, 1869-08-08
THE PHILADELPHIA FIRE.
TNven1y-nv Tllou%nnd Barrels
of ythiskey Burned.
'Loss, $3,500.000H Insurance, g.
100000

munify. EFtfJ care was ta1eH ~ rue o;lHls. a1ta
wars referred TO = the nre-p5oof stores The
buildings were nine In nnmoer, sItnated on the
ess sde 9f Fens ss extending nn sst e Tsan
ietters nom 70 Il. TneJ extended aiong Fronl
ee ssJ re- S II a 'os
Front and az on Pcna street The grade deseead-
BUILDING wero eighteen inches throughout, aud
each building was distinct fEosn tie other 70
so I s.ns s5s es. gSs Por.'tsa 2oon "' apxs.
aoo aoors; es bit esch one Of them saa sold sold
protecsed ~ trop window shutters, and these wers
Invariably closed Al night The building On The
northeast corner Of Front and 1omb4Et strce g
Waa peet On the lower door As business Office for
Colonel Patterson, and IT contained the boilers Of
the establishment, while the upper stories were
also stored with whsse5: - a. former oays tasse
rarsmoIAssea and cotton. but since the close OF
tne war vast amounts Of wntskey nave been place,l
N !as oi n ,naIsldua laI ins. rns aussT Of To- oa1
refs Of wttskty Kept In bond III this warehouse is
yuious estimated at from 81 ooo TO so. On barrels,
1000 barrels being taken IN yesterday Ia oon1.
On IoMbaId street, twenty feet east nI Front
Street the boilers were locaFtaL The machine n
use41 in the building consisted Of powerful clera.
boilers we're Of mnch power. Tley we're located
beneath the pavement. VI, rather. IN The vault
TIE nre-room Connected With the Offices bg stspa-
At the time Of the song into eject OF the Late Tes-
erue Law, requiring ali Liquors to be g4uxel 81 4
ce,+asn tine in Jnoe last. there was - nM, ,ooo
worth Of llIuors Ia The stores. Some Of this had
OF couIbe been Withdrawn, but additions hare also
been n.ale from time to time, and II Is a4fe to -
innate the value Of the l'quora In the stores last
evening At that amount al ieast.
ORIGIN or TTE FIRk
TIC singular lncdeu8 attending The breaking
out OF the copragsaiton were nrst not!Lal shortly
before 'ctock, on Wednesday evening" .st that
Mr.. En3HFt1nKn. Mt. H8I8. and several
other residents in that Immediate vicinity Fere
startled By loud, ruuh1tng noise life the clauos
OF Manf heavy tennis over the cooote sroue*,
coming from the ~l!ssty warehouse. This ouiit-
ing nas leen closed, ~ nsual, nj p IL left 10
suspended. Thesc gentlemen. attracted bJ the
na.,ened to 1omhanl street Theg aEr.,ed II
Penn, Win one mighty surge, c0unbIe
into fragments and soppis oser INTO
stories were shapeEees nas3 oI bricks aad MR.
tar. Is tnts wall ielt many bstrrts Of Thtstey.
PILED ur IN these upper floors, dt=scetsIesl VIII
heavy thuds, striking against the hanglug to.ts
while streams 81 the liquor ao~cl irou the bung-
holes upon and into the Debris
Quiet had scarcely been restored ere terrible
report was heard from the d.Smantfed hutl'itng,
followed INSTANTLY ~ q hoiN{ upheayal Of th.
lorer slores yet standing; and scarce had the 81
force d eravt! brought the usnY tons Of material
to the highway, blocking up Lnfntlni street for
two hundred feet with rl,nuus tuAaA fifteen feet
high. The southern compartment NO ls5 South
Front et.eet, " az thus totally DESTROYED In less
tune than the pen can describe The thF1liiug horruE
OF the scene
BURSTING OCT ~ TIE FLAMES,
4 few Iuomcuss pftDr to this list explosion
bright naAh was eten among the tifbr,s; and
huntlrcds Of barrels Of whiskey now falling ourst
nut au.l showereo streams all lrulnI. curling
dafues Of dark blue aud deep purple Tere seen tI
= hundred sputs- Tie volatile vApnE vi the ex-
potetl hsAey acted ~ n, rial OF fufrc, au.l err
ht4Y tt1{IrS%
two nltnntes before clock, the whole eomp,Ft-
ment 1as nass OF r7sAea. AL she available
The Epot, anil sieau fought rre With passionate
arioF. Fur ninety minutes It. seemed a. u the
t!anles could IL. thfott1ed aud e1(tusul+hesl, but
then the te1I element RAthe'f the conltH.
