Evening journal., 1904-07-13
stan Correspondent The Evening Journal.

STAFF Correspondent The Evening Journal.
Mllngton. Nd. July 1S.-wiped off
the face Of the earth would be a proper
term to express the terrible fire that
visited this town yesterday afternoon.
The place is gutted and the loss is APP
proximated at 100000. Forty-two
dwellings were burned to the ground
and not a stone is left standing.
Many are without food and assistance
is sorely needed.
The blaze started at about A o'clock
in a blacksmith shop occupied by w.
II Logan in Sassafras street and in re-
markably short time it spread to sew
eral surrounding buildings. AS there
was no local fire apparatus to night the
blaze. President of Town Commission
ers j. b. Ahren, telephoned to VIII
mington for assistance. Fifteen min
utes later a terrific wind and rain
storm set in and the fire then spread
with relentless fury.
When the Wilmington fire apparatus
arrived the entire business section OF
the town was destroyed and the firemen
Immediately turned their attention to
saving threatened property in the resi-
dence section. Working In a downpour
of rain the Wilmington fire fighters at
tackled the connagration from all sides
and within two hours the fire was un-
der control
Nothing to Eat.
] 1t was impossible fcs strangers and
hremen 10 get anything to eat. Coffee
however. was served out to all who ask
ed for it.
Mmington was one Of the most pros
porous towns i'm Kent county. Nd. II
has 1000 inhabitants. nearly all Of whom
are losers. more or less by reason OF
the fire. The personal loss Of property
according TO Town Commissioner All
rem will reach 100000, and the real es
tate loss will amount to as much.
Burned District Large.
The burned district covers four acre.
and to add to the horror Of the night
a heavy downpour of rain fell unit
midnight. slowly extinguishing tn
burning debris.
A waste Of ground covered will
n charred embers is all that remains o
the once prosperous little town. Man,
lare without homes and all without food
Food could not be bought for love o
money as every store was destroye
. and strangers and firemen went hun
CRY.
Many Buildings Destroyed.
From sixty to seventy-five building
were destroyed. between forty and MT
of these being dwellings
When the fire first started people liz
/ ing in threatened houses began TO NOV
, their effects but had TO desist beeaus
of the narce snread of the blaze. Thos
who did succeed in moving their house
hold effects saw them burned up IN IN
street, a prey TO the angry flame
which spread i'm every direction.
A rumor was circulated late IN IN
= evening that an 1S-year-old girl name
Florence Forbes was missing, and
was feared that she was burned I
death. 1t was learned later that sh
had been found, but in a serious con
. dition, suffering from the shock attend
ing the excitement.
Wilmington Fireman Hurt.
E. J.. Wallace, a member Of the Lii
erty Fire Company, slipped and fe
r while handling a section Of hose an
was painfully injured. He was tempo
rarily attended by DR.. Comegys.
; Among the large buildings destroye
were the town hall. postoffice, Milling
. tor Bank. Methodist Episcopal Churcl
two hotels and the railway station an
a warehouse.
e How il Originated.
t The origin of the fire was due to
spark from a forge in Loper's blacl
= smith shop The blaze first took