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.


Further Reading:
Minnie B. Mills (Missionary, Educator)
The Great Fire | Smyrna September 1922
La Mort de Smyrne (The Death of Smyrna), René Puaux
16 Sep 1922: Turks Killed 120,000, East Oregonian
15 Sep 1922: Turks Kill Women and Babes, The Evening Star
18 Sep 1922: Smyrna Ablaze. Stories of Massacre

 

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