Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-06-26
fire.. !. !.
IN SALEM, All !. MASS.
Half of Old City Wiped Out
by Confagration After
Explosion.
DEATH TOLL7OF SEVEN
Fifteen Thousand People Homeless
Scarcity of Water-City Under
Martial Law-Wild. Havoc.

Salem, Mass, June 26.-Nearly half
of the historic city of Salem, rich IN
buildings and tradition, is in ruins TO-
dav as the result Of contlagratlon
which has already cost seven lives,
destroyed nearly the whole manufac-
turing section, hundreds of houses,
and several colonial structures, rend-
cred $1,000 of the $4,000 homeless,
and caused damage estimated at $1O,-
100000.
At 10 o'clock today the fire was
still raging, but was being held IN
check to the two mile swath already
devastated. The water pressure had
been restored and the fremen had
hopes of conquering the flames un-
Tess the wind shifted.
Martial law, with ten companies OF
militia comprising LOO men, has pre-
vailed practically since 8 o'clock last
night. Khaki clad soldiers, bayonets
fxed and under orders to shoot, pa
troll al the streets to prevent lootlng
BY thugs from the underworld Of Bos-
ton.
Four. companies of local militia
were called out about $3.50 yester-
day, when panic spread beyond the
control of the police, and Governor
walsh. who dashed to the stricken
cit. in an automobile. later ordered
OF! ehe whole Eiyhth Regiment. A
thousand tents and blankets and
.0,JGO rations are on their way.
Added to the hrlror today is a
great scarcity Of water, almost
threatening famine. Many can get
only a cupful, and springs or the
outskirts of the city are in great de-
mand. The Beverly water system has
b2en called on for a!d.
The widest havoc prevailed today
Thousands of people-homeless, sleep
less, and made paupers in one blow
wandered the streets, held back from
entering the doomed area where their
homes had been Many frantic with
fear for missing friends and relatives
rral. ped back and forth exhausted lr
hopeless search.
Carts, conveyarces, automobiles
even baby carriages, jammed the
streets with one weird. seething mass
their owners doggedly bent OH remov
il. the few heterogeneous savings t;
PLACES of safety.
Meanwhile the flames continued tt
cr:rl upward, completing thei" devas
! tation, while smoke -grimed 1iremen-
spent, after eighteen hours strugg!'
with heat and moke--directed thei
puny efforts to overcome it.
The fire broke out just before
O'Clock yesterday With an explosion Il
the Nus Leather Company. In fifteei
minutes the factory was in runs
Tinder-box houses and shops nearb.
! y,Ic a mass of flames. Water pres
sure .ailed, and aia summoned from
radius of twenty-five miles proVe'
rnava" Ing. Dynamite was resorte'
10, and whole blocl.: blown to debris
but the conclusions seemed only to in
crease the fury oe the fire.
a capricious sixteen-mile win'
drove the flames helter-skelter, set
ting three separate fires which at
their way outward until they finall
merged in one tremendous swath tw
miles long and three quarters of
mile wide, ih I4u .il..'.l..
From: the places where the witche
: were hanged two and a quarter Ger
i, turies ago, the flames raced upwFaar1
to. the edge of the old colonial res
dences, leaving in ruins, in its wak'
the birthplace of Nathaniel Haw
thorpe and other historic spots. i4 :
The fire has already surpassed tn
Chelsea fire horror of April II, 19Q'
when 5000 were rendered homeless
1865 buildings destroyed, 1900 fam
lies practically ruined, 300 injure
and property loss of S6,OOO,Oo0