TIE SECOND COMPARTMENT.
AT {: 90 the intense heat caused by the burning
Of thr rubbish au,l contents Of whst was the cor.
ntF store hrafe,! the centre Wills Of 1he second
Store thar II took 1rc. Water wax thrown upon
the seeoad store ard streams ront!aurt TO he
Tor time teem.u tlat the eorta TO sul'due the,
names were surccssfnl. These hopes were soon
blasted howevet fur the nye 1r''Se o<'t In all po.:
OIL Lmharti s.1sei, triangular y stlaIe, fell Next
the rrar wall on Penn strcr1 fell. It WIZ deemed
prudent to cstct an entrance into soaie q The
storrs north Ut tile second store, anil the doors
Il a. .ne t0' sl,na % Of ' sle fall '4' q the i ~all
ss1canca out of Of tne secona aad tnifd s,ores i
ran down the gutter to Pine street. and Around 10
la Fem stsL Ths nr as%s or 11ns, @ @
condsrratlo1 At Sinis ana Washington streets was
Eecorctcd. aau hundreds Of persons Gtl, fearing
REPETITION VI burning aEch~ny aver the street.
Gstai fears were entertained that the hOat ~Rnld
be burned, and tho rseUen nastened to Eenloye 1t
fEGM The burning slrrlIn4 They were partially
Iuccersfu, hut quantNy Of It was burned. -.
Miniature explosion followed npon explosion as
,ne .ssa ae % e.
The flaming lQuur ran dawn the cutters into the
~ Cu*erts ut FFBut unh Lombard STREETS, anil.
the yoluilc ynpo1s met the 'k.l~e. 1npure atr Of
bursts o1 t!atne catue oui through the man hutes.
TIE FIRE INSURANCE rAT1LuL
rendered good service, and amply S!nl!catef the
ntcefsltE IT their organization, although, 0xtng to
the peculiar NATURE ot the coblst.htea, they were
nat able 10 carry out all tne1 SPECIAL sufies.
MuEi Ut the iron shutters fastened ut the
c1Using hour had teeh forced open bI The ex-
pIoetoDs, and others na,l i@en AGon broken into
BY the trtmen that their host-Ftrtaus might haze
enss ptas. As far as possible these wert clor.si
b, the pa.Eol On renn Street that The naEnes
might not spread 10 the orr.at'e warehouse, on
the east side, occupied by hennisnn, Kelly i Co.
The farre attended specially tu saving The
wooden roofs OF liz adjoining osllnnax sy cover
Dgs, thu lret Use Of hncEeta hnI streams OF Wnttr
AIsHAl.; OF THE wuI>KEy.
After It becane es1,lent that the second building
vas doomed, the patrol enaeayoEe,t to saye son'e
OF The srork at.I. despite the danger en- .0uDtered
from the 0rtthAux1hg wAlla and The rushing
streams al aolaze. they Succeeded 10 saving aeg-
oauels we're rolled in'ltac-!mnateIy around
Though the adjoining thoruughlsres, md. ID the
excite e1eiteme Of ias terrible scene. some were
wharf gEoGgeHes, ami, Ia several instances bar
Eets yet t.rtppDR with waller were found Ia their
eelEarsL"On!} stofrd for safe ieeping!" ~ the
In the early part Of the night, some OF the
spectators say, quite number Of the ntenen VII"
won1d occasionally knock o1r bunR, snd Nil
tnelE hats full OF the lquor. Leu:enants Esr1ck-
son and HaSertJ, wherever theJ found this prauk
I4ftr tl+-Fff
contents into tho street.
