Daily Republican., 1881-07-26
DISASTROUS FIRE,
A WILMINGTON SHIP YARD EN.
vELOPED IN FLAMES,
The Fire Catches From red hot
Rivefs-Spreads like Flame In
Stubble-The Joiner shop,
Boiler shop, Oflices and
Lumber Sheds Con.
sulned Loss 676,.
0OO-HenviIy
Insured.

l
| Insured.
About fifteen minutes past o'cloc,
last evening the fire alarm al
nounced rather family that fire wa
raging in the vicinity of box IA wkicl
proved to be at the Pusey & Jones Com
pany's machine shops and Ship yards
The alarm was followed by the blowing
of the whistle of the steamer Feltor
which was passing on her return trip tt
Philadelphia, by the whistles in tn
ship yard, the railroad shops and Others
where the fires had not been dampened
The flames were discovered in the
Southeast corner of the building used
as Il joiner shop, saw and planning mills,
and mould shop where were slowed
large quantities of TASKS and patterns
which were as dry as finder ant
amongst which the fire ran with
frightful rapidity.
1t is believed though not positively
known that the hre caught from red hot
r.vets which were heated in a
furnace beneath the mould loft, and
perhaps thrown against some Of the
wood work.
About the time that all these whistles
were blowing and the alarm became
general, the night watchman Hiram A.
Corbit ran and applied key to the sig
nal alarm at Box No. IA, located at
Front rnd Poplar streets.
With the fire bells ringing and whs-
ties blowing, followed the rush of the
fire engines towards the point of alarm
and following them were hundreds Of
people of all classes knowing that no
ordinary fire was in progress. 1t was
not long until black volumes OF smoke
spread and hung like dark black clouds
over the city. A red lurid flashing
light followed and then the news
spread that the machine shops and the
snip yards of the Pusey 4 Jones Com
pany were on fire.
BY half past o'clock the whole Fire
was on the grounds, and
The engines were stationed where they
could do vhe most good. The Water
Witch and Washington were stationed
lirectly in the yard on 1he wharf where
hey remained all the night until the
ire WAS drowned out. The Friendship
mi Wcccacoe also first took positions
III the wharf, but were afterwards re-
moved to other points where 1T was
leemed they would be more efiectual III
lecking the flames and preventing its
to oti buildings which were
n danger.
The PhHniX was stationed at Front
md Poplar, the Delaware on Poplar be-
ow the Railroad and the Reliance at
second and Poplar. The Fame having
,een out of service for some time was
Iot present, but the members joined Ill
With q hearty good will and assisted
he other companies.
BY the time the engines arrived and
ot in position the meuld loft, joiner shop
nd engine and boiler shops were too tar
one to be saved, and the gallant tire
nen turned their attention to saving
he machine shops the foundry and tie
attern shops.
The facilities for extinguishing the
re at the works were said to be none of
he best, and on application to the +.
V. ~ B. kailrOad all the hose and other |
ppliances possessed by that Company
1r cXtinguishing fires were brought
ito reullisition, and were used in wet
ny the machine shop Of the Pusey N
ones Company and other buildings in
10 vicinity to keep them from catching
re.
There was a stiff breeze blowing from
le Sou.h when the fire broke out,
'hich carried the flames in the direc-
OH of the +. W. Il b. depot and the 7.
j. machine shops. The joiner shop
nd mould sheds where built Of wood
nd the flames ran through the mould
lops and the Joiner shop as If lmpelled
Y some invisible power, ana as II IN
INT on the total destruction OF the
lace before help could arrive to check
leir furry.
The fire in the meantime had commu-
icatcd with The offices and the prepar-
| wood sheds in the latter Of which
ere stored a large number or patterns
nd d large quantity Of prepared lllln-
ar In spite of the eXertions OF the
remen, the fine two story offices and
raughling rooms Of the company. AID
ie wood sheds mentioned went with
le iointr and boiler shops. The heat
the fire was intense, ane the barrl-
,ues erected by the iiremen behind
hich to work in combating the flames
ere swept away as ii they were OF no
'useQllence whatever. !
The fire was ike II furnace apparent [
leyourlng wood and everything else {
at barred its progress. t
BY almost superhuman eXcrtionS the t
undry and pattern shops were saved
ON the fiery maelstrom. flleneh {
llnbcd up ladders and stood On top uf ,
e tottcriny wall Of the burning bul d. t
x and poured d liquid stream into the f
70 of the advancing flames. 1t was G
face to face ard hand to hand conflict d
lth the fiery element, but the tiremen t
and gradually the molten h
mes began to succumb and hide their 0
~ cycsJs behind the walls and under t
roof, where they were finally after Il
fearful contest of three long weary 81
mrs entirely subdued, but not until a
e moulding shop, the Joiner shop, the b
il.r ami engine house, the frames on C,
lich work was put together, the fine n
o story Offices and draughting rooms c,
the company and che wood and sand 81
eds were laid i'll ashes. The damage ii
o to a part Of the foundry was con- o.
cradle, some of the girders and raft si
being burned and the slate roof IL
ashed in. The pattern makers shop ri
irely escaped, and the machiue shop H
the west side OF the works were bur +,
lie damaged, though the windows er
It the flames We're broken in and CO. in
us streams of water thrown in n
ongst the machinery, but this morn of
the machinery was III operation as III
Ial of
t is Il cause for congratulati0n that sb
vessels under way, OF which there We
e several on the stocks and the ves- th
at anchor at the wharves ESCAPED an
Try, the wind carrying the flames in TT
1ntrary direction. he
he Remmington machine works pe
css the railroad were at times IN CO
ger, and did cat ,h fire couple OF ce
es, bat the flames were easily put de
ly a. huclkat of wafer The wooden .Vl