Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1880-01-07
THIRD EDITION.

THIRD EDITION.
$40, 900 CREMA Ted LAST NIGiiT.
Priee's Large Mills on the Brandy.
wine Completely Destroyed-Ch.
enSire City Illumins'e ed = History
Of the ButIdiDgs-Origin Of Abe
FiFe--Losses, Iasurances. Incl.
dents, etc.
At about IL Is o'clock, last night the
bell Of the Phoenix Engine Company
and that in the tower of City Hall rang
out an alarm of fire, and the first notes
Of the alarm bells had scarcely cleft
the still night air, when sheet OF lu-
rid flame shot skyward in the north
eastern part Of the city which not only
illuminated that section, but lit up al
most the entire city, with a MONDAY
glare. 1t was but few seconds after
the first alarm ere thousands of our
citizens were wakened from their first
sound sleep by the clang Of passing
steamers Tue clatter of the carriage
bells and the shouts of the halfawa-
kenei frsmen as they urged theirap-
parat1s towards the scene OF the contia-
grafton.
Thousands Of windows we're raised
and thousands Of night capped heads
hung out regardless Of the chilly damp,
ness OF the night, and as the entire sky
appeared transformed into curtain OF
FIRE, the timid mother was certain, anG
even the stout hearted sire, would have
sworn that the midnight fire Send was
at work within block Of their own
domicile, and as the flames shot higher
and higher and the blazs became mo-
mentaiily brighter, pale faces and !. anx-
ious hearts all over the city, waited
expectantly to learn exactly where the
FIRE was or sailed forth in hastily
made toilets to ascertain for themselves.
AT PENNYPAcKER' MILLS.
1t was not long ere the streets of the
city ia all sections were flled with
startled citizens of all descriptions,
men and women, big boys aud little
BOYS, all hurrying towards the spot
where the light seemed to be the bright
est aud it was but little while before
the discovery was made that the huge
lamp which was thus gratutously con
verting the blackness of midnight into
the brightness of day, was none other
than the extensive mills occupied by
VIM. G. Pennypacker, situated on the
south bank of the Brandywine, Just
east of the City Water Works, and
which had been for years known as
Prices FIGURING Mills. II
THE SCENE OF THE CONFEDERATION.
Arriving at the scene OF the conda-
grafton, picture was presented which
was almost tragic in its beauty. The
entire eastern section of the massivel
stone structure was one seething fur
mace, from which ever and anon a
sheet of lurid flame would shoot high
into the air with roar, like the glee-
full laugh of the unb idled fend which
was busily at work in the hellish fur ,
mace into which the mill had been con-
verted, and the thousands of bushels
of grain which were stored therein !
made even better ruel than the time !,
dried frame work of the building. ;
The heat at this point about twelve !
o'clock, was so intense that the specta. :
t rs even at distance of hundred !
yards from the burning building,
felt the psrspiration upon their faces,
but the band of firemen who were stand,
ing within few feet of the wall deIug- q
ing the flames with water stood at a
their post as though they were invinci =
BILE 10 heat. a
BATTLING WITH THE FLAMES. b
The fremen were soon on the ground :
after the alarm was given, the Phnnix l.
arriving first, the Friendship immedi
ately after and the rest of the compa-
MES following in rapid succession, un. +
til the entire department was on the
spot, aud in short time the eight en-. :,
gines were hard at work, each throw +
ing two streams Of water upon the s
burning mass. But though the fire. n
men worked with that will and energy
for which our Wilmington boys are :,
noted, and though every ingenuity +
which human skill could devise was a
brought into requisi.ion, the fire had c
gained too much Roadway, and it was
soon apparent to all that the entire
structure was doomed and the efforts of Il
the tiremen were direce to keeping the n
flames in such condition as to save =
the surrounding property.
Ia this way the department did good
service as especially when the roof of !
the eastern section fell in, at 1890 =
cloud of sparks and pieces of burning /
timber shot into the air which threat {
sned destruction to everything within =
! radius of block. y
THE WATER WORKS IN DANGER. &
As the fire swept up towards the wes- Il
,ern section of the mills great apprehen- +
lion was felt for the safety of the City 4
Water works, as but short space in K
ervsres between the western wall of the J;
mill and the eastern end of the Water :;
Works building. As the latter build j
ng is entirely fire proof, however, the q
LANCER apprehended was not so much n
rom fire as from the fear that
he western wall of the burning mill i
night fall, in which case the eastern +,
md of the Water Department building !.
which is considerably lower than the y
Mill building, would most assuredly j
rave been crushed to atoms u
The large boilers of the Water Works q
re situsted in this section of that J..
land great many EXPIRE s-d -
he fear that if the wall did fall ter y
ioIe explosion would have been the q
esult. Chief Engineer McIntire, who e
vas one of the first at the scene after g.
EA lrAakinn ont of tha E.a ,..l.. | L.