior was
all ablaze. 1t happened too quickly tc
allow Of any sort Of concerted action.
The cigarette had done the mischief
The boy had gone out with the others
but before going had thrown his
cigarette carelessly away. The cigarette
ell on a scrap of paper in corner, and
soon burned in 1t u little black hole
which gradually Redeemed about it.
edges and grew larger. Finally the
paper began to blaze, the blaze reached
the woodwork and III an instant thu
post-otiicc was on fire. A strong win,
communicated the flames to neighbor
ing building, which in its turn spreaC
them on all sides.
SPREAD OF THE FLAMES.
The men ran for water and Speake
Sirman himself started to get out tn,
old.fashioned hand water pump, which
was in building next door TO the post
office. When he opened the door Ii
found that the fire had burned through
the walls and that the pump itself wa
ablaze. The roof of the post-otiic
building had caught and q lively brecz
which had sprung up was carryin!
sparks in every direction. The Delma
Hotel, of which Theodore A. Nescy i
proprietor, caught next, and four
1tory building occupied by stores on tn
first floor, with offices and lodge room
above, known as the Red Mems Wig
wan, was ablaze in few minutes.
DIR. Robert Ellegood's drug store an,
the stores of Joseph w. Hastings, gen
eral merchandise; Cooper & Wilson
clothing; Elliott " Ellis, hardware
Union Store Company, general mer
chandise, caught fire within 10 min
utes. In that incredibly short space o
time, to, sparks had set fire to the stor
of Sherman IL Co., grocers, across tn
way, and the opposite block was threat
ened, In the face of the fierce heat
was impossible to fight hand to han
battle with the flames. There was absc
lutely no means of checking the prog
ress of the fire and every man in the tow
set about TO protect his own propert,
Wet blankets were thrown over rool
and windows, and men, women an
children set about drawing water wit
B which to meet the enemy when it cam
WIRING FOR ASSISTANCE.
just before the new depot caught fl
message was sent TO Salisbury, Laur
and Seaford, asking for speedy help,
freight train was standing at Salisbui
ut the time, and on it the fire apparatl
was quickly loaded and sent to Delma
NJ The engiue, mounted on box car {
The track and fed from the big wnt
.ank opposite to the station, got to VOL
FL little before 2 O'Clock.
II was handled by the firemen
Az Salisbury, including one colored ho
E company and hundred strong al
willing volunteers from the threatent
~ village.
AS often as the water in the tank G.
low locomotives replenished it from Il
Choptank river, two miles away. /