THE GENERAL ALARa.
At q quarter after . 0 clock a portion OF the
wall which ha1 divided the two southern s.urea
wbtskeY which had bten piled up In The second
structure, came Ruling OUT on the pile II ruius,
but dong 10 " damage. From snis Compartment ,sgnii
th. nIc extended " The upper part OF It's heghur
As each Of the compartments caught. there xouls
be explosion after eIposlDn Of na1resRr aud the
burninE Liquid woald pour into the lower doors
Ahd from them tnto I he street. and down the gut
ters to l1ne STREET aud 1nlo The sewers. So
rapid did It no* Al obe time that the sewer gut
81 full OF gas that another explosion took place,
causing stampede enlonX the thousands Of
spectator corKreg2tesl In It's ttnne1Ate vicinity.
About 9:.aI the general alarm was sounded anil
Into SERVICE The Mayors order hsds scarcely
reached the stafiun ere q message zas received
frum Chief Engineer UowneJ 70 the salne effect
tht he.aJ Of the latter arising from his REV that
crest CUnnnGrafon y ~ an incentive to 1ncenfl2ry
acts, ami ne lid not wish the outside districts to
II. deserted Ats'nt u O'Clock the suburban cou-
pAn,es beZah 10 aErires nrst tnore trou Weat
RI ll+delt.Ilia, then those from Germantown. next
FTaLkIuFt1, Dext M1ua{unk. The blghr OF the 1re
VAL seen AZ far Dorrh rs bristol, hnl II est t~4flf
as pAtu1y disGernIhe at IAolt The unusual
Changing ot the State House bell had the e1ect nj
tirA~ iuE nla1y OF our c,tizeos iEom their homes,
atl touli every st1tet and by way WAS tufpnged
VIII Al unceasln2 tide Of humanity.
1liA AWE 1Asr1EtNG srESK.
Aa the IRE nroe,erst'i TIRE walls felt, one after
Another, ard The htpc thnt 1t would be stayed
proved EruuLd1ets. The sea OF 1ame G9atet up
ihe hose nea. ems, and dre~ crowds Of teua OF
thuutanda L, ~ttuett the frightfuf scene. The
TuattHg Of the rames, the puf'1fEg Of tho Ore
tnght The p~rllous feAts of the orenen, an1 the
DIT III flat Aars htluck all ho resided near the
FC+ue nntie picture that II fs Impossible to de-
Ecsibe. 1t VA tuheed d scene OF surprising 4r1n-
teur. The nsulcs shot up seeDlnaly . hnndret!
fret tn 'he compartments yet standing, And The
blaze md heat we're osefpo@ ef,bg 70 thus.. com.
pe1hd 10 he ucar By.
lNnse yotun e. Ct sm0te OF q yeilo tsh- RTeculsh
hne covered the net2hborbood and u ttN streams
OF \ kter hrpkR theft OPACITY cG1t-like B{secsrunA
were shown, bright with all The coufs Ut The Ealu-
how. TIE naMes varied ID color, deep blues and
puppies prrdotntnattns. Thosc Who=r fprt1nr, or
misfortune, II wA& to gaze upon lne +l2ht, Will
never forget tue 2~f1oess OF the snertacst- fhey
hare the suuua consolation. however,. that tue
tbuu in tnr,irx up the xtoEnnchs OF those who
~rrthip tbt demon Of drink.
The immense llchl attzacts'l persons from Ill
the citJ surrounding. The city passenger railway
!ruu nil directions 10 the scene The street. lead
Ing rurfh and suu;h eas: snA vest, we're crowded
unlu late hour, hf p<Fthrn nl pHh Ae1tA- old nod
young. a noticeable fact ~ the An5ness Oh Inc
palt Of The lookeFs<ln to a2pTo12h ncnr The lnrn-
lpu structure; the various e1tlLssons ihoEnuHhlJ
lstthttptt tho most sentIrcsone, and as the