Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-02
ONE MAN IS DEAD
AND SCORE HURT
IN RAGING BLAZE
Conflagration Of Incendiary.
Origin Followed by Ar
rest of Suspects.
MAYOR PLACES CITY
UNDER MARTIAL Law
Marines and Bluejackets Assist
Police and Homo Guard
in Keeping Order.
SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS HEARD
Two Germans Reported to Have
Been Shot by Sailors
on Guard.
I1sv Assnclatnd Prcs..l

.N.,
distinct fires. all within few hours
of each other. but located in two
squares in the retail heart OF the city
on CRANKY Street, and, to say tho least,
all of suspicious origin, to-day de-
stroycd live OF tho largest buildings
in the city. cntailinE Il loss of fully
S?.ooo,ooo. \ score OF business cstab-
lishmcnts were completely wiped oiit
and several badly damaged by water
and smoke.
\ revised list OF the casualties az
tending tho fire tonight showed an
actual death roll of only one. fopr/
seriously injured and nearly score ~
others slightly hurt,
The police. fearing that the fires were
or incendtary origin. carly this after
noon asked that the cty's business
section be placed under control of tho
military authorities. This was quickly
and thoroughly accomplished by tic
local militia, aided by hundreds L or
sailors. marines and enlisted men.
rushed to the city by Admiral Mclean
from the. navy-ynrd, marine barracks
and naval base on Hampton Roads.
SUSPECTS HELD FOR
FURTHER INvESTIG ALTON
ing inc afternoon tho police
fouhded up over a score Of men and.
women as suspects. but all but ten or
'"eiVc or these. including two women,
".'c Almost Immediately released. The
others were held for further inves,,.,
tion. .s p WI
inc militia threw guards entirely
oa"u 'nc nfe area and forced all but
uniformed men. iircmcn and otbor.
houses and stores were invaded ard
cmpticd OF all except owners en-.
PioSccs and parties absolutely vouched.
Tor by reputable citizens. With the
CRANKY Street area in darl1nesa M.
was FELT TO be the only safe rule. This
work was accomplished by experienced
naval and marine officers. -
While neither Major c. G.. Eizcrf
Chief Of Police. nor Chief McLoughlin.
OF inc flre Department, would tonight
make direct charge that tho fires
were of inccndiary origin. both do
cared that appearances pointed to
something other than condolences: and
inc prevailing opinion in naval, mi1i-
tary and business circles was that there
mad been an effort. probably organized,
10 destroy the business section OF theG
city. The only tangible evidence was
about two or three explosions which
occurred at about the time the flres
were discovered. ~.
SMOKING FLUE CAUSES SIX
SENSATIONAL nEPOR,g
Smoke issuing from a storeroom fN'sI
the Atlantic Hotel. three squares from
the tire area, caused n sensational re-
port OF another fire. but close invcstl-
cation showed this to be smokinEF'
huc. Many other rumors, run to earth, B
proved false alarms of panic stricken
people. -
Early in the morning one iiren,
was killed and seven injured whs
the roof of the Monticello Hotel caycc
IN. Tonight three men were injured,y
one probably seriously. James west.
a fireman. suffered fractured skufl.
ana Is III precarious condition r.
'rohin. an enlisted sailor, and James,
=. Loop, i marine, were badly hurt
whether or not others were buried be-,
heath the debris is not known. At the
various emergency stations about
twenty were treated for minor I'm
juries.
me hre could hardly have occurred
al a more unfavorable time With the
mercury hanging around zero, the
water freezing as It fell on the clottf-l
ing of firemen and the fre-flghters
hamnered by lack of pressure fromA
frozen plugs and csterns. IL looked foI
a iittle time as IL the entire buslnessy
section was doomed. fl
reports OF a number OF eSplosionsS
rack vcri!lcation. That one occ,Irrs
!" the old CRANKY Thcater Building ~
authentic, but Chief McLoughlin de-
S'ares this occurred an hour after the
hre was discovered and was due ato
escaping gas and steam. Invcstiss
tons tonight failed to verify reports &
OF any explosion In the Monticelfo
Hotel. where the second ire origin
atcd' or In the LenoS Building. whore
the third fire was discovered
Major kiscr shortly after the flrs &
began to spread closed all ti,satara
and pooroonis III the business sec,ior
Lettering vas broken up and loafks
locked UP for the night.
Wild reports OF inccndiaries caua