Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-02

Ss82ccsS 10 Single iuulNloual under arrest
no can directly or indirectly DO con-
~ Eectcd NTH tho origin OF the fires.
ss,sSs~ Naval patrols rounded up suspicious
b PERSONS throughout the afternoon,
While fivo men were arrested as sus-
Two OF these. Hugo Schmidt
q and II. Is. Leasing, said to DO Germans
5sSnsere turned over to Department OF
ssiustice agents. Tonight there wcro
sssss reports that two Germans had been
Plot by sailors during the day. but
Ssneither tho police nor naval authorities
would confirm them.
EIREMEN HANDICAPPED
BY FROZEN MIGRANTS
Tho fire started before dawn in the
Bsoid Cranky Theatcr, on CRANKY Street,
ana gained rapid Roadway, as the fire.
s mon wcre handicapped by frozen fire
sss hyurants, low water pressure and near
" zero temperature. 1t quickly spread
70 the Monticello Hotel and other near
10y buildings in tho block 1t was
sDrought under control late in the day.
81. 80 but broke out anew carly tonight,
ieaped across CRANKY Street and lev
eied half OF tho block there before
Nbeing checked.
railing floors and walls took toll Of
sfs hremen and naval guards. Ono fire.
taHseyen others hurt in the collapse OF IN
upper floor of the Monticello Hotel in
1.-the day. and at night two fremcn and
&Sseyeral sailors wcrc caught in a fall
Ing wall of the Lcnox Building. Three
S'swcre brought out badly hurt, but two
s@others werc left in the debris.
I Firemcn of Norfolk. Portsmouth and
Ns Suffolk with organized sailor fire bril-
gades fought heroically amid ice and
II binding smoke, and blueja ckets led the
& rescue work when the fighters were
& trapped. Several of the tircmen caught
in the hotel wero brought out alive
through the daring Of a score OF the
II iack-tars.
RI THREE EXPLOSIONS ARE
al DISTINCTLY HEARD, SAYS CHIEF
$A Reports as to the number OF cxplo-
Missions vary. 1t was first said that the
Ylfre in the CRANKY Theater had fol-
les flowed an explosion. but Fire Chief Nc
II sLoughlin and naval investigators an
IS nounced tonight that this was not the
n case. They said, however, there had
II been three distinct explosions. The
|ssfirst was in cloak and hat shop near
1.-the Monticello. The second was on the
floor OF that hotel after tho first
Is fire was practically under control, and
the third in tho LcnoS Building, which
II later was destroyed.
R Guests from the Monticello. who were
ID forced to flee In the biting cold OF the
81 dawn after they watched the thcater
burn. were taken care of in nearby
+ homes and hotels. As building after
building went down, with them an
apartment house. scores were made
homeless. and tho National Guard
AArmory on City Hall Avenue was
tNgown open TO them.
8 Nhcre during the late day Red cross
workers and other volunteers looked
d after them and also supplied coffee and
81 sandwiches for tho naval patrols ana
fremcn who were forced to seek rest
& from their grue!lins work against the
I flames.
nUILD FIRES IN ORDER
no THAN HYDRANTs
When the frcmen responded 10 the
alarm for the thcater fire, they found
all hydrants In the vicinity frozen.
Fires had to be built to thaw them out.
In the meantime the frcmcn looked on,
helpless. while the biz ,heater building
burned. When water finally came the
pressure was SO low that streams
would not reach TO the upper stories
of the burning building. and tho fire
soon was beyond control.
Portsmouth, across the Elizabeth
! River was called upon for aid. and the
fire was checked until falling sparks
fired tho Monticclio. where many of
the guests had gone back TO bed in the
belief that the fire was controlled. They
= wcrG soon forced to turn out again.
Tho combined departments appar-
emily were making good Roadway
against the flames. when tho explosion
occurred in the cloak shop and an
other blaze started. Suffolk then was
asked for aid and rushed apparatus to
the city BY train. In the meantime.
the naval authorities at"the n4vy-yard
II and naval base offered aid and nrc
!. hrigades were soon on the scene.
NAVAL AUTHORITIES PUT
IN CHARGE BY MAYOR
When the second explosion occurred.
his time in the Monticello. Mayor Mayo
put the naval authorities in charge.
hey placed patrols throus hout the
business district. threw "a Gordon Of
q marines and hluojackcts around the
n fire district and began picking up per-
\ sons unable - account 70. themselves.
! Depa rtmcnt Of Justice agents joined
Awith the city detective force in seek
ing TO unravel tho mystery OF the ox-
3rlcsions. Three Of the men arrested
were placed in the city JAIL and Fed
r fral agents took charge OF the other
two. Schmidt and Leasing. Tho lat
her, officers said. first reported himself
as a Department Of Justice official
Fire tugs from the navy.yurd carly
,the day took UP positions Oh tho
her front three blocks away, and
Sisted the fire engines in pumping
|bns OF water into the burning build
nss, but the block on Cranky Street
lTPp City Hal! Avenue 10 farewell
RsStceet, virtually was destroyed, only
81 two buildings the Dixon and CONNER
q cial structures. both new. escaping de-
h struction. They were badly damaged.
FIRE BREAKS OUT AIREsH
AS NIGHT SETS ~
Just at dusk the fire in the Month