Evening journal., 1910-09-27


steam engine. The Wilmington COM
panies strung long lines Of hose, some
1000 feet long. as they had to pump
from the Chester river and up grade
to get water to the fire zone
BY the time the Wilmington firemen
arrived the blaze had consumed prac-
Ftically the business block. 1t reached
the Bradley building at midnight, II
being a brick structure with slate
roof, and the course of the fire was
stopped there through the efforts Of
the Wilmington firemen. The fremen
played streams of water on the ruins
to prevent the embers flying about
and setting other places on fire, and
altogether fought TO keep the flames
within the block that seemed doomed
from the outset. In this they were
successful.
Residents Did Good Work.
The Chestertown Fire Company
members did valiant work in fighting
the flames, which were practically
under control when the Wilmington
contingent of about two hundred men
arrived. Chestertown has no fire en-
gine, but depends upon its standpipe.
the water being forced through mains
by pressure, hose being coupled to
fire plugs along the street. BY this
methods the Chestertown men fought
the progress of the fire inch by inch
and confined 1t to the one block At
times the pressure was not great and
trouble was experienced in getting a
powerful stream. The Wilmington
fremen gave great credit on their
arrival TO the work done by the Ches-
tertown men.
Hundreds of residents of the town
were at the station when the Will
mington firemen arrived. The ap-
paratus of the Wilmington companies
was unloaded with the aid of appa-
ratus of the Robbins circus which was
I'm Chestertown yesterday It did not
take long for the Wilmington COM
panies to get into service. The Re-
| lance company was stationed nearest
the Chester river and il pumped to
the Weccacoe and Liberty companies,
the distance being estimated by Chief
Moran to be about 5000 feet.
Much of the contents of the stores
I'm the destroyed block was saved. The
goods were moved from the stores
into the street and into the public
park nearby, where they we're stored
while the fighting of the flames con-
tinued.
Employees Of the Robbins circus did
excellent work in aiding the stricken
residents of the town. The circus had
given a show here in the afternoon
and was to give another performance
at night. When the fire broke out the
circus manager saw that there would
be nobody to attend the performance,
so he ordered all the employees of the
circus, excepting a few to guard the
tents and other property, into the fire
district to help in fighting the flames.
/ The circus men worked like heroes.
Like a trained organization they car
ried goods from houses and stores
and returned to that work. 1t was
like the system on a circus field, the
boss canvassman directing the show
men I'm the rescue work. The only
man hurt during the fire was one OF
the circus men who fell and broke
his arm in two places.
The circus left Chestertown before
midnight, the men returning to loat
+ the tents and equipment after thel
had battled against the flames.
Sheriff Medders was on hand durini
> the evening and had some of the resi-
= ldeuts to act as deputies to guarl
. against the plundering of property
Later the students Of Washington Col
lege at Chestertown. volunteered TO
] picket duty, and they are policing th'
I section that was destroyed.
Telephone operators in the Diamond
, State Company's telephone exchang
D pluckily stuck to their posts unit
: they were dragged from the building
by main force. When they left thei
/ posts the building was on fire. Th
!. operators. the Misses Laura and Isa
: bella Lambert and Miss Ollie Reed
- kept the outside world in communica
. ton with the town until the flremel
! compelled them to leave the building
Then the switchboard was disconnect
p. ed and carried to the Voshell Hote
. nearby. Here a temporary exchang
was installed. but the flames threat
ened this structure and anothe
: change was made to a vacant buildin
across the street. where comunica
: tions once more were resumed.
The Wilmington firemen RENAME
: in service until o'clock. pourin
J. water upon the ruins. They wer
served with coffee and sandwiches b
, the residents. Nearly everything i
2, the eating line was consumed durin
e the night. The Wilmington fireme
r conducted themselves in an orderl
j manner, and their regret seemed to b
D, that they did not get to Chestertow
IS earlier.