15 Sep 1922: Smyrna Burning, 1,000 Massacred, New York Times

nyt15091922

SMYRNA BURNING, 14 AMERICANS MISSING;
1,000 MASSACRED AS TURKS FIRE CITY;
KEMAL THREATENS MARCH ON CAPITAL

The New York Times
Sep 15, 1922.

(excerpts of the article)

SMYRNA, Sept 14 (Associated Press).
- A fire of serious proportions is sweep-
ing Smyrna.
The Greek and Armenian quarters are
completely destroyed. The fire is rapidly
spreading to other areas.
The Turkish irregulars who are in
control of the city are firing upon and
terrorizing the population.
Sir Harry Lamb, the British High
Commissioner, left aboard the British
battleship Iron Duke. The British
marines are withdrawing leaving the
protection of the city to French, Italian
and Nationalist guards and American
bluejackets.

60,000 are Left Homeless.
ATHENS, Sept 14. - Fire starting at
4 o'clock yesterday afternoon in Smyr-
na, near the American Collegiate In-
stitute, in the heart of the Armenian
quarter, left 60,000 Armenians and
Greeks homeless, destroyed the beautiful
Armenian and Greek foreign quarter and
left the entire western portion of the
town in ruins.
As we left the harbor last night the
flames were entirely beyond control and
were already approaching the British
and American Consulates. All the for-
eign Consulates are probably doomed.
The quays were packed with refugees.
No American lives were endangered.
The United States destroyer Simpson
was taking aboard naturalized Ameri-
cans, whose status was that of refugees.
when the fire broke out. All other
Americans in Smyrna were immediately
placed on board, save Vice Consul
Barnes and three American business
men whose interests demanded they re-
main with the American relief workers.
Consul General Horton, under orders
from Captain A. J. Hepburn, command-
ing the American naval forces, also
left with his family. Toward midnight
the destroyer Simpson received a wire-
less announcing that Mr. Barnes had
saved consular archives, which were
transferred to the destroyer Litchfield,
and that the remaining Americans were
already aboard the Litchfield.
Several stories are told concerning the
origin of the fire. The most reliable is
that of Minnie B. Mills, head of the
American Collegiate Institute, who de-
clared she saw a Turkish regular army
sergeant or officer enter a building near
where the first flames were seen. He
was carrying small tins, evidently con-
taining kerosene. Immediately after he
left the house it broke into flames. Other
small fires started shortly after.

Dead Put At Nearly 1,000.
It will be impossible to estimate the
number of Armenian and Greek dead.
Dr. Post and other American workers,
who made a thorough investigation be-
fore the flames drove them to safety,
estimated the dead at nearly 1,000. How
many were killed during the night and
how many were trapped in the burning
area is unknown.

---

London, Sept, 14. - Reports have
reached London that the Turks have
commenced reprisals against the Ar-
menians at Smyrna, but no indication
of their nature or extent has been re-
ceived.
A Reuter dispatch from Athens dated
Wednesday says the French steamer
Lamartine arrived there with 150 refu-
gees from Smyrna, including a Greek
journalist.
The journalist asserted that the most
Rev. Chrysostom, Metropolitan of the
Greek Church in Smyrna, and the Ar-
menian Metropolitan both were mur-
dered, and that the Kemalists massacred
about 2,000 Greek soldiers, whose bodies
were thrown into the sea.