The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-09
,1Tv 1NTELLIG ENCE.
TILE PATTERSON STORES.
49,. ur.,..bnI BIaclSburn,s Investigation Int
FIRE har H. Origin-His Conclusions.

which On sne Of Colonel William G. Patterson at the
,nrneT of Front and Lombard streets. About hun
gOdd gd witnesses have been examined by him, and
InIeoughout the investigation he has displayed re-
maTkabe energy and an earnest desire TO arrive at
h tre theory OF the most destructive confagratiOn
gb,ch has ever visited this CITY, The Photographic
snort of the investigation makes an octave pamphlet
Dnbiication In these columns. We present, however
rpa most material portions, embracing the concu-
sions and suggestions Of the Fire Marshal, as fol-
"After cautiously examining and carefully ana
,vzing the afidavits Of all the witnesses, aud recon-
iint anv seeming connictons in their statements
thns win1owng the wheat Of the testimony from the
chafr"and fully considering the whole case l am
otSpst rThat there was no fire explosion pre-
ione to the fan of the Lombard street wall of Sec
tion H. and that no gas escape had anything what
ever 10 do with that incident.
VSsecond That this casualty owing to the Civ
ing way Of the floor OF one Oh Ine $40 tsS0rles IN
weight upon q weak point the rent moor, IN It's
crashing, crushing descent carried WlC IL te . IoOrs
and causing confused wreck OF everything from
The top to the bottom of the warehouse. me whisky
NEAREST 10 the wall shot out with IT, Dut the great
nns of the barrels rolled to the middle of the
wrecked structure, and were JuinDileu Gogetner
and caught roof anu described by Professor
Dickson, witness who appears 10 nave peen
cooler and more observant than any OF the Others
who cast glance into the riven stOrehouse and
momentarily viewed the large chaotic heap of shi-
cytbIoWn VeTef pSs eopmns shattered quorbarres and
ruined machinery and apparatus. And the concen-
trated pressure of the superincumbent mass in its
Surqinp downward progress, impnged on the grid
ers and pillars in the centre OF the building with the
driving force of pile-engne. ana TINS sudden and
nowerful impact or blow sent the basement columns
into the foundations with the momentum of a can
non-ball ,... ~, .o o,,,,,o,, +,o. +,,o ,,,,,, -.
the wall of the corner store was the primary cause
" GT6is opinion based as in my judgment It is upon
evidence at once impartial and tndsputable, is
honestly and conscientiously expressed. If future
developments should prove it to be Ifaacious no
will m acknowledge
the error than myself"
@Your Honor was present in the discharge of your
onicai duties Chief Magistrate of the city, and
watched attentively the esolating advance Of this
awful and disastrous confagration, which, in few
hours laid in waste half million worth of valuable
real estate and consumed, with scarcely vestige
remaining, merchandise to the amount of two mil
lions and half more You observed the consterna-
tion excited saw how the adjoining buildings were
jeopardized, and witnessed the extraordinarily
derfu escape of the contiguous properties. SO
yOluminous, and hot, and blasting were
dared across the streets, and, peradventure encr-
clet entire blocks OF dwellings and marts of traffic
in their serpent-like embrace, only for the tightly
closed and stronglyfastened iron doors and window
shutters of the warehouses, by the advantage of
yey the roaring blaze high up into the air. and thus
it was compelled to expend its fury far above the
thunder-shower that came on at late hour of the
night while the con1agration was still raging, and
which seemed provdentiay sent to help to sqielch
the lames there had sprung up furious gale of
wind, the consequences might have been dreadful.
~ apprehend that your Honor must have been
uy convinced, by the scenes Of that eventfu night,
of the danger of storing whisky in large bulks in
the compactly built and densey populated parts OF
storehouses; and would respectfully offer for the
consideration of yourself and the members of the
aesSn MapSpa whether Sere n bs
legal enactment regulating the storage
Of all kinds Of novs pritHitG1s witnassao liquors TIN
great c0nnagrations which have taken place in our
city for the last quarter of century, and, excepting
petroleum, i have never seen anything burn that
made more threatening and dangerous fire than
whisky in prodigous quantities. collection on the
floors of single block of roomy sx-storied ware
houses of nearly 25 900 barrels-equal to 100000
galOns-of whisky, was a frghtful amount of in
fammable material to place almost at the very doors
Of tenements containing men, women, and children.
"Another important lesson taught by this conla-
grafton and which should challenge the particular
attention of merchants and underwriters they
are both alike directly interested-is the impOlicy
and folly of accommodating unlimited collections OF
valuable mercandse, especially articles of a conf
bustble nature, upon the floors of lofty and eX-
panded warehouses; built in connected rows. Fire
originating from any cause whatever, in one of the
stores of such blocks is apt involve the whole
for annihiating is the raging heat engendered by
the burning of the piles OF desrucble goods that the
stoutest and most compact masonry is powerless tC
Withstand its eXfoliating, calcinating disinte
cOmponents of the structure fairly fused and tn,
timbers consumed like reeds. The lre-eXtnguishinl
element fails TO conquer the foe it combats Ever,
drop of water thrown upon the incandescent heap
of blazing ruins, though poured in flooding stream
and converted into its original elements of OxygeI
and hydrogen, the former gas feeding the fire, anC
the latter swelling the volume of the iame and in
creasing its calorifc power. Such fires cannot bt
Bubdued until their strength is exhausted by the con
sumption of the materials on which they prey.
sour large warehousing establishments ought to bt
located away from the crowded thoroughfares Of
trade and habitation. Caution, safety, and wise
economy all demand this. They should hereafter
seek locations on the Delaware, below the NAVY
Yard. Happily for our metropolis, she has every
thing in her extended river frontage to invite them
That vast tract OF land, commencing at the foot o.
Reed street, and sweeping along one of thu
broadest and noblest streams in the world, thu
distance of miles all the way down to League Island
Offers sites emnenty adapted for this class of stores
Here are facilities for the finest wharves, will
water deep enough, at all seasons of the year, Il
proximity to the docks could be erected suitable
warehouses. These buildings should be strong anC
OF ample dimensions, but not over two or three
stories high, and completely isolated from eacl
other, with such distance preserved between then
that in case OF IRE in one, the others would not bC
endangered. This locality invites commercial en-
terprse. 1t is the natural depot and outlet for tho
products of the great West ana is the real terminn
OF the Pacific Railroad
"UJpOn this subject there has recently annnared ir
the Press q communication signed 'Commerce
which is so we-timed and sensible that have taEe
the liberty OF appendlng it to this report. Tn
writer says:-My attention has frequently beeI
called to the importance of medium-szed loW-roofe
warehouses, well protected on the outside from re
aud sufficiently inexpensive to allow storage a
heavy merchandise at low rates.
"The destruction OF immense blocks of building
by fire. in all our large cities particularly those use
for the storage of valuable merchandise has create
such CONSERVATION among our insurance companie
that 1t is now difficult to get the best companies
take large risks upon merchandise In such building
at any price. This Is a great inconvenience to OF
merchants and in some cases under my own obse
yation, has deprived them or business they wOu
gladly accept could they obtain Insurance at reaso
able rates. ,, a., ,.
the stockholders as well as safety to the insured al