Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-07-02
SALEM, MASS,
SWEPT BY FIRE
Water Fails and Firemen Use
Dynamite.
MANY PERSONS GO INSANE
Business District Is Doomed ane
Flames Shut Off Escape From
Three Observation-Disclosures of
Dead Is Unknown.

HFSE CT
Dead Is Unknown.
Salem, Mass, June 27.-Nearly half
of Selem was destroyed by fire Thurs
day night, with loss estimated at
s20,000,000
One thousand buildings, including
many Of the largest factories and hun
dreds of residences, were burned.
Ten thousand of the city's As, 900 in
habitants are homeless. They with
several hundred patients carried from
the Salem and other hospitals are be-
ing cared for in public buildings which
escaped destruction.
At II o'clock the main blaze had
been checked by the use of dynamite
and the combined efforts. of the fire
departments from nearly score of
surrounding cities, but there still was
blaze burning on Derby street not
far from the Peabody museum, but it
was thought that the building and its
valuable collection of curios would be
saved.
This fire threatens "the house of the
seven gables" made famous by Ma
thaniel Hawthorne, and desperate eff
forts were being made to save it. Late
at night the old customs house, where
the novelist did much of his literary
work, Essex institute and all others of
the many historic relics were reported
safe.
No fatalities had been reported, but
in the confusion it was impossible to
determine the casualties. Fifty per-
sons are known to have been injured.
Five companies of local militia were
ordered out to police the city, help
the homeless, and prevent looting.
They were supplemented by two COM
panies of militia from outside cities,
and one company of naval cadets from
Lynn
The confiagration consisted of five
separate fires. The first swept through
the shoe and leather manufacturing
district on the West side, running every
building in curving path two miles
long and more than half mile wide.
Embers carried by a strong north
west wind started fires in the fashion
able residential district adjacent to
Lafayette street and a manufacturing
and tenement house district on the
peninsula bounded by Palmers Cove,
South river and the water front.
The fourth fire started in the plant
of the Salem Oil company in Mason
street northwest of the Essex county
courthouse. A terrific explosion &C.
CURED when the oil tanks blew up and
showers of sparks fell on a large sec
ton of the town. This fire destroyed
the oil company's plant and 10 houses.
Later came the blaze along Derby
street.
The first blaze was started by an I'M
explained explosion in the factory of
the Korn Leather company at Proctor
and Boston streets. Seventy-fve hands
were at work in the factory. All es-
capped, although many were obliged to
jump from second and third story win
dows. One of these, Charles Lee, had
both legs broken in a 30-foot leap
The blaze rapidly spread to other
factories in the district surrounding
the foot of Gallows hill, where sup
posed witches were executed 20 years
ago. More than twenty large factories
and scores of stores and small houses
were burned in a territory about two
miles long and more than half mile
wide, extending from Proctor and Bos-
ton streets on the north to Jefferson
avenue on the south.
In this district are Proctor. Pope,
Broad, Hawthorne, Winthrop, Mount
Vernon, Endicott and Peabody streets,
IN which practically all the structures
were destroyed.
In the meantime falling embers
started the fire in South Salem and the
residential part of the city. All the
available fire fighting apparatus was
in the Gallows hill section, where it
had responded to general alarm, and
South Salem was left without protec-
ton. One building after another burst
into flames.
For several hours the fire in this dis
IAASt was SOhAACu " a Sinai OFdl, UuC
as evening approached the flames
spread IN all directions, destroying
hundreds of residences, including many
handsome homes and the most fash
ionable thoroughfares in Salem
The flames destroyed handsome
homes almost the entire length Of La
fayette street, Salem's most beautiful
thoroughfare. doing its work of de-
struction on both sides of the street
at the same time. All the houses on
the side streets west of Lafayette
street were destroyed.