The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-06-26
The City of Witches
Paid Heavy Toll To
Flames Last Night
HALF OF CITY
is, WIPED OUT
Historical Landmarks Are Still
Left Standing-"House of
Seven Gables" Is Threat
ened, Spared at Last
(By Associated Press.)

(By Associated Press.) :.
Salem. Mass, June 25.--Nearly half
the 'old witch city, of Salem rich in
historic buildings and tradition, was
'devarted today and tonight by fire
that caused ON estimated loss of $20,-
100000: destroyed 1000 buildings, in
cluding a score Of manufacturing es-
Establishments and made ten thousand
OF the $4,000 residents homeless.
The fire originated in the Korn
Leather Factory on the west side of
the city about o'clock In the after
noon and swept through the shoe and
leather manufacturing district, ruin
ing every building in a curving path
two miles long and more than half
a mile wide.
burning embers, carried by strong
northwest wind, started fires in two
other sections. the fashionable resi-
Dental district adjacent to Lafayette
street, and manufacturing and tene-.
mept house district on the peninsula
bounded by Palmer's Cove, South
river and the water trent. s..
Oil Tanks Exploded. { s l5- e
Late in the. evening brands sklndled
: q fourth ftrasssal sihs Salel6
: ~ i
poft md shokefs of sparks fell
threatcaan hart 5f the town
that had before net been, III imminent
danger. This fire. however. was
checked after IL had destroyed the
oil company's plant and thirteen
houses.
When. the flames were believed to
ho r<,nu ,& -
all the historic and literary landmarks
had escaped destruction. These in
I, cluded the Peabody Museum, Essex
Institute. Custom House, where Ma
thaniel Hawthorne did much OF his
literary work, and "The House of
Seven Cables" made famous by the
novelist.
At midnight the fire was burning
on Derby street, not far from the
Peabody museum. but 1t was thought
the building and its valuable colec.
tion OF curios would be saved.
Hawthorne Landmark.
"The House of Seven Gables" also
was In the danger zone.
Several buildings were dynamitei
and late tonight It looked as though
the fire had been checked. No ia
taltties had been reported up te mid
night. but in the confusion It was i'm
possible to dtermine the causualties,
Some fifty intlred persons were re-
ceiyed at the hnspitals..
Thosands OF homeless were en-
and the city was sroiiced by militia
men. 50 ~ ,,es, 81:
The great destruction was due to
d I. Z. al ae5Ss,
Half OF the rstyl0f Salem was I'm
flames tonight Block after block
was dynamited but the fire, checked
in one direction, driven BY shifting
winds, found o new path OF destruc-
tion. It was nearly. III o'clock before
the area of, the conflagration reached
its: limit. 3 Il 50. ,iI + 3
Starting this afternoon !. about 3
O'clock as q rsstlt Of an explosion
In the factory Sof the Korh Leather
: COi apeny. Just east OF, Historic Gal
lows Hill. where alleged witches
were hanged two hundred years ago.
the fire spread quickly through the
shoe and leather manufacturing dis
trfct. then south ,stuf the Boston and
Maine Railroad fracks ut Jefferson
avenue. and eastward TO the water
front. # b - sss:::i
Late tonight fire brands carried
into, the business i section sarted a
second fire at North atreet. Az little
later q tali OF the standard on
Company in the extreme northwest Of
the city was abiaxs and presently {.
third fire was .lsyelling the buildings
ih that vicinity. s.,
Estlnnfed LOSS rs.
No definite estimate, pf tbs money
toss IS POSSIBLE ton ight. Z: The burner
buildings include the plants ct & Is d
| sccvs of HAk Akufact cturiag companis
among them the big factory nf fheI
Naumkdag Cotton Mills. twice as
many Bnsihesa places, Sc. Josepils
koman Catholic church. recently
Continued on Page Three. q