Smyrna times., 1911-05-17
MILTON AGAIN VISITED BY
AN AWFUL CONFLAGRAT|O
ANOTHER PORTION OF BUSINESS
SECTION SUFFERS $4,000 LOSS
Discovered Early Wednesday Morning
and as Town was Without Water
Works, the Fight was Hard


Milton, DEL, May 1O.-Failing to
profit by the lesson given two years
ago when the business section was
burned out at loss of $500, 900 this
town faced another disastrous fire
this afternoon without water works
with which to fight it, and the man.
ufacturing district was wiped out by
flames at an estimated loss of be-
tween $50, 900 and SIS, 900. The
buildings burned were the stables
of C. A. Virden & Co., two ware
houses on Atkins wharf. three ware
houses on Ponder's wharf, Virden's
lumber yards and sheds, the tomato
and pea packing factory of the Royal
Packing Company, the plant of the
Milton Electric Light Company. the
Royal flour and corn mill and ware
house on Burton's wharf. The
three-story dwelling of Captain At
kins and the Douglass white shirt
factory caught fire, but were saved
after some damage during the fire.
The Milton Times building, the Jun
ior o. U. A. M. Hall, the three
large stores and two carriage fac
tories Of S. j. Wilson & Son caught
fire several times, but were saved.
The fire finally died out in the Royal
grist mill and is now under control.
Two years ago the entire business
section of the town was burned out,
and despite the efforts of progressive
citizens no water plant was built,
and today they had to depend on one
little hand pump and bucket brigades
to fight the big fire. The entire
town heped the work, and long lines
of women and children pumped
water and passed buckets while the
men fought the fire close to the
burning buildings. Children Joined
in the work, and hurry calls were
sent to all the adjoining towns for
help. Georgetown fremen were
rushed to the town in automobiles
and turned in and directed one end
of the fight at the big store of S.
j. Wilson. A strong wind swept
the flames away from the river
wharves out to the main street,
carrying away all the manufacturing
Industries in the town.
Early in the fire, w. W. Conwell,
one of the fire fighters, fell from one
of the burning buildings and had
one ear severed and his face and
body badly cut by glass. Before he
could be gotten out he was badly
burned. The fire sarted in a small
shanty stored with hay, next to the
stables of c. A. Virden & Co., and
is supposed to have been caused by a
careless smoker. The fire was dis
covered about O'Clock and spread
with remarkable rapidity while the
citizens tried to fight the fire with
buckets and one small hose with
water pumped by hand from the
creek. The destruction of the
factories will throw nearly all the
men of the town out of work, while
the farmers in this section who are
growing tomatoes and peas under
contract for the canning factories
will lose heavily. Besides the loss
of the buildings there was a large
amount of grain and flour stored il
the mill, while the new electric
light plant had just been com
pleted, The estimated insur anc,
on the whole district is only abou
$13, 900, of which amount $4,000 is Of
the Royal packing plant. A publ
meeting was called with the ember
of the fire still blazing and arrange
/ ments made to install a waite
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