Evening star., 1950-11-27
VirgiiniaFires
Cause 7 Deaths
Over Week End
Church in Richmond
Destroyed; Womon
Killed by Flames
By the Associated Press

A series of weekend fires in
Virginia brought death to at least
seven persons and destroyed
Richmond church, causing more
than half a million dollars in
damage.
Mrs. Nellie Atherton, 70, Of
Chesterfield County, was burned
fatally yesterday when the bunga-
low she occupied with her hus-
band and two other persons was
destroyed by a blaze which fire.
men said apparently started when
an oil heater was tipped over
accidentally.
Her 77-year-old husband, Harry
Atherton, was burned only slightly
before being rescued by the owners
of the house, Mr.. and Mrs. E. F.
Tanner. Damage was estimated at
$4,500.
Two Children Killed.
Two small Hanover County
colored children-Charles Merry,
2, and Russell Lee, months
were burned to death late Sat-
urday when fire ripped through a
house in which 19 persons were
living.
Hanover County Sheriff ]. B.
Vaughan, jr., said the two children
were asleep upstairs in the home
and apparently were the only per-
sons present at the time of the
fire, which he blamed on a faulty
f1ue.
An unidentified colored man
burned to death Saturday when
la fire Of undetermined origin
destroyed a storage shack in
Nansemond County near Suffolk.
Buddy Bowser, another colored
man about As years old, was
burned severely about the legs
and body.
James Mitchell, colored, told
authorities that Mr.. Bowser had
entered the shack shortly before
the fire started. Mr.. Mitchell
pulled Mr.. Bowser from the fam
ing building.
Boy Dies of Burns.
Charles Ellis Lovern, 9, of
Roanoke, died Friday night of
burns he received when he and
playmates built a fire in the alley
back of his home. The boys
mother. Mrs. C. E. Lovern, suffered
burns about the hands trying to
rip the burning clothing from her
son.
A 76-year-old Patrick County
farmer burned to death late Fri
day after a tree he had chopped
down pinned his foot and pre-
vented his escape from a wind
famed brush fire, Sheriff S. Rich
ard Fulcher said.
I The sheriff said Moses Ben Hyl-
ton, a resident of a remote sec
ton 20 miles from Stuart, built
the fire while clearing land and
found his foot pinned under a
hickory tree he had cut down.
A nelghbor half a mile awav
heard Mr.. Hylton's screams. but
arrived too late to help him, Sher-
if Fulcher said.
Dies of Heart Attack.
I, Jabe Anderson Dalton, a re.
tired farmer, died of a heart at.
tack on Saturday while watching
firemen attempt to extinguish a
blaze which eventually DESTROYED
his home near Gretna.
Members of the family said Mr..
Dalton had been in poor health
for several years. The house was
destroyed completely by the
flames, the origin of which could
not be determined.
A two-Story frame dwelling was
destroyed yesterday on U. S. Route
II, about 2 miles south of
Buchanan. Occupants of the
mouse told fremen the blaze start
ed in the roof and probably was
caused by flames from a torch a.
workman was using to thaw out
a frozen pipe. No one was in
jured.
Richmond's 38-year-old Monu-
ment Methodist Church was de.
stroyed and an adjoining apart
ment house was damaged severely
by an early morning blaze yester-
day which was battled for more
than three hours by $50 firemen,
Ladders Covered With Ice.
The f1re-f fighters, working in l6-
degree weather, had to combat ice
covered ladders and sidewalks; and
the tons of water poured on the
fire left the sidewalks and streets
with the appearance of a skating
rink. t
Firemen were unable to deter.
mine the cause of the blaze. Sew
eral persons living in the area re-
ported hearing an explosion in the
church about 3 am, and the fire
was discovered few minutes later.
Church officials estimated the
damage to the structure at in
excess of S5G9,000, most of it COW
cred by insurance. There was no
immediate estimate of the dam
age to the apartment house which
stood nearby.
The firemen were unable to stop
the headway in the church, but
they held down damage to the
apartment building and kept the
flames from spreading to house
located behind the church. Four
lremen were injured, none Sc
ricus.y.