Evening star., 1920-03-08
BLAST TO LEVEL OLD POINT
HOTEL WALLS AS FLAMES DIE
All Guests Believed to Have Escaped When
Famous Chamberlin Was Burned.
Loss of Millions.
6y the Associated Press.

6y the Associated Press.
OLD POINT COMFORT. Va. March
George F. Adams. manager OF the
Chamberlin Hotel, at Old Point
which was burned to the ground las
evening. stated this morning that tht
further he checks the guests, the NOR.
convinced he Is that no one lost hi.
life In the blaze.
Reports were current among. thu
flremen last night that at least tive
persons had been burned to death
Inc site of the famous hotel was 9
;smoiaering SIN heap of ashes this morn.
lnS and 1t was impossible to do any
probing among the ruins.
authorities from Fort Monroe ar,
preparing to dynamite the remaining
walls and chimneys this morning
tearing that they will fall. They alss
nope py this process to dig deep int
the glowing embers and aid the fire
men IN quenching the live Goals.
Laugh mt Dynamite Fears.
reports that there Is a large amoui
OF dynamite beneath the building wer,
laughed at this morning. These re,
ports were circulated last night, as {
result OF which thousands or specta
tors scurried to safety and gave tn,
nremen greater freedom in their wofk
W. B.: Duncan Of New York, presi.
gent OF the owning company, is due
mere this afternoon or tomorrow
morning. Manager Adams said h.
coula make no statement relative t.
nuu,loins until he conferred with Mr.
All attempts to determine the
origin OF the fire have proved fruit
Iess. The blaze started in the office
oI the mouse physician or the ladies'
nIair.dressing parlor. according to
the pest obtatnable information. Some
oeueve that electric hair-dressing
blaze. Ao' 'Ae
The huge hotel safe is buried be-
meath tons Of red-hot ashes ana the
neat still 10 30 intense that II Is Inn
possible to go near the debris. The
safe Is dreproof and most Of the rec
ords or the hotel are locked in It.
remember whether or not the regis
ter was placed In the safe.
sGuesis Lsavins fog Home,
Scores Of people who were guests,
wealthy In the country. are leaving
this morning by train and boat for
their homes. One man bitterly COM
planned that he had to get home The
parlor car was full and he begged
the porter 10 ma him place. There
was no seat available in the parlor
car and when reminded that there
were plenty Of seats in the day coach
he suddenly remembered that such
things were carried by most trains
Army authorities at Fort Monroe
have taken complete control Of the
fire district. No one 10 allowed within
the Gordon Of guards. The Army in
formation bureau 10 flooded with tele-
grams and telephone calls from all
parts Of the country. All the hotel
guests and help are registering with
the information bureau and It ID
hoped in this way to secure = COM
plete check on them.
widely Known Hotel
The Chamberlin. probably one OF
the best known tourist hotels on the
Atlantic coast, was located on the
government reservation. 1t was seven
stories in height and Of frame con-
struction. The flames broke out on
the ground hoor and soon were be-
yond control. Fire apparatus from
Fort Monroe and nearby cities could
do little more than prevent the spread
Of the dre to the government dock
ana surrounding buildings. The loss
including the effects Of guests was