The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-07-01
SALEM, MASS, HAS
DISASTROUS FIRE

Salem, Mass, June 25.-IIalf of the
old witch city" OF Salem was de-
vastated today nd tonight by fire.
Over 1000 buildings were destroyed.
including score of manufacturing
establishments, and 10000 of the AS
600 population are homeless.
Burning embers, carried by a strong
northwest wind, started fires in two
other sections, the fashionable resi-
Dental district adjacent to the La
Fayette street, and manufacturing
and tenement house distric on the
peninsular, bounded by Palmers Cove,
Late in the evening brands kindlcd
a fourth fire in the plant of the Sa-
lem Oil Company in Mason street.
The oil tanks blew up with Il terrific
| threateningly on part of the town
that before had not been in imminent
| danger. This fire, however, was
checked after it had destroyed the oil
When the flames were believed to
| be under control at II o'clock tonight
all the historic and literary land
marks had escaped destruction. These
included the Peabody Museum, Es-
sex institute, custom house, where
Nathaniel Hawthorne did much OF his
| literary work, and "The House of the
Seven Cables made famous by the
novelist.
at midnight the fire was burning
on Derby street, not far from the
Peabody museum, but il was thought
the building and its valuable collec-
ton Of curios would bt saved.
THE House OF Seven Gables" also
was in the danger zone.
Several buildings were dynamited
and late tonight it looked as though
the fire had bten checked. No fatal
ity had been reported up to mid
night, but in the confusion it was
impossible to determine the casual
ties. Some so injured persons vert
| received at nCSpitdIS.
The great destruction was due to
poor water pressure.
Nearly half OF the busintSs section
Of Salem was IN flames tonight. Block
after block was dynamited, but the
fire. checked in one direction, driven
by shifting winds, found a new path
Of destruction. 1t was nearly II
o'clock before the area Of the con-
flagration reached its limit Starting
about 2 o'clock this afttrnoon as a
result OF an explosion in the factory
Of the Korn Leather company just
east Of historic Gallows hill, where
alleged witches were hanged 20C
years ago, the fire spread quickly
through the shoe and leathtr manu-
featuring district, then south to tho
Boston and Main railroad tracks al
Jefferson avenue and eastward to the
water front.
Late tonight fire brands carried in
to the business section started a sec
ond fire at North street. little lat
er tank of the Standard Oil com
pany In the extreme northwest of the
city was aDlaze and presently a thirC
fire was levelling the buildings in thai
vicinity. No definite estimate of Tho
money loss is possible tonight but i
was variously placed at from $5,O00
009 to $7.O0O,000. The burned dis
trict buildings include the plants o
a scorc of manufacturing companies
among them the big factory OF tn,
Naumktag cotton mills, twice as many
business places, ST. Joscph's Roman
Catholic church, recently erected at a
cost Of a quarter Of a million dollars
the orphan asrlum and more than
200 residences and tenement build
ings. Among these residences were
colonial houses which artists have
declared to be the finest type Of archi-
lecture In the country
|