The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-10
Not a Building Left Stand ing in the City-DuPont Plant Saved by SkiIlful Use of Dynamite
NEGRO LYNCHED FOR
 LOOPING; MARTIAL
 LAW IS PROCLAIMED
Persistent RumOr That Fire Was of lncendiary Origin
 Denied-EmpIoye at Du-
 POnt Plant Under Arrest

| HopewelL Va. December 9-This mush- room town of 25,ooO people grown up since ! last summer with the great new gincot- ton plant of the DuPont Powder com rany. was completely wiped off the map rant and did property damage estimated at sl,0ooOoo to SS0O0,Oeo The DuPont | works outside of the settlement was un- damaged. but was once seriously threat | ened, Villages A and B. near Hopewen built to house the families of married employees of the factory also escaped Scenes of wild disorder accompanied the fire and citizens ynched a negro for footing. There was no loss of life other wise however. and only a few minor in- iuries were reported
 l. Martial law was proclaimed tonight with the arrival of six militia companies rushed from Richmond by order of Gov ernor Stuart. The thousand of homeless men, women and children had been sent to Petersburg and Richmond. but many men remained to guard what little prop erty they had been able to save from the fire
 INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT 1 The fire was said to have been caused by the overturnng of an oil stove, though there were rumors that it had been in- Icendiary These rumors were at first given evidence in many quarters because of the arrest last night at the guncotton factory of man whom, factory officials said, had attempted to put a charge of nitrogycerine in one of the beater houses at the factory and had been under surven- lance for several days. He is a prisoner at the factory jail
 The fire ragged from 1;l5 D. m. until 9 p. m. Available fire fighting apparatus was utterly inadequate to cope with the situation, the flames eating thoir way through the filmsy frame structures, thrown up during the early days of the Il town last summer like so mulch finder
 Several times sparks set Sire to mule sheds of the explosive factory. but the Il flames which followed were quickly ex- | tinguished.
 When it was seen that the town was doomed and the great guncotton plant l endangered orders were issued suspend ing all operations and the factory closed. | The employees were set to work protect
 
 gravest danger was from woods nearby which caught fire and were still burning late tonight.
 About o'clock in the afternoon one- half of the towns water supply was cut eff when poles which supported a portion of the high tension cable of the DuPont company collapsed, snapping the wires l which feed the current to the Appomat- l tox electric pumping station It was feared that the remainder of the wires would go, but prompt efforts by work men prevented this.
 | Hopewell policemen, assisted by a spe- cial force of the powder company, held the situation well in hand until the troops | arrived There was the greatest con fusion and bewilderment, but few at 1 tefnpts at footing.
 | Many of those who had personal be- longings and household goods removed them to places of safety. Surrounding | the community, which lay in ashes. early tonight could be seen men, women and children seated upon such belong 1 ings as they had been able to save. It was not unusual to see men stand- l ing nearby with freely displayed Tee volvers, while some held repeating rls fles to protect themselves against fob 1 bery.
 BUILDINGS DYNAMITED | While the fire ragged the police were busy on all sides, keeping back Gf+af
  flaming structures for better vis iy qS the conflagration. Though many were insistent the officers were able to @ep them within the bounds of safet
 As soon as it was realized that iae place was doomed the police, assisted by experts from the powder plant. De- gan dynamiting buildings. When the first blast was set off many persons thought that there had been an eX- plosion of guncotton at the big plant but when other detonations followed. the explanation soon spread, and fears were allayed.
 | When the excitement was subsidlnS tonight the population literally evacu- ated the place. Long before the shad7 ows of evening began to fall families, individuals and small parties or trienus and strangers set out. carrying with them possessions they had saved. The
 more fortunate occupied motors and some got away in horse-drawn convey ances. but many trudged along on foot. Some found refuge at DuPont Ctty, which was at no time threatened oth- CTS went to City Point, but most made their way to Petersburg,
 l on account of the great influx Of peo- ole Mayor Cahiness of Petersburg or | dored all saloons in that city closed | early tonight. A company or mliltia was called out on duty to aid the pc lice in controlling the crowds, while the city council chamber of commerce, i trontinued on Page t0l