Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-11-05
SAL0NKI IS PICTURE OF
DES0LAT|ON AND RUIN
Following Its Destruction by Fire,
10000 People Arc Left
Homeless.
WAR ACTIVITIES NEVER HALT
Roar OF Vast Preparation of Army
OF Orient Continues Ccaselessly in
Stricken City-Iopulation Greatest
Mixture OF NnttonalitieS Existing.

i''nrrespondence OF the Associated Press. ]
SALONlK1. October 5.-This strick en-
CITY presents a weird and terrible spec
tacle after the great confasration that
iitS destroyed two-thirds of 1t. leav-
ing 10000 homeless refugees, with n
property loss OF 500.ooo.OOo francs. The
strange part Of ii is that, in the midst
! OF this desert OF ashes. the stern re-
antics or the war compel inccssant ac-
u|ity, and alongside the ruin is the
roar OF the vast preparation of the
army OF the Orient. ono OF the vital
links In the chain cncircling the CEN
trail powers.
The report circulated in America that
Salonlki was set on fire by the encmy
as military maneuver agains. Cen
erni Sarraifs army. is groundless The
hTe started In small way. from using
coal oil In stove in the poor quarter.
fierce gallo did the rest. scattering
cinders over the town until IL was
ablaze from end to end
The indications arc Saloniki will stay
burned until after the war There is
talk that the Americans are coming to
rebuild 1t. The city accepts the report
AS true and Is talking of what Ameri-
can money and enterprise will do. The
proprietor OF the Continental Hotel
"hich has been burned. told me the
contract had been signed for American
reconstruction. But Consui-C.cneral
Horton says ii is all talk SO far. and
has assumed no definite form The
Greek government expects TO do the
rebuilding, but lacks the money for
such task. Meantime a great army
headquarters must be carried on amid
the ashes, and the Serbian govern
n!ent VIII soon arrive to set up capt.
,al IN the ashes
SPREADS OUT LIKE RIBBON
on A SINGLE STREET
Saloniki to-day Is picture or black
ca"d wallis, which stretch for miles
along the sea front The city spreads
out like long ribbon on a single
street Facing the sea there used to
be il strange tumble OF palaces. ware
houses. hotels. theatcrs. cinemas con-
cert nails. gambling dems. stores and
"nurch"s But all these have been
swept away There Is not Il hotel left
inc famous ST. Demetrius Greek
Church went with the rest. In the
ar, world il was known as the best
example OF Byzantine church arch!-
ever. while III the business AMI -osi
d'ncc section vas burned, all the mill
tary establishments escaped
Ordinarily Salonilxi is Il CITY of 100
600 people. But when the war made
ii tho entente headquarters for the
Orient, the 10000 was suddenly swclled
20 100000. The population Of SalonIki
probably is the greatest mixture of
nationnli.ics that exists anywhere to-
Gay There are seven different armies
represented here-Frcnch, English
Italian, Russian. Serbian, Greek and
Albanian. With the English are High
landers III kits and Indian sheiks In
turbans. besides the Erea, mass In
khaki With the French are Chinese
Annamites from Indo-China ScneEa-
lcse negroes from Africa. as well az
the rank and flo Of French "poilus"
III their blue and gray uniforms
Then there are sailors as well az
soldiers. for this is a naval as we'll as
military base. And besides the seven
regular armies there are the conting-
rnts which do not quite reach the mag
ni'udc Of an army, such as the Ameri-
can ambulance corps. the American
Rcd Cross and the Canadian troops,
which arc classcd here as American.
All this multitude of variegatcd uni
forms representing the armies Of more
than half the world, Al the streets
with amending streams of soilcd and
dirty color. mostly khaki. with flashes
OF All the colors OF the rainbow as the
Albanian monrtaineera. III. Cretan
Islanders. the Serbians, Greeks. Rus
SLAMS and Ill the rest pus'' along in
this bewildcrng throng.
And after that the motley throng of
(