Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-02-13
TIE GRRAF FIRE In PILL
ADELPHIA.
TWO Thousand Barrels OF Coal
OIL Burned.
FIFTY DWELLING HOUSES In
RUINS. -CF-
Human Beings Roasted Alive
In the Streets. iii

greatest that has occurred in that city since
1850 The Philsdelphia Press says
On the southwest corner of Ninth and
Waship gton streets there Is a coal yard Pe-
longingito Dsty & Porter, and to the Yves |
of this was the lot on which the coal oil |
had been stored, to the amount Of two |
thousand seven hundred barrels. Inc |
flames spread through the greater part oil |
this oil with almost the rspidity Of gun
powder. The property in the lmmeclate
neighborhood consists of three story brick
dwelling houses, which are occupied by
respectable families of limited means, sno
are worth about two thousand dollars each.
The families inthh neighborhood sprang
from their beds, and without attempting to
secure even their clothes, rushed INTO the
streets, glad TO escape from the terrible
death that threatened them. The streets
were deep with slUsh, and the rain was
pouring down In torrents. Such q
5Iss--lsy 4IrsiII1 uLI:rs-zaliH said, was
never known before in this city. Some
who lived in the closest proximity to the
fire were unable to escape, and perished in
the flames. The blazing oil ran from the
burning barrels in streams, down Ninth
street to Federal, and fired the houses on
|
| and their contents as if they had been of
straw. The flames, at tho caprice of the
wind, Went up the street and down sgsin,
and into Ellsworth, Washington and Fed
eral streets. Fully I've squares Of houses,
had they been placed in row, were on
FIRE at once, and the scene was one to make
the stoutest heart quail. There were pso-
pie escaping from their blszing homes,
which contained in many instances their
little all in this world, with no covering
but their night clothes. There we're pa
rents seeking their children, and little ones
mourning the loss Of their parents; but,
/ worse than all these heart-rending scenes,
there were men, women and children liter
ally roasted in thestreets.
Joseph II. Ware and his family, consist
ing ofhis wife, five daughters and two
sons, occupied the dwelling No. 1928
Ninth stre3t. the second house below the
coal ysrd. They sll got into the street
just as they left their bsds, and there they
found themselves il q river of fire. The
family became scattered. Mrs. Ware had
her youngest child girl of about four
years of age in her arms. She fell, and
Lewis Q. Williams, a member ofthe Moy-
amensiDg Hose CompsnHm HmsdeR desperate
effort to save them. lie had hold OF the
unfortunate woman, but he was compelled
by the ferceness of the fiery blast to leave
her to her fate and seek safety for himself
in fight. Mrs. Ware, her child, and a
daughter of about fifteen OF sixteen years
of age, were burned to death in the street,
and so torribly mutilsted that their re-
mains esn only identified by the peculiar
creustsnces surrounding them. Captain
Ware and his two sons escaped but three
Of the daughters are enlissing.
Nearly every house from Washington
to Federal street was burned. .ae
A VISIT To THE RUINS. E
1t was q terrible and thrilling sight to
stand amid the ruins yesterday, and con-
template the destruction of property, and
the more shocking destruction of human
life. We have it from excellent authority
that all the property destroyed YVES enYel-
oped within thirty minutes. The burning
oil spread from house to house, south from
Washington avenue, across Ellsworth
street to Fe3eral street, and running down
the ceHsr Wind0ws of the dwellings and
stores, involved the whole Of them in 8
terrible, raging, lesping, cracking, roaring
i blsza. Those of the police and firemsn
who were early at the scene say thst it was
impossible to awaken the sleeping inmates
1t is probable that they became awakened
and affected their escape in the rear, saving
nothing but the night clothes they had on
i TERRIBLE AND THRILLING soENEs.
While the sea Of FIRE was Singing along
in its resistless fury, 3 man whose wife had
died on Tuesday, was compelled to carry
her body from the house. In afeW minutes
the building was in flames.
We lesIn that the desd body Of an old
lady WAS carried cut by several fremen
from house that soon after ignited and
was in q sheet Of flame.
Two horses, valuable animals, belonging
TO Messrs. Porter & DAILY, coal dealers, were
consumed. One of the animals ran wildly
from the stable into the burning oil, and
! fell in less than p minute. The other ami
nal perished in the stable. ra rs
The Franklin Steam Engine, No. II, the
4 MoyamsnsiDg and Marion Hose Companies
were the first at the scene. The franklin
i and the Moyamensing Joined in action, and
put the water on very speedily, and TO this
effort may be attributed the saving Of &
handsome building. The driver, Hsnce Il,
GWin, Of the Franklin, at the risk of bis
life, brought the body Of Mrs. Ware from
where she had fallen in tbs gutter. Her
remains were at once conveyed to the
! Southwark Hall. Geo. W. Buclunsn, +.
Colmire, and GWin exeaveted the ruin, and
recovered he charred remains Of q msn
and woman. BIZ
The chief director, Alexander Phili5ert,
rescued q girl and baby from rooEa, By
means Of clambering over a shed. He
slipped from the shed with the girl and
baby on his arms, and injured his bach,
They all finally escaped through narrow
alley. Many of the tiremen, citizens, and
, police officers distinguished themselves in
various ways. Just before the liquid flames
commenced rushing through the streets
, these men pelted the upper windows ei
the tenements with sHowbslls, which,
| breaking the glsss, awakened the inmates
TO q sense of danger. But for this thesloss
Of life would, uuqsstionably, have been
greater than it was.
1t may be stated that the whole Of the
property destroyed was involved in fame:
within the space Of thirty minutes. The
streets beng flooded with Wstsr and snow,
the water courses and sewer inlets being
, cholzed up, the burning oil spreading with
! great celebrity over the surface reached
from honse to house on both sides Of tina
way, and ran in burning streams into the
. cellars This is what caused such sn i'm.
menso destruction Of houses.
} Some idea may be formed Of the fu7 ious
/ heat when it IS correctly stated that the
paving stones sUd curb stones ia the street
over which the fiery sea OF desolstion aoW.
ed were cracked and esleined to a eonsi
, dersble extent. A frep plug was heated tC
q redness, and portion of the rails of the
: Union Railway were twisted from their
| fastsnings. This, however, was speedily
] repaired, and thu travel on the line was
not Interrupted in consequences. The road
| goes directly through the whole of the
| burnt district.