Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-06-27
Destructive Fire Destroys $780,.
900 Worth Of Property and
Threatened Exposition.
FIVE LIVES REPORTED LOST

ported to Have Been Caught Be
meath waIls-Local People Lose
Hcavily--Praotlcally No Insurance
Was Carried on Property.
Pine leach wax carly yesterday
morning swept by n disastrous fire,
which started from gasoline stove
end Second street, and destroyed
about forty frame structures. most
OF them hotels. lodging houses and
saloons. entnillng n loss of nearly
S2OO,O0O and rendering probably
l,OOO people homeless. Practically
no Insurance was carried OH any of
Tho property. tho rates having been
almost prohbitiyc since the erection
of SO many wooden structures at the
resort The burned buildings were
NJ the territory between Virginia and
Maryland avenues ana One Hundred
and Sucbnd and One Hundred ana
Third slrcce, Just outside aud to tho
west of the IMPOSITION grounds.
Ono fatality,
One negro Is lhtown 10 have been
ports have II that an Unknown white
man persisted In the National Club
on Maryland avenue, and TINT two
women and baby were caught bus~
heath the failing walls of the Hnmp-
tor Reads hotel. Tho negro was
Larry Ilarrlson who was found In
tho ruins of the Berkeley hotel and
who died In n Norfolk hospital In the
afternoon.
Last night there was n report that
thrcc foreign novelty vendors, in
sane over the loss of their property
cut their Threats and rushed into
Tho flames. This report could not be
verified
G. Amber, man who said he
| came from Chicago, risked his life
ana saved II woman who was caught
In the Arcade hotel. After making
his own escape scantily clad. Amber
heard that the woman was I'm tho
building, and dashed IN to her res
cue Soon aftcrward he appeared
with her in his arms. MANY people
escaped from burning houses I'm their
night clothing.
Inside Inn Threatened.
mo inside Inn and the negro
building on the fair grounds were
seriously threatened at one time, ami
only the efforts of the Exposition fire
department kept them from being
burned Had the negro building
caught, the entire War Path proba-
h'y would have been swept. as n stiff
sou'hwcsterly breeze was blowing.
llle police station Just In the rear
OF the inside Inn was badly scorchcd:
me maryland avenue entrance caught
l,re and wax slightly damaged and
: 'he root OF the negro building was
sccrched ana warped, the tarred Gov
cring become so soft and slinnerv
maj II furnished prccarloms footing
Tor the halfroastcd ilrcmcn.
No Fire Plugs Outside.
Although the Exposition fire fight
ers went outside and attempted to
srvc some of the flaming buildings,
they could do practically nothing be-
cause there were no fire plugs out
sue soon II was apparent that the
-%lnd-drivcn blaze was going To sween
vciything in its path to the grounds.
then tho department. turned all its
attention 10 the saving of the Inside
nm ana negro building. TIE heat
was so intense that 1t was hardly
pcnraDle from across the street, and
inc or hose running from the me-
gro building to the police station was
80 '''' 'ut vi commission. The
renee of vines all along In front OF
The fire district was blackened and
probably Killed.
ouarrclino Couple Caused Fire
Inc fire started in the Hcrklcy no.
ici. on One Hundred and Second
street shortly after o'clock from an
exploding gasoline stove. According
10 The story told on the grounds.
man and woman who had entered
me hotel after being out all night.
lighted Il gasoline stove to cool,
breakfast. They got into n quarrel.
ana the man kicked the stove over,
causing II TO explode.
The pair ran from the building
screaming fire" ana in few min
ntes the entire place was enveloped
In flames
The Large Buildings.
among the largest buildings de-
s,roycd were the Arcade, Royal Pine
liampton Roads. Washington House,
fcwhatan. Outside Inn. Berkeley and
Carolina hotels. All of the hotels
were temporary structures. bull, of
The lightest sort Of material and
they burned like finder. The larc-
cs' was the Arcade. owned by Mr..
Charles II. YOUNGSTOWN, who manages
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