Milford chronicle., 1920-12-10
BUSINESS BLOCK In
LEWES DESTROYED
FIVE BUILDINGS CONSUMED AND FOUR
PARTIALLY BURNED DURING AN
EARLY MORNING FIRE.
STARTED in VESSELS STORE
THE LOSS IS HEAVY, WITH ONLY PAR
TIAL INSURANCE MILFORD FIRE
MEN DID GRAND WORK.

tlre. thought to have been started
by a 'firebug." early Tuesday MORN
ing destroyed a business block in
Lewes. and caused a property loss of
over 100000 The fire was discovered
in Vessels large general store. short
ly after midnight. Mrs. John Best Rob
inson saw the light from the flames
( in this store and gave the alarm.
i When the first people to arrive on the
scene attempted 10 enter this build
ing there were several fires burning
in different parts of the store. This
leads to the belief that the store was
fired by some person. The building
was owned by John Vessels, who also
owned the store His loss is approx
imately $4,000 in stock, in addition
to the building. He also lost his books
which had several thousands of dol
lars entered on them. His insurance
does not total over $1,000.
In addition to the Vessels property
the following we're burned: Masonic
building, owned by Jefferson Lodge.
Most of its furniture and equipment
was saved from the lodge rooms. The
first floor of this building was occu-
pied by L. F. Ross. who conducted a
furniture store The loss on the
building is approximately 10000.
with about $4,000 insurance. Ross
loss is about $4,000 with $4,000 in
surance
The shoe store of Mrs. George Bur
ton was burned to the ground. Her
loss on building and stock is about
$4,000 1t is not known how much in
surance she carried.
The dry goods store of Mrs. Virgin
ia Larrimore was also consumed. Her
loss is about $4,000.
The home of Frederick Burton. a
Delaware Bay pilot. was burned to
the ground. Nothing whatever was
saved from this fine home Mr.. and
Mrs. Burton were in Wilmington Wis
iting their daughter, Mrs. Irving
Walls. at the time.
The building occupied by Mrs. Lar
rimore and Mrs. Burton was owned
by DR.. Hiram Burton. The loss on
this property was not estimated.
The flames jumped across the
street and burned the roof from the
home owned and occupied by Mrs. An
thony Ingram. Her loss is about ST.
500.
The building owned by DR.. Hiram
Burton and tenanted by Mrs. Bessie
Nj. OFT, as a dry goods store was a..
so damaged. Mrs. Otis loss viii be
about $500, with insurance TO COW
er.
a number of other buildings We're
slightly damaged by smoke and wa
ter. For time il was thought that
The Hotel Rodney would be consum-
ed as several times its roof was bur
ling, but heroic work of the firemen
stopped the flames before that struc-
ure had come in the fire zone.
A call TO Milford. Laurel and
georgetown fremen for aid was made
" the Lewes firemen shortly after
Laurel could not respond
BECAUSE of fire in that town at the
ime. Georgetown responded with its
pparatus and the Carlisle Fire Com
ANY of Milford answered the call for
id.
In conversation with a number OF
itizens of Lewes Tuesday afternoon.
he representative of the Milford
'hronicle was told. that it was the
imely arrival of the Milford BOYS
nth their modern fire fighting eauip-
lent which saved other valuable
roperty.
The manner in which the members
Milford's company handled them
elves at the fire together with fhe
cal streams of water that they were
bic TO pump with their truck was
ne wonder of the citizens of Lewes.
hey dropped a suction hose into the
mai and put tons of water upon sur
property and flooded out the
res.