Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-01-02
THREE DEAD, TWO
 MILLION LOSS IN ! NORFOLK FIRE Blaze Controlled Bursts Out Again From New Explo-
 sions-Checked Late. SUSPECT HUN PLOTS; X HOLD TWO GERMANS Jackies Daring Saves Many Lives and
 Much Property When Naval Men \ Aid Departments of X. Three Cities.

,3s Norfolk, Va, Jan. 1.-Nearly two
 blocks in the heart of the Norfolk business district, including the Mont.
 cello hotel. were destroyed, three men killed and four more injured in a se-
 which both the police and naval au-
 The fire had been checked tonight,
 but was still burning fercely in the
 ruins. The loss is roughly estimat d
 at $2,000,0O0. Three distinct explo- < sions in as many buildings, one aftci' the fire once virtually had been brought under control led to the gen.
 eral belief that enemy agents were at lswork.
 Mayor Mayo practically placed the Scity under martial law, and some 2,500
 marines and blue jackets from nearby
 naval stations assisted the police and Home Guards in maintaining order %and preventing vandalism. Naval pa Fstrols rounded up suspicious persons { Throughout the afternoon, while five
 men were arrested as suspects. Two Aof these, Hugo Schmidt and H. K. Les .Ssing, said to be Germans, were turned Sover to the Department of Justice @agents. Tonight there were reports ssthat two Germans had been shot by ssssailors during the day, but neither the #police nor naval authorities could con- Sfrm it. The fire was brought under control late in the day, but broke out sanew early tonight, leaped across #Gran5y street and leveled half of the Nblock there before being checked. % Falling floors and walls took toll of sSSfremen and naval guards. One fire $#man, Charles Mccoy. was killed and 99sseveral others hurt in the collapse of Nan upper floor of the Monticello ho- sstel during the day, and tonight two
 firemen and several sailors were slcaught in a falling wall of the Lenox Building. Three were brought out aSbadly hurt, but two others were left Ain the debris. Bremen of Norfolk, SsP Portsmouth and Suffolk, with organ sized sailor fire brigades, fought hero SB@sically amid ice ard blinding smoke, s$8Eand blue jackets led the rescue work swhen the fighters were trapped Sev Neral of the firemen caught in the ho- Etel were brought out alive through the sssdaring of score of the jackies.
 & regiment of naval reserves ar sMrived here this afternoon to guard xSproperty. All hotels, banks and pub w1ic buildings are guarded and no one Wis allowed to leave or enter any of s&them unless vouched for by respons- sssible person.
 M The Dickinson building, seven K stories, opposite the burning block on
 Granby street, is among the buildings N burned.
 XXI The mayor ordered out the home &guards and from the navy yard 200 smarines were called to guard wharves #9and other property.
 ga The cause of the explosion is un- saknown. While the firemen were conn., Expelled to build bonfires about the city
 swater hydrants to thaw them out, the SSs8gflames gained great headway. Sparks SNf(ying to the roof of the Monticello set Es8the hotel afire.
 SM While fighting the flames on the sMsixth floor of the hotel, Assistant .SaChief Bunting was slightly injured. sN More than 200 marines were sent
 Krom the navy yard at the request of
 the police department to assist the iEmocal policemen in patrolling the
 sStreets and water front.
 N All of the fire-fighting apparatus
 Sthat could be spared from the navy
 lyard was sent to Norfolk. as has some
 Apparatus from the Portsmouth fire