The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-21
not like the sudden escape or setting free of


flames; the heat was intense; the glass in the
windows OF CaldwelPs store was melting ana
ng ND Il IN wss ss9
falling OF an inside wall; ran TO Inc door ot
the saloon and saw the hre; the light attracted
leave the building; the fire seemed 10 me to be
all on the first floor; the first story was one
mass offire; one of the Iron shutters which en-
close the second story windows of CaldwelPs
store was evidently unbarred, for hreman
opened it with comparative ease to put stream
Of water through, and neither the bar nor the
staples were broken; the sound heard was
like the falling Of some heavy mass. .,.-
Police officer Gillespie sworn-Left the Sta
ton house at II o'clock and walked slowly TO
Ninth and Chestnut streets; heard q crash like
we're falling, and jumped into a doorway to
protect MYSELF; ran out again and saw the fire;
Cbesnnt Streets: the report was a hesvv. dull
one / heard something like the Kissing of
steam; ran at once to SAMSON street; the fire
was terrible; it rose up from the first floor, aud
the flames issued between the iron stats Of the
poricullis or shutters; the explosion seemed TO
me like steam blowing of; the report was the
first thing which startled me; did not smell
anything like smoke before; the lire at first
was unusually bright like the burning of gas
Police Officer LiJtle swOTn-Passed the rear of
the building about twenty-five minutes after
Il O'clock; examined tGe doors and everyt thing
was then all right; went away on my b3at;
when returning-l had reached Caldwells old
store-heard a report like the firing off of
q third one; ran down Ninth street and saw the
rear of the place one sheet OF flame; gave the
alarm; procured an axe ana broke my
through the metal door; got inside of the inner
door also, but was then driven back by the
smoke; called upon the parties in the building
TO alarm them; other efforts were made TO get
in by other persons, but they all failed; myself
and other officers kept the crowd back; per-
c9Ved no unusual odor or smell; first heard the
report about twenty minutes of l o'clock in
fifteen minutes from that time had the door
brok en- open; when first passed the rear of the
premises saw no indications of FIRE, nor smelt
any smoke; the fire appeared to come from the
back part of the store.
Rnh uvupV Al SNpf tn afnI,.
man on Chestnut street; was standing on Ches-
nut street, between Ninth and Tenth; heard
the report sprang my rattle; hurried to the
place. and saw the fire; it was Intense; itap-
peRred to rise up from the cellar; sent hackmen
the block; in Orne's store the plaster OF the
ceiling had fallen off for some thirty or forty
feet; the report was dead, heavy one. like
the sound OF q cannon; am positive that the
flames came up from the basement
Waiter Long sworn-Am hackman at the cor
ner OF Ninth and Chestnut streets; was stand
ing there at the time Of the explosion; saw an
appearance of steam before the explosion;
thought the people i'm the building were blow
ing off steam; then heard the reports sort of
crash: heard but one; thought IL was boiler
blown up; took my team away and alarmed the
John Madden sworn-Corroborate the testi.
mony Of the preceding witness.
Fred.EA. Davis SWOrn-Am cashier for Mr.
Caldwell; slept in the building; sleptin the front
second story-room; went to bed about halfpast
spTang from bed; heard the crashing of glass
and what appeared TO be falling ttmbers
room UPON tne gallery % tor Fah the frp p@rpoge See
OF investigating the cause OF the explosion;
gSPedd @y %ay iSr oaSa @ va lnf9 me building
some places, were so hot as TO blister my hands;
the smoke was suttocating; six persons slept In
the building; Mr.. Hagan and myself slept in the
same room; l missed him about the vicinity
OF the skyIisht.i5 feet from our room; missled
he answered = he asked me TO give
him my hand; couldn't find him.
don't know whether the recovered body is
nr Ngn m mt 10 ni
missing; the smoke had no unusual smell: 1t
was very dense. the report was heavy-like
my room, and escaped through the front win.
dow; Poulk slept in the counting-room- the
through the iron door; think the smoke was so
dense as to at once suffocate Mr.. Poulk: l got
down stairs a Into the sm9ke; going back
rushed into our room like tornado; when |
first got out of bed smelt nothing unusual; on
leaving my room, together with Hagan, en-
countered the volume of smoke; always keen a
light burning In my room; when awakened by
nothipg like escaped gas before going to he'd:
was in the building from o'clock.
Charles ii. Gillespie sworn-I found the re-
covered body; am q member OF the PhCeuix
Hose Company; was in the building, together
with some other of our members, searching for
the bodies; went into the building for that pur-
pose; while looking around, came upon a body
towards the front of the store, rather near the
WALL IL seemed like the body of q small man:
Hagan was small man; the body was burnt to
crisp; had II picked out and conveyed away.
Wllllam r. A. BIRD sWorn-Was sitting at the
America Hose house; 1t was about twenty min
utes OF ! o'clock; q policeman came and gave
the alarm; ran the carriage out; when we
reached the place the flames were reaching up
from the basement and the first floor; the stea-
dlness ofthe flames leads me to believe that
gaseous matter was burning; the volume of
lame was immense; there had evidently been
an explosion; there was not su icent com bustI.
BILE matter at the locality of the fire when IL
first broke out to support the flame which ex-
listed; the heat was intense; think If the Gas had
been promptly turned off the violence OF the
nre might have been met and rapidly abated:
have had great deal OF experience as a fire.
man.
James Andrews sworn--Am member of the
nrm OF Andrews, Harrison & Co.; placed heat
ing apparatus in CaldwelPs store; for heating
private buildings and other places we use Har.
rison's boiler; on this boiler the safety valve
pioWs OH steam at eight pounds; the boiler is
always under control; when examined the
boiler was found uniniured steam is not raised
In Them above ten pounds; the boiler can stand
been exploded the fire wonid have been'
| put oul In my experience there is no explosion
OF the boiler; the balls can be broken, but the
boiler cannot explode; many experiments
have been made; the water in Cald vel q
| boiler was found after the fire at the proner
| height; heat is conveyed throughout the buiId.
| ings sufficient with this boiler by steam nine
connections; when the boilers were uncovered
no evidence was found of any breakage or
! explosions the fuel in the furnace was there
| pTesenLlng the appearance OF having been
Hefman w. Luders sworu-Am foreman at
! Harrlson's boilers works, Gray's Ferry: ex.
amlned the boiler at CRldwell's store found a
| fracture OF the coupling pipe: IL had been
| crushed down by the falling tim bers: found the
nre' door aJar about six inches; the fuel was in-
| slde-some not even burnt-new GOALS; the
water in the boiler, on turning the guage,
| noWed out freely, showing that IL was up 10 the
| correct height; nothing inside was disturbad.
am satisfied that there was neither any explo.
| sion or accident 10 the boiler; SO far as NV ex-
animation went, the boilers are in per.
| lect condition cannot make full
| examination without taking the boilers
apart or raising steam in them