The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-10-28
DELMAR WAS
FIRE SWEPT
Appalling Loss 0verwhelms the
Border Town.
TEN ACRES IN RUINS
Sixty-three Dwellings Destroyed and
Hundreds Made Homeless--Dam-
age Estimated at Over $780,
OOO--Provisions Needed.
Special to The Sun.

Special TO The Sun.
Delmar, Oct. 27.-Fire, tho dread Of the
small peninsula towns, swept through
the greater part of Deimar yesterday
afternoon reducing to ashes sixty-ihree
buildings and the larger part of their
contents. Three hundred people are
homeless.
On the Maryland side of the town a
few residences. and two stores remain
and on the Delaware side one block OF
buildings remain. The loss is estimated
at about $125,000.
The fire started in ex-Speaker William
l.. Sirman's stables. Burning hay blew
about and IL heavy wind spread the
flames until for ten acres space all the
buildings were a gigantic field Of fire.
A crowd quickly gathered around the
Airning stable, but it was too late TO
check the fire. Although Delmar had
twice before been nearly wiped out by
fire. the town recently voted down
) proposition to issue bonds for a water
department, and there was practically
no fire protection.
The burning stable soon toppled over,
and from the crash arose n great cloud
the business section. Within the space
,f five minutes dozen houses We're
blazing.
The people about the burning stable
!, md in the streets realized that the town
was doomed, and a panic followed. Men,
women and children abandoned all
thought Of extinguishing the flames. and
, rushed into their homes to save their
most cherished belongings. Pianos. pic
, lures, bedding. furniture of every de-
, scripton. were hurriedly thrown out of
: the houses and piled up in the streets.
: and there much of it was licked up by
the flames.
Salisbury and Wilmington were ap-
n pealed to for immediate aid, but the
n ldeadly work of the flames was accom-
lplished before Wilmington's fire depart
y Iment could got under way.
d A special train from Salisbury rolled
over the seven miles in five minutes to
a bring one steamer, two hose carts and a
}, crowd of fremen, citizens and politicians
r- who had been attending n great Demo
Is cratic rally ut Salisbury. The DelmaI
Ipeople cried for joy as the Salisbury re
Endorsements tumbled off the train, hui
the firemen were paralyzed by the lack OF
water.
h Necessity aided the frantic citizens t
< devise clever scheme to get water
Two locomotives ran to the Delaware
St Railroad pumping station, filled thci
ID tanks with water and returned to !
point where they could he connected will
~ the fire engine. A traction engine wa
t, also utilized in this way, and this wori
resulted in the saving Of the Delawar
IL Railroad station. the bank. the Methods
NJ Protestant Church and the residence
n Elijah Freeney.
ID Delmar had voted down the Legislative
ig ,lan for IL water system because it woul,
y .reate heavy bonded indebtedness. 10
n night besides suffering n loss of good
k and money. scores are homeless and al
in most mad with excitement. All proI
vrty destroyed was on the Delaware sid
A.. of the town. The fire was more disas
Of irons thnn the cmfagration Of August
to 1892, because less than fifty building
1t. we're destroyed and many of them wer
t. infatuated. while yesterdays baptism q
III dame licked up the new and HANDSOME
IN buildings which had arisen since tina
time.
Appeals for assistance will have to i
sent out as there is only II ton of pr,
visions in the place, except what's III III
juntries of intact homes. Over one hun
gu lred people who are homeless are lik'
wise destitute and their more fortunai
be ncighbors will ne taxed beyond the
,ar | means. The fire was got under contr'
II about 6 o'clock. The properties destroyt
ed were ms follows:
or w. l.. Sirmnn factory, residence m
Va iy dwelling houses. Loss, 100000. II
res ,urance, $4,000. Miss Emily Freene
millinery. $500. j. NJ. Hearn, barbe
"a $500; w. s. Marvel, blacksmith, $500;
ew Z. Hitch, millinery, $4,000; Demar Unie
,ve store, $500; Giving Culver, hardwar
$4,000; w. r. Elliott residence, store M
vid stock, $4,000: James +. Wilson K C'
III. clothing, $500. w. G. Elliott, residenc
hardware store and warehouse. $1.1O
an w. II. Sirman, residence and store. $500
]. w. Hastings. residence and content
VII lS4.5OO; w. s. Marvel. residence, $3,2o
postoffice building. $500; Havings II Co
r,o store and all contents and fixtures. ST.
900; Levin Hastings, residence and Nv
,b, houses, 5000; Solomon Stephens, re'
dcncc. s3,5OO; Stephen t. Waller, re-
rrx llence. 81. 300: Mrs. Waller. house. s1,2C
80 Dr. Ellegood. office, store, residence al
a ~, lrontents, $1,000: Handy Culver, resident
q, 900; j. l.. Ellis. residence and conten
a., 81. 900: NJ. NJ. Ellis, residence. $1,000;
!. Culver, residence. $1,000: Mrs. job
~. son Ellis, house. $4,000; DIR. James III
shawa. pharmacy and residence. s2,5
Val, insurance, 1000: John ]. Culver. re
ience, $1,000; John W. Metson, residen'
;or, 81. 900; Delaware school house, $500: Ha
mans, blacksmith, $500; III. j. JON
residence. $500: Mrs. l.. A. Kerr, re
drnce. $7OO commodious lodge rooms
the Elliott building quartering
80, knights of Pythias. Improved Order
's Red Men. Junior Mechanics, Ancie
Order United Workmen and the Broth
~ ~ hood of Railway Trainmen We're destr'
." .u cd with all their effects and paraph
p, az, MALTA. ]. L. Ellis. S. n. Culver a
J I G. L. Hastings lost n great deal of m
" nf chandse by water, which they had say
ora from the fire.
eiah Other residences destroyed are: Coli
ron, j. s. Love- Charles Hastings. w.
Sirman. Samuel Wells. Burton Gully
A. Fl. Bacon. Mrs. lea. w. s. Hen
Ralph r. Ellis. Other business hou
+. that are total loss are those of Geo
pee Gordy. A. G. Brown, w. J. Hayn
orn- md II. f. Lowe.
sted WILMINGTON READY TO HEl
con- A telegram was received from DELI
, N. Saturday afternoon asking that fire
'paratus be sent to that towns aid. !