Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-26

was burned. The five-Story brtck Shoe
factory occupied by A. p. Field was de-
stroyed by dynamite.
Light and Power Station
The firemen hoped at one time to
make a stand behind the solid brick
walls of st. Josephs church, but the
blaze jumped the Boston & Maine
track just south of the depot and then
reached the block bounded by Salem
harbor and Ward street, where a
group of tenement houses was soon
in flames. Directly opposite was the
large brick plant of the Salem Elec-
trio Co. This was destroyed and the
city was deprived of light and power.
Lieut.. A. Rushford of the Militia
Medical Corps, caught three men loot
ing houses on Park street. but they
escaped before he could capture them.
Many Escape from Trap
Police and militiamen drove panic
stricken crowd up Lafayette street.
AS the fire leaped that thoroughfare,
near Ward street, many barely escap-
ed being trapped. Another fire. start
ed by cinders from the burning build
ings in the leather districts swept
through the French settlement. Most
of the buildings were wooden tehe-
ments. Several factories in and
around Lafayette street near the bust
ness district, including the Glover
Shoe plant and the Goodale Machine
factory, were destroyed,
The whole Italian and Greek colonies
including $50 houses and stores were
destroyed. .s4
Cities Sending Aid
Among the cities responding to the
call for firemen and apparatus were
Lynn. Swampscott. Beverly, Revere,
Bost, n, Peabody, Danvers Marblehead
and Newburyport. The militia call
was sounded and the First Corps Ca
CTS was assigned to patrol duty.
The Boston & Maine railroad station
marked the southern end of the retail
section. For many hours it withstood
the onslaught of the flames.
Make Stand at r. r. Station
The most determined fight was made
at this point. Dynamite was used to
blow I'D a nuraber of buildings near
the station and the constant explos-
ions added to the terror OF the situa-
ton.
the burning buildings along New Der
by street. Across Lafayette street Is
f,airfiel5's dock and this formed 81
vantage point for the fire fighters, VINO
were attempting to keep the fire from
spreading along the harbor front In
the business section.
On Derby street is the Salem hos
pital Tonight orders were given to
move the patients. A squad or militia
men and police aided the nurses in
carving the 80 or more patients, many
of them desperately i'll, in stretchers To
automobiles where owners offered
their services. The patients were rush
ed to hospitals in Beverly. Danvers
and Peabody A priest from Danvers
was helping in this work.
Historic Buildings Threatened
In the section on Derby and Essex
streets. threatened by the east wing
of the fire were some of the most his
toric and valuable buildings in Salem,
the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne
and the old Custom House where he
worked and the House OF Seven Gables,
which he immortaliZes.
- Other Buildings in Path
other structures in the path of the
flames were the Peabody Museum and
the Essex Institute with the most
priceless historical collections in Es
sex county. the armory of the Sec
ond Corps Cadets, many churches and
homes in Washington square. the CEN
ter of the aristocratic district of Old
Salem.
| Relief Work
A group Of volunteer social workers
organized a relief bureau in the armory
on Essex street and were giving aid tn
| hundreds of refugees and exhausted
| firemen although the flames were
sweeping toward them hardly 200 yards
away.
When there seemed to be some hope
that the fire might be checked at Fair
fields dock, new fire started in the
Salem Oil Co.'S. tanks. North street,
and on the windward side Of the bus
! mess center. Flames swept with un-
relenting fury on the buildings on Es-
sex street and Town House square. OPP
orators and newspaper men were fore
ed to leave the Western Union office
on Washington street near City hall and
transfer their operations to Beverly.
Caring for Refugees
Provision for the care of the refugees
was made by the city and military au-
thorities In addition to opening the
public buildings for the use of the
homeless, tents for their shelter were
pitched on the Common and food sta
tions were opened in various dis
tricts.
The mayor Of Lynn sent over an
automobile truck laden with food for
the hungry and similar tenders OF help
came from other cities
The scene tonight along Bridge
street leading to Beverly was impress
sive. Electric cars packed with ref
| ugees changed along as part of pro-
cession of automobiles and carriages
bearing a crowd Of people, rich and
poor alike sharing in the machines.
! The sidewalks were a moving process
sion of the refugees, little children tod
ding alone, some with toys clutched
in their hands and some apparently
/ separated from their parents. Nearly
everyone was loaded down with bag
gage of some sort