Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-01-08

|NCEND|ARY FIRE
At NORFOLK, VA;
z SUSPECTS HELD
TWO Blocks in Business District
Swept by Flames.
LOSS PUT AT s5,ooo,ooo
Martial Law Is Declared-Thousan
BlueIackets Aid Troops in Guard
ing City-SeVerai Explosions
Mark Progress of Fire.

Norfolk, Va, Jan. 2.-Norfolk was
swept by series of mysterious fires
which did 100000 damage. German
agents are blamed.
Hugo Schmidt and H. X. Leasing,
suspected of starting the fire, have
been arrested, charged with incendiar
ism. A German plot to destroy the
city is suspected. Schmidt claimed to
be an employee of the department of
justice.
City Under Martial Law.
Norfolk is under martial law. The
fire, which wiped out two blocks in the
heart of the business section, is now
under control.
Fifteen persons, suspected of COM
plicity in a plot to destroy the city, are
examined by agents of the department
of justice.
Federal authorities have established
special offices and secret service men
were rushed from Washington.
Several Explosions Occur.
The fires destroyed several blocks of
business houses, hotels and apart
ments.
Several explosions marked the prog
resS of the CONGREGATIONS.
The Monticello hotel, which was de-
stroyed, was headquarters of army and
naval officers.
A thousand bluejackets from the
navy yard, 500 Home Guard troops and
many volunteer special officers are pa
trolling the streets.
The first fire broke out at four
o'clock in the morning in block on
CRANKY street, near the Monticello
hotel.
Hotel Guests Flee for Safety.
Three buildings were destroyed and
about seven o'clock, while the firemen
still were working on this blaze, an
other fire was discovered on the upper
floor of the Monticello hotel. This
spread downward through an elevator
shaft and the $50 guests In the Monti-
cello had to flee hurriedly for safety.
All of the upper floors of the Month
cello were burned and the work of
wreckage of the historic old building
was completed by the thousands of gal
Ions of water poured on the flames.
Fresh Fires Are Started.
About noon additional fires were dis
covered on the opposite side of the
street from the hotel. Within a very
few minutes the Tazewell apartments,
the stores occupied by the Southern
railway, the S. Galesky Optical COM
pany, D. Buchanan & CO., jewelers.,
and the Lorraine hotel were in flames.
From here the fire spread to the big
Dixon Office building, where most of
the leading lawyers and physicians Of
Norfolk have offices.
The plant of the Virginian Pilot also
caught.
One fireman was killed and three
seriously hurt. Nearly a whole city
block was laid waste
The total damage to the Monticello
hotel was more than $470,000.
Two distinct explosions, one In the
hotel proper and the other, two hours
earlier, in the millinery establishment
of Nine. Sutton, have not yet been ex-
planned.
Frozen Hydrants Handicap Firemen.
Cold weather, freezing hydrants and
bad weather conditions generally in
terefered with the work of the fire.
men.
Because of the Importance of Nor
folk in connection with war prepara-
tons, officials are making a general
roundup of all suspicious characters.
A meeting of leading citizens was
held at which plans were made for re-
building the burned portion of the city.