Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-05-05

Burning Of . Building ON Cherry Alley-Th,
Children's Home Damaged by Fire.

- ld1SC stS d SOOO SlZcu tUUtCCO WAREHOUSE
vas occupied by Lewis Sylvester as to-
oacco resweating establishment, and in
part of it Miller Fraim had a lock manu- |
factory. When the fire was first discov-
cred it was in the garret and was very
small. For this reason it could not be seen |
for any great distance and the firemen
were slow in going to it. After it had burn
ed for about Is minutes the flames shot
through the roof and they could be seen
all over the city. When the fire compa-
MES arrived they went TO work quickly
and for more than half an hour streams of
water were thrown upon the fire which was
finally extinguished. The roof was en-
tirely consumed as was the floor between
the garret and the second story. A large lot
of new cigar moulds which were owned by
Mr.. Sylvester were stored on the garret,
and were almost all burned. On the
second floor there was lot of tobacco in
cases and it was thoroughly soaked. The
machinery used in resweating process was
also damaged by water &c. Mr.. Fraim
had large stock of locks, iron &C., on
hand and these together with the
machinery have suffered largely
from the water as they have all rusted.
The building, which was but recently
erected, was insured for $500. Mr.. Sylves-
terhad an insurance Of $1,000 OH the tobacco,
and he estimates his loss at between $500
and $500. There was no insurance on the
cigar moulds, which were valued at $500.
'1,o hoo >rS SO0A
Mr.. Fraim had an insurance of $4,000 on
his stock, machinery, &C., and the loss will
probably he from one-third to one-half of
that amount.
No one knows how the fire originated,
but it is likely that it was set on fire. The
building was all right in the even
ing, and when the watchman
passed it shortly before 2 o'clock
he saw no signs of fire. Evidently the
building was fired in the garret among the
cigar moulds. Although fire is used in
the re-sweating establishment, there was
none in the part of the building where the
fire is known to have started.
This seems to be a rather unfortunate
location for a building as it has been but
about six months since a tobacco ware
house on the same spot was burned.
Gives Rise to q Slander Suit.
Lewis Sylvester, one of the sufferers, this
morning, by his counsel, brought an ac-
ton in the court of common pleas against
VIM. H. Pennock and w. w. Shallus,
workmen in Fraim's lock works. He
charges in his affidavit that they falsely,
maliciously and slanderously accused him
of feloniously setting fire to his building,
saying that "he meaning Sylvester has
set fire to his own building, and we can
prove it," The defendants were admitted
to bail, in their own recosnizance, by Judge
Patterson.
Messrs. Shallus and Pennock deny that
they used this language. What they did
say, according to their statement, was
that Sylvester's oil set fire to it. He
burns gasoline or some such oil in lamps
used for sweating tobacco, and has several
barrels of it stored on the premises near
the building. The warehouse or its con-
tents were on fire last Saturday and previ-
ously from these lamps, and some persons
are of the opinion that the last disastrous
conf1agration may have accidentally arisen
from the same causes, Or that at least the
incendiaries used some of this oil in start
ing the fire.
Mr.. Sylvester says he left the place yes
terday at 3 p. M, and the building was
closed at p. m. by boy in his employ,
who has the only key to it. The lamps
used in sweating tobacco are kept in the
cellar, three floors below the place where
the fire broke out, and they were found
Just as they had been left last evening.
The Children's Home Oh Fire.
This morning between one and two
o'clock fire occurred at the Children's
Home, in a frame building situated in the
rear of the main building. 1t originated in
the flooring, between the first and second
floor, which was burned through, and it
then burned between the plastering and
frame work until it reached the third
floor. The fire was discovered by one of
the inmates who was awakened by hearing
a large picture drop, the cord of which
had been burned off. The man who is en-
ployed at the Home, together with num-
Der of the larger boys, then attempted to
extinguish the fire, but were unable to do
so, and the man then came to town for as
He went to the American hose
house, and finding the door open, began to
ring the bell. The members of the COM
pany were soon ON hand and the engine
was run out to the Home when the fire
was extinguished just as it reached the
door leading to the main building. The
house was considerably damaged by
fire, but the loss has not been estimated.
1t was insured.
The fire is supposed to have been caused
by the igniting Of matches which mice had
carried between the plastcring and the
boards.
An Alarm System Wanted.
It was clearly shown last night by the
lateness of the firemen in reaching these
fires that they stand in need of some
means by which they can be made aware
of the location of fire before it has gain
ed headway. The damage by neither fire
would have been SO great had the firemen
been able to learn of their progress before
they did, and this experience furnishes
very good argument for fire alarm tele-
graph such as it is proposed to have erect
ed in this city.
Ascension Day.
Tomorrow. being the RELIGIOUS festival of