The Republican journal., 1869-08-12
THE GREAT WHlSkEY FIRE IN PHiLADEL


city on Wednesday night:
One of the most destructive fires that have
visited our city since the great con1agratlol
OF 1870 began last evening at the bondco
warehouse known as the Patterson Stores.
In the wear 1854 Mr.. John Allen, a famous
builder, was called upon to erect series OF
stores for Coz. VIM. c. Patterson. Every
care was taken in the details, and the buildings
we're pronounced to be and were always re
icr1ed to as the llreproof stores. The build
inms were nine in number, situated on the east
side of Front street, extending east to Penn
Street, and having also Il front on Lombard
street, Front to Penn. They extended along
Front to Lombard street three hundred feet
and along the latter one hundred and fifty
feet. They were five stories high on Front
and six on Penn street, the grade descending
from the former street. The walls OF the
buildings were eighteen inches IN thickness
throughout. and each building was distinct
from tie other to Il great extent. The par
tition walls were solid from the cellar toun-
tlaton upwards and the connections were by
arrhtd doors but each one OF them had solid
iron doors always closed. Every window
wa, protected by iron window shutters, and
these were invariably closed at night
On Lombard street, twenty feet east of Front
street, the boilers were located The ma
chinety used in the building consstedofpow-
crtul elevators to hoist and lower goods; con-
-cqucntlv the boilers were OF much power,
They were located beneath the pavement, OF.
rather IN the vault The fire room connected
with the Offices by steps
In former days these stores We're used prin-
r.pally tor the storage Of sugar. molasses and
cotton. but since the close of the war vast
amounts of Whiskcy have been placed i'll them
lay the nitcd States government and a num-
bcrot individual firms.
TIE EXPLOSION.
At Two minutes Of seven o'clock last eve
ming a heavy explosion was heard, and per-
sons looking in the direction of the northeast
corner building saw portion of the gable
wall fall on Lombard street. In five minutes
another explosion was heard and sheet Of
flame developed the place, when the whole
trurturc fell to the ground.
4 gentleman in the vicinity said after the
i'St explosion il seemed to him that the en-
lire building wa, lifted bodily up, and fell to
the ground aS though the power that raised it
had given out.
Another gentleman passing turned on hear
inc the first explosion, and saw a portion of
The gable wall out, sufficient to show the bar
rr~ piled up in the several stories He stood
few minutes. and hearing Il rumblin@ noise
lied but had not proceeded far when the see
ond explosion occurred. and he saw the entire
Nl,linw come to the ground This gentle
man was burned on the side of the neck by a
falling cmber.
Another gentleman says he passed up Lom-
bard street, and noticed a man and two chill
dren in front of the store on that street. lie
heard the first explosion and turned, but
could not see the man or the children, and
imposed they We're buried by the falling
WALL
WHI>KEY BARRELS.
All Of the barrels of whiskey in this store
fell to the ground, and the liquor from those
which burst burned up quickly, shedding a
blue flame. Occasionally 4 report would be
heard Of the bursting Of a barrel, and the blue
tlame would shoot up higher. The tiremen
rot quickly into service, drawing water from
the Delaware river, and many well-drectcd
@trram- were put upon the debris
Al $50 the intense heat caused by the burn
ug Of the rubbish and contents of what was
he corner store 50 heated the walls of the sec
und store that it took fire. Water was thrown
upon the second store and streams continued
TO be poured upon the debris of the corner
store, and for time il seemed that the efforts
to subduc the flames were successful. These
hopes We're soon blasted, however, for the
fire broke cut in all portions of the building
soon portion of the wall on Lombard stscct,
triangular in shape, fell. Next the rear wall
On Penn street fell.
\ STREAM OF FIRE.
Just III the time Of the fall Of the wall on
Penn street Il quanty of burning whiskey
etrramcd out of the second and third stores.
Ii ran down the gutter to Pine street and
around 10 Penn street The blue flame, or
rather \ combination of colored flames, sped
along and sent a thrill Of horror among the
people present The coal oil conhagration
1T Ninth and Washington streets was recol-
lrctcd, and hundreds of persons 1lcd, fearing
"A repetition OF burning archway over the
street.
Great fears were entertained for fear all the
hose would DC burned, and the tiremcn has
tened to remove ii from the burning stream.
They were partially successful, but a quanti-
Nv Of it was burned.
The front walls of the second store fell on
Front street and caused a stampede among
The people, and lucky it was that they had this
Hdmonition, for shortly after they left the
Street a cuvcrt at Front and Pine caved in.
The fiery liquid had passed this culvert in
suchA dense body that it is supposed ii became
80 heated a. to cause the brick to cave in
TIE CONTENTS OF THE STORES.
1t i, safe to say that there We're forty hous-
and barrels of liquor of all descriptions in the
stores all of which were destroyed.
At the time OF the going into effect OF the
hate revenue law, requiring all liquors to be
gagged by a certain time in June last there
was Sj,oo0,oO0 worth of liquors in the stores.
Some OF this had of course been withdrawn,
but additions have also been made from time
to time, and it is safe to estimate the value Of
the liquors in the stores last evening at five
millions Of dollars.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
The first report circulated was that the fire
originated by the explosion of boiler, and
many are of This opinion. There are persons
who say that the walls on Lombard street fell
before any explosion occurred.
While one party insist that the boiler ex-
ploded, there are others who contend it did
not, but that the whiskcy exploded. 1t can
not be told until the boiler is REACHED whether
il was the cause of the terrible occurrence or
not.
If the whskcy caused the explosion, we
can only account for it on the supposition
that the building settled by the heavy dead
weight upon it, thereby starting some Of the
casks to leaking. If this liquid dripped until
it reached the iirc-room, and ignitcd, Il flame
shooting upwards would. perhaps have
thrown the first portion Of the wall out. The