The Washington times., 1907-08-16


tlcaiiy wiped out the summer colony
early today is the prospecting
ground of the searchers.
With sticks, spades, picks, and
other implements hundreds Of per-
sons, ranging from miIIionaires 10
sculHons, are searching fer valu-
ables known TO have been lost in
the great cOnfagratiou.
Dynamite Kills -Four.
Dynamite, used TO check the
flames which practically wiped out
Old Orchard and caused s.. 100000
loss killed four men. The IRE
ragged for four hours, DESTROYING
sixteen hotels, 100 cottages. and
scores Of smaller buildings. cover
ing an area Of fifty acres.
Telegraph and telephone wires
were burned, and for hours Old
Orchard was cut of from the rest
Of the world.
Burned Over Fifty Acres.
The fire started a. s p. m, AMI it vas
eariy today before II was under control.
Then It had practically burned itself
put burning fifty acres of property.
Many cOttagers had narrow escapes.
and Mayor John F.. Fitzgerald, OF Bos-
ton. was nearly killed while passing
along Main street. a soda water FUN
tain IN drug store exploded from the
heat and a large piece OF metal was
hurled within a few feet Of his head
The fire started by the overturninS OF
lamp IN cottage occupied by the
employees OF the Emerson Hotel. II
spread quickly 10 adjoining cottages
and 10 the Hotel Olympia. a four-story
frame building standing back from the
beach.
There was a sharp breeze blowing and
II famed the flames and they spread
with amazing rapidity- In less than rve
minutes i've buildings were ablsze.
Great Confusion Prevailed.
In the Olympia the word that the
hote! was on fire was shouted through
the halls as soon as the blaze vas dis
covered, and intense confusion pve-
vailed Practically no attempt was
made either by guests or employees 10
save any personal property, every IN
mate Of the building rushing into the
street at the first alarm The whole
building, IL seemed. was afre IN the
twinkIiHg Of an eye.
, Opposite the hotel IN which the Ere
started, the ground toward the bcsch
was nicl-ly dotted with Cottages. eacii
as dry as Jindsr. and as infanrnabIs As
they we'll could be.
The flames swept across the ROADWAY
] TO the east and q little TO The south
and while there were but i've buildings
I on Ire a. $50, half an hour late: tEs
number had increased more than ten
fold, and II Was seen that practically
the entire cottage settlement vas
gades mad been formed and efforts were.
made 70 wet down the roofs OF cottaEes
anc prevent the blaze from Spreading
Showers OF sparks filled the air, ara
wherever they fell inCipient fires starf-I
the IeSorL-
Hotel Burns Like Tinder.
The large Hotel Emerson. the most
elaborately fitted hostelry in Old Orch
ard caught FIRE. Like every other build
ing in the place, il was OF wood. and
burned Ike Oil Luckily, the guests. OF
whom there was a large number had
tiile 20 remove their property or. at
least. such parts Of il as were portable.
There was less confusion at the OIym-
pia, but the loss was greater. as the
hotel cost $75,0o0 to build, and the ht-
tings and furniture were magnificent
The Emerson was formerly the Velvet.
From the Hotel Emerson the fre
reached across the main avenue leading
from the railroad station 10 the shore
and attacked the Hotel Seashore.
Soon after the Ere started, both teIe-
phone an1 telegraph messages were sent
trom the postonice 30 Portland Bidde-
ford. and SacO. asking for aid Engines
were at once dispatched from ali the
places named. but when. after a long
run. they arrived at the scene Of the
IRE II was found that the hose COUPLINGS
Of the engines would not nj the n.y.
drants in the streets and for a long
tconanued on Second PsEe.1