The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1905-04-21
.ONE MORE FIRE STARTED
BLAZE GETS GOING BEHIND THE
cHRlsToPH DRUG STORE.
1T LOOKS LIKE A FIREeUG
What Might, Few Hours Later, Have
Been a Most Disastrous Fire In a
Norfolk Avenue Building, Was
Brought Under Control Soon.
Lr1om ErIdnN.s DnllYl


from Fridays Dally1
Selecting another building in the
heart OF the business district of Nor
folk to satisfy his flendish appetite
ing in which the chief of police stood
at the moment the fire was set, the
hrebug OF Norfolk again last night
started a blaze which for n time
threatened serious results and which,
a few hours later with streets desert
ed, would undoubtedly have gone
through the George b. Christoph drug
store and might easily have gutted a
good portion of a block The blaze
was started in little shed Just at
the rear of the drug store, in bunch
of excelsior and was soon exiting
uished by the streams of water and
ladders of the department.
II was at Just about Q o'clock that
the fire alarm was turned in. The
rear door of the store had been locked
tightly at 6 in the evening and no
one had been near the shed after
that. There was nothing in the struc.
ture which could have started from
spontaneous combustion, as there
were but few empty barrels a little
coal and loose bunch OF excelsior.
Mr.. Christoph was at home when the
fire started but his head clerk, Mr..
Bleakney, together with Chief of Po-
lice Larkin and W. II. Brakeman,
stood talking in the front portion of
the store. CHANGING out of doors
when the alarm was heard, they re-
allied for the first time that they were
in the burning building.
Ten Minutes Would Have Done.
Ten minutes more of the flame
leaped up against the rear wall of the
drug store, fighting and struggling in
an ineffective effort to get within,
where a large ware room was packed
with all sorts of oils and infiammable
fluids, would have resulted most disas-
trously for the building and possibly
for many more buildings on Norfolk
avenue, between Fourth and Third
streets.
AS it was, window was broken in
and little more time. with a wind,
would have drawn the tongues of
flame into the store room. Fortunate
ly firemen could get to the fire quick
ly and soon the shed was thoroughly
soaked with water.
The fire, 1t was determined today,
started inside the shed and when Mr..
Beakney arrived at the back door
the flames We're shooting out through
the cracks in rapid shape. The loss
will be covered by $100 it Is thought.
Who is Starting These Fires?
"Who is starting all of these fires?"
That is the puzzle which police and
| tiremen are trying to work out. And
that too, is the question which has be-
gun to seriously alarm Norfolk busi-
ness men. Seven fires within a week,
all mysterious and all at night, is
enough to give scare to a town of
| Norfolk's size, and no man knows
when he locks up for the night just
how soon he may be the victim of this
| incendiary. As a result of fires with
! in recent days, two restaurants on
! Norfolk avenue are heaps of ashes,
| three saloons have been touched by
the flames, one OF them totally de-
stroyed and another badly damaged ;
a cold storage has burned to the
ground; and a number of fires have
occurred in barns about town, and in
a new home under course of construc
ton. And no explanation for any OF
them can be made.
The question, therefore, which con
fronts the police department is
who starts the fires?' and What is
the motive for starting them?"
1t has been suggested that perhaps
boys, eager to see the fires burn an(
the department called out. are respon
sible for the damage. Perhaps it is
more than one. Perhaps a man OF
men.
The police believe that they have {
pretty good clue as to who has set a
least one of the fires and the suspec
is being closely watched. One bust
ness man suggested that reward b'
offered for the apprehension OF th'
guilty party.
This makes the second fire of tn
season to adioin the building of thu
Durland Trust company On thu
east the Krug building burned ant
on the west the Christoph store TIL,
DurlaDd building, which burned &
few years ago. has not been touche,
either time.