The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-22
O1rY INTnLLuGBNCE CE.
THE FIRE MARSHAL.


His Thirteenth Annual Report 10 the Mayer
Fires ~ the Ntty During IS6D Their Nnnber,
Location, Cause, aud the Loss Easning- The
BestrOSer More Rampnnt thnu Ever before
Great Increase IN fncendinrtsni DIM
culties EncOuntercd by Fire Marshal Black
burn
The report Of Fire Marshal Blackburn, which
accompanies the annual message of Mayor Fox,
comprises thrty-nlne pages oil printed matter.
II contains an account of the various fires
during the year 1869, their losses, the insur-
ances, and the origin of the more serious. The
Fire Marshal states that the past was the most
extraordinary year ever known In the history of
fires in Philadelphia. 1t marks q memorable
epoch in the local chronicles OF such disastrous
events. The burning of property, both In fire.
Guency and destructiveness, was unprecedented.
Conflagrations were numerous and extensive,
and some of them of a remarkable and start
ling character. Several of the finest and most
substantial piles of architecture in the metropo-
ls-monuments of individual or associated
enterprise, and objects of pride to every dppre-
ciatng citzen-were annihilated by the fire.
demon, and millions of wealth vanished before
his devastating bosom. The losses of the
twelvemouth were enormous. They aggregate
sum without parallel in any previous year.
Fires During 1869.
The whole number of fires during the year was
G29, of which large majority were slight and occa
stoned only rinng damage. There were 81 in
January, 40 in February, 3S in March, 45 in April 80
in May "a in June, 113 in July, IS in August AZ in
September 40 in october, 46 in November, aud 43 in
December Nearly One-llalI OF tnOSe IN July hap
pened at or about the time OF the Anniversary OF
American Independence and resulted from the
pyr0technic saturnalia which always attends the
advent of That national holiday. Fortunately, most
of them were OF trivial account,
The Notable ConfIagratIOns.
The most tremendous confagraton Of the year
the annhllation OF the Patterson warehouses; at
the corner OF Front and Lombard streets, on the
night of the 4th OF August, the loss by which far ex
ceeded that Of either Of the two historically great
fires of october a. 1889, and July 9, $780, and was
therefore the heaviest ever occasiOned by any fire
that has occurred in our city.
The saddest fire was the destruction of the Burd
block, in Chestnut street, above Ninth, the
Ing of the l4th OF January, when two unfortunate
II. Caldwell 4 Co., perished in the flames. In the
wreck of solid and ornate structures and ruin Of
and costly goods, this fire is without precedent
in our annals OF burnlugs, and in the aggregate OF
the loss it inncted-three. quarters of mi0n-it is
the third in rank among all the fires of which there
is any record.
The connagration which extended over the
largest area OF territory and swept away the great
est number of buildings, broke out in collection Of
frame and brick tanneries, glue and curled hair
manufactures, and Other working establishments,
on the south side OF Columbia avenue between
Fifth and Sixth Streets on the afternoon of the goth
OF June, causing total loss Of quarter OF a mil
lion
Next to the Caldwell fire, the connagration that
created the most intense sensation and caused the
ton Of the capacious and splendid hal of the Com
mercal Exchange Association, corner OF Second
and Gothic streets, on the evening of the 7th Of De-
cember.
Other Principal Fires.
The other principal fires were the burning OF the
sugar refinery Of Rogers II Mitchell, Wood street,
below Third, on the morning Of December 26 the
stores OF Reeder Thatcher, Musselman & KIRK,
and others, Fourth street, above Market, on the
ley n Co., and Others, Broad street, above Arch on
the evening Of the oath of the same month"; Earles'
Art Gallery, Chestnut street, Delow Ninth, and Tyson
& Worthingtons livery stables and thirty head OF
horses, Broad street, near Wallace, on the evening
Of the Slst Of August the store of Leonard, Baker
j Co., No 210 Chesnut street, on the evening of
June %; the notion store OF Nolen Norris a. Co.,
and other mercantile houses, on the north side OF
Market street. between Second and Third streets,
the night of the 9th of April the skating rink Twen-
ty-drst and Race streets, on the evening OF the
29th and the freight depot OF the Philadelphia and
NorrstOwn Railroad, corner OF Ninth and Green
streets, on the evening OF the 25th OF the same
Falls OF the SchuyiEiil, and the cooperng establish
ment Of Sibey Co., Noble street, above Eleventh,
on the morning Of the M 1T 1Ith of Of May; and Msnn's
place. on the morning Of the 9th of the same month
Pettit's mill: Ninth and Wallace Streets on the
afternoon Of the 24th; Weldon d. Hughes waste
cleaning factory, Gunners run, near Hart lane on
the night Of the 2lst; the Boston Desiccated Fish
Works. Columbia avenue, above Fifth street. on the
morning of the 25th and the store OF the Messrs
Creighton, Chestnut street, above Second, on the
Of the 1 sn Of the Excelsior
on the morning Of the 4th Of September, and tns
Smith, Front street, below Race the night of thu
18th; and the nour warehouse and cooper shop o
William b. Thomas, southwest corner OF Twelfth AM
Buttonwood streets, on the night OF the 16tn OF tn
same month; the shoe factory OF John Bogar
Co., and the notion store OF HerZberg Goodwin
Co.. No. us N. Third street, and other business esta
blishments on the night OF the Sd ana the Frankl
Woollen Mills Twenly-fourth ana spruce streets, o.
the evening OF the 18th Of November.
The Losses and Insurnnces.
MY duties were so incessant and onerous all tn
while that It was impossible for me to find the tin
20 keep as particular and minute record as dc
sired; still carefully noted all the most importar
statistics, and from my own data and the figure
courteously furnished me by the underwriters froI
their books, estimate the losses by the fires of tn
year, and the assurances on the same, follows:-
loss Insurance. Clear Los
January. SS22, ,781 s63S,24l Sls4,4S
February. 463T2 29,205 T,1(
March ............... 45lS1 25,S35 19,34
April. 194666 1912 S1,5a
May.................. 13s,647 10S,124 30,6s
June. ne................. ,s44 209,l 1872,
July.................. H3l6 41,366 26,Si