Norwich bulletin., 1918-01-02
Three r ''s'.sd in
 d Norfolk, Va.
SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS AND FIRES BELIEVED iNcENDlARY
SCORE PERSONS INJURED
Nearly Two Blocks in Business Dis
 triet Were Destroyed-Loss More Than s2,soo,ooo Gordon of Marines and Sailors on Dnty in Fire District.

Norfolk, Va, Jan. 1-Nearly two blocks in the heart of Norfolk's bus mess district, including the Monticel- 10 hotel were destroyed, three, men were killed and score more injured in a series of explosions and fires to- day which both the police and naval authorities believe were incendiary. The fire had been checked tonight but still was burning fiercely in the a ins. The loss is estimated at more than S2, 300 ,O00 Three. distinct explosions in as many buildings, one after the fire once virtually had been brought under con- trol, led to the general belief that en-. emy agents, were at work. Mayor Mayo practically placed the city under martial law by turning the situation over to naval officers, some 2,50o ma rines and f,luejackets from nearby na- home guards in maintaining order and preventing vandalism.
 Five Men Arrested as Suspects. | Naval patrols rounded up suspicious persons throughout the afternoon while five men, were arrested as sus- poets. Two of. these, Hugo Schmidt and H. K. Lessink, said to be Ger
 mans. were turned over to department of justice agents. Tonight there were reports that two Germans had been
 shot by. sailors during the day, but neither the police nor naval authori- l ties woulds confirm them.
 Hydrants Were Frozen. The fire started before dawn in the old Granby Theatre on Granby street
 and gained headway rapidly as the fire
 men were handicapped by frozen fro | hydrants, low water pressure and near
 zero temperature. It quickly spread to the Monticello hotel and other neat Iby buildings in the block. It was brought under control late in the day, but broke out anew early tonight, lleapad across Grarby street, and lev elied half of the block there before I checked.
 Killed by Falling Walls. :
 Falling floors and walls took toll -of f fireInen and naval guards, One fire ilseEen hurt in the collapse Of an un- l per floor of the Monticello hotel in the toni 1t fwe firefnefa and sesr- I erai7 sailors were caught in n falling l wall Of the Lefipx building. Thres twere brought out badly hurt, but twt
 others were left in the debris
 Bremen of Norfolk, Portsmouth ant Suffolk, with organized sailor fire Enridages fought heroicaliy amid ice ani I blinding, smoke and bluejackets led ir
 the rescue work when the fighters jwere trapped. Several of the firemer l caught in the hotel were brought out alive. through the daring of a scors
 of the Jack Tars.
 Il Three Distinct Explosions. II Reports as to the number of explo H sions vary. It was first said that tht T fire in the Granby Theatre had follow: I ed an explosion, but Fire Chief Mo, Daughlin and naval investigators an nouEced tonight that this was not th' case They es1id, however. that thert
 had been three separate and distinc
 explosions. First was in a cloak ans
 hat shop near the Monticello. The sec ond was .)n the sixth toer of that ho tel after the first fire was practicall7
 under control and the third in tn ] stroyed.
 Guests Forced to Flee. . Guests from the Monticello, wh I were forced to flee in the biting col of the dawn after they had watches 1 the theatre burn were taken care of il , fnearby homes and hotels. As buildin $ after building went down with ther f an apartment house. scores wer
 made homeless and the national guar
 armory on City Hall avenue wa
 thrown open to them.
 There during the late day Red Cros , workers and other volunteers looke after them and also supplied coffe
 l and sandwiches for the naval patrol 3 and firemen who were forced to see
 rest from their gruelling work agains
 the flames. ELS
 Had to Thaw Hydrants Out. f When the firemen responded to tn . aIarls for the theatre fire, they foun ' all ilN.drants in the vicinity frozel v Tires had to be built to thaw them ou :. Tn the meantime the firemen looked o : helpless while the big theatre buildin 2 burned When water finally cam 2 the pressure was so low that stream 2 l would not reach to the upper storie n of the. burning building and the fiji n soon was beyond control.
 : Aid From Portsmouth. n Portsmouth. across the Elizabet e river. was called upon for aid ar e the fire was checked until fallir 2 sparks fired the Monticello, whel T many of the guests had gone back e bed in the. belief that the fire W. I d to turn out again
 The combined departments appa e antly were making good headws
 arainsts the flames when the expl'
 lsion occurred in the cloak shop ar sI another blaze started. Suffolk the s I,was4 ask q for aid and rushed appa
 atus to. the city by train. In the meal Is time the naval authorities at the n; ; ivy yard and naval base offered a
 and fire brigades were soon on u IF fscene. 't
 Io Maya! Authorities in Charge. s-I When tie second explosion occu J. red, this time in the Monticello, May l. Mayo put the naval authorities Id charge. They placed patrols throug q. out the business districts threw Id cordon. of. marines and bluejacke e, around the fire district. began pickil es up.s persons unable to account f pr themselves. ot Department of justice agents joi ,S ed with the city detective force
 seeking to unravel the mystery of t 45 explosions Three of the men arres th ed were placed in the city jail a, 27 federal agents took charge of the ot S. CT two. Schmidt and Lessing. T
 latter officers said, first represent v-, himself as 3 department of justice C it fcial.
 nyl ------------------ = = = ay Meriden.-Louis J. Reilly, son of e aa Congressman Thomas L.. Reilly, h n enlisted in the navy as chief boa