, 1877-02-26
Burning OF Fox's American Thea.
tre at Philadelphia, Penn.
The Theatre tho Largest In the City.
The Mercantile Library Injured.
Total Loss Between &2OO,OOO
and $3OO,OOO.-- Loss
Of Lilo.
The Iowa institution for the
Deaf and Dumb De-
stroyed.

AAA = $50 SO - .H.@- AA%e-'
Special Ds&pdseA 10 7hs 5tsbune
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 23.-Fox'8 American
Theatre, which wa. destroyed by fire shortly
after midnight thia morning, WAS the lnrRcst
place OF amusement Of the kind Ii Philadelphia,
Its seating capacity being largely over 5000. 1t
was to Philadelphia what Tho Bowery Is to New
York, being the home oi the Observation-Disclosures
drama, tho fasoriee Essort Of apprentices and
nawsboys, nlire9uehtcda alsoby ythedeml.monde,
for whose accommodation special arrangements
were made In the last overhautng Of the audl.
tortum. Tho tre causrd intense excite.
mcnt throughout Philadelphia. Thousands
watched tho progress Of the flames, and
to-day the ssrcets In tho vicinity we're blocked
to such m extent that passing Was almost ini.
possible Without tho old Of the police. The scene
soon after the fro broke out Has most exciting.
It was llaffpa4& - a. n. when tho alarm Has
given. Tie flames, which nre supposed to
have originated IN the palnt-shup, suddenly
burst forth from the roof IN great mass.
When tho Grcnlen arrived windows had tcen
broken in and stream OF watcr thrown upon
the ceiling and Into the auditorium. But suon
tho Mercantile Library building, dcarcr to
tho people than tho theatre, was Threatened,
aud then tho cry came from tho immense u.s.
semblage Of spectators, "0iye up Fox'b, md
save tho resst'' "save the ltbrasyl" Then tho
trcmcn turned their streams, and Fox's Was
soon guttcl by tho flames. An Incident Of the
fre was the thrilling adventure Of Fscl New
man, one Of tho insurance patrol. who entered
Nh adjoinlnE building to prevent tho spread.
Ing Of the counagratIon. A ioist fell
nnd imprisoned him, so that bis death was I'm
tnincnt. Tho fire was hot, and tho flames fast
approaching. Hecould only cry :" Ilclpi Ho1p!''
and ut last help catne, but not until hc was
severely burned. IIe Is now in the Hospital
Theatre remains. Mr. Fox rsftniates tho loss 1T
$lG0,0O which docs not include tho Wartlrobcs
| of actors aud actresses, though these amount to
raADsIs,s II n..If fsc 4:e.atd 8; 5T s5t tn. morn.
Ing d fire broke out on tho stage Of Fox's now
American Theatre and ut II ! .. m: the whole
with remarkable .rapidlty and. cominuni-
Mercantile LIorary Building, W. IL
da,'ger; also, the New York Mutuai's nc%
l.al lett the tl,catru bcforo the I'rc broke out.
The theatre was opened on tho evening vi. Dee.
II, 1871. It occupied q lot 100 by III feet, with
an entrance from Chestnut street througl. a,,
capacity for 5000 persons.
lntLAprtrntl, Feb. a5--11 p. m.-The loss
on tho theatre 10 estimated at s160, 900; insur-
anee, s7o, 900.
Those on the south 4!Ie Of tho Mercantile
Library, las becn rendered worthless. Tho loss
is estimated at from $50,000 to e80, 900, upon
which there is m insurance Of Sl50UO
Rogers wngon-factory was da,naged $tt, 900:
loss on stock nut asccrtalucd, but It Is Insured
for sB5 ,0W. When the floor Of Isoggcre' building
fell III, FtEc-Marsllal Thompson g. Il. Honnaton,
patrol. weto In tho building. The Fire Marshal
aud Mr.. Bonnafan extrivntcl themselves, al.
though tloy t'oth sustained sotcro ipjuriys, but
taken out titis nuruing alive, having been bur. M
lid eight hours but 1t u fcurcl he will die. Ell.
ward Kelly Waa severely Injured about thu head
aud body, aud Jeremiah Lee 10 believed 10 b1
bu,il|ugs wcre Injured by fire and water to tl,u
amount OF 4lv, ,0W.