Salonika Fighting 'Like An Inferno.'

New York Times 100 years ago today, July 2, 1913:
Correspondent Tells of Terrible Slaughter of Bulgarians by the Greeks.
TURKEY MAY AID SERVIA
Threatens to Join in War Against Bulgaria — Powers Still Trying to Arrange a Settlement.
    LONDON, Wednesday, July 2.— The Daily Telegraph's correspondent at Salonika describes the fighting there on Monday, when the Bulgarians were disarmed, as a regular inferno. Eighty Bulgarians were killed or wounded by the Greeks in one house alone, and the slaughter in other houses was on a similar scale.
    A dispatch from Rome says that Turkey has notified Bulgaria that unless she abandons her claim to a war indemnity Turkey will join Servia and Greece in the event of hostilities.
    The Balkan situation is extremely puzzling. The Servian Government announces almost in the same breath the acceptance of Russian arbitration and the existence of a state of war.
    The dispatches which arrived last night from Belgrade are of a most conflicting character. Some announce that the fighting has ceased since Monday; others that serious fighting continues, and that the Servians have captured Istib and Krupishte, with heavy losses on both sides.
    All these reports must be regarded with suspicion. The only tangible fact seems to be that there has yet been no formal declaration of war or interruption of diplomatic relations. The powers continue to work actively to avert a war, which might before long involve half Europe.
    The Ambassadorial conference met in London yesterday to discuss the situation, but arrived at no decision. Nothing is known concerning Rumania's attitude. A Bulgarian official statement has been issued, confirming the report of the capture of Guevgheli and the throwing back of the Greek forces on the Struma River.
    Accusations of massacre and rapine, so common during the recent war, are again being spread broadcast, especially by the Greeks, although, according to official reports, the opposing States have ordered their armies to remain on the defensive. All the former allies are making warlike preparations, and are organizing hospital and medical services. The Bulgarian Minister at Athens yesterday made a personal protest to Premier Venizelos against what he described as a Greek attack on the Bulgarian troops in the Panghaion district and at Eleuthera.
    Premier Venizelos expressed his astonishment that Bulgaria, while wanting war at any price, would not assume responsibility for her action when her troops had begun the attack.
    Except in an isolated case, the Bulgarians in Salonika offered only a feeble resistance to the Greeks, who disarmed them on Monday, and the Greeks suffered no losses.

    BELGRADE, July 1.— "We are at war with Bulgaria," said the Minister of the Interior, M. Protics, speaking on behalf of the Government to-night in the. Skupshtina.
    "Instructions have been given to the Servian Commander in Chief." continued the Minister, "to be prepared to defend our entire line. Bulgaria has attacked us along the whole frontier."
    Parliament to-day agreed to the acceptance of arbitration between Servia and Bulgaria offered by the Emperor of Russia, and also to the proposed conference between the Balkan Premiers at St. Petersburg.
    The latest advices report that the Servian troops are advancing in the direction of Istip and Kobane.
    A Cabinet meeting was held at the Foreign Office to-night, at the conclusion of which it was announced that hostilities were proceeding energetically along the whole line.
    Newspaper reports say that the Servians captured twenty Bulgarian officers, fifty-eight non-commissioned officers, and 700 men in the fighting yesterday.
    A sensational story is published to the effect that the Bulgarians at Guevgheli treacherously killed the Servian Major Vasitch the morning after he had been their guest in camp to celebrate the supposed acceptance of arbitration by both Governments.

    USKUB, July 1.— Fighting ceased at 6 o'clock this morning between the Bulgarian and Servian troops in this district.
    The Servian commander estimates that 100,000 Bulgarian soldiers took part in the engagement, which was of a serious character.

    BERLIN, July 1.— The Greek Foreign Minister to-day informed the correspondent at Athens of The Frankfort Gazette that Greece intended to begin war against Bulgaria to-day without any formal declaration. The Foreign Minister made the following statement:
    "After Bulgaria has answered all the conciliatory steps of Greece by repeated breaches of treaty and by crossing the provisional boundary fixed a short time ago, the Greek Government feels forced to give the Macedonian divisions of its army the order to assume the offensive.
    "War will in this way commence without a formal declaration, and the Greek Government will submit a statement in this sense to the Bulgarian Government at Sofia to-day.
    "Greece declines to accept the responsibility for this war, which unquestionably will have grave consequences."
    The Greek Legation here to-day received an official dispatch from Athens stating that the Bulgarians had inaugurated a general attack on the Greek and Servian positions in Macedonia along a front of 140 miles.

    VIENNA, July 1.— The Austrian newspapers declare to-day that the Russian Ministers at Sofia. Belgrade, and Athens have been instructed to summon for the last time the Balkan Governments to keep the peace and to send their Premiers to St. Petersburg to confer on the situation.