The Evening critic., 1882-05-19
LAST NIGHTS FIRE.
The Damage That Was Done and a
Dissertation of the Fire.

culated to be about as follows Tho damage |
to the Chronicle building amounts to It's total |
destruction and Its original cost, which is not |
known, but as the building was erected on |
economic principle by the late Mr.. Plowman, |
the architect, It is thought that the expense |
was comparatively smalli approximately sio,-
600 or $4,000. The damage TO Mr. Buchlys |
establishment is 81, 500 or $4,000.
The restaurant adjoining tho Chronicle build
ing on the west was damaged to the oxtontof
$500, and Mr.. Coomes' grocery TO the amount
of $500. The insurance on tho Chronicle is
heavy and Will cover tho loss, 1t is said TO be
exclusively in outside companies. The insur-
anco on Mr.. Buchly's cover the damage, and
is in homo companies. The two buildings
slightly damaged are both fully insured. Tho
total loss, according to these figures, is S15,-
500, fully or nearly covered by insurance
The Scene OF the Fire.
Just as the sun was setting last evening and
Pennsylvania avenue was almost deserted by
pedestrians, n little cloud OF smoke, which
predicted serious connagraton, was seen
issuing from crack in the west wall OF tho tall,
flve-story building No. Ola Pennsylvania ave-
nue., which, with Its imposing iron front,
rises high above the row OF llttlo buildings to
the west OF 1t and rivals in appearance tho
handsome undertaking establishment OF VIM.
Buchly, which adjoins 1t on tho east. The
building has many associations cllnging 10 1t,
which make 1t dear to our oldest citizens, built
as IL was by Alex. Shepherd, and occupied as
the Daily Chronicle for lohg time, and subse-
quently by the Post.
Protracied litigation has prevented the rent
ing Of the building at good advantage recently,
but among its occupants yesterday wero W. y.
Crown, who conducted butcher shop and
provision store in the front portion of n
first floor, II. G. Poist the proprietor of the
Messrs. Scott sasse's g lob printing establish
ment used the entire second and n portion OF
the third floor. colored lodge-room was sit
uated on the fifth story, and the remainder of
the building is said to have been occupied by
number OF squatters.
1t was about 6:20 p. m. before the smoke,
which was rapidly increasing In volume at
tracted attention, and an alarm was turned In
from box 126. The sound Of tho alarm bells
had scarcely died out when crowds began to
gather from all directions and blocked this
avenue from curb TO curb. Before $50 the
fire engines were on the spot and were taking
| to n stand-still at Ninth and ID Streets covered
| with foam. and the gallant Chief hastened to
the scene of the fire.
other at Tenth and O; two on Ninth, between
| the Avenue and ID. The two trucks were sta
toned, one in front of Buchly's and one in
| the rear OF the Chronicle building BY this
| time the smoke was issuing from tho upper
| windows Of tho doomed building in heavy
black and gray clouds and obscured the upper
portion of the building. The smoke was very
| dense, and as 1t rose upward and drifted slowly
toward Georgetown darkened the atmosphere
and gave the setting sun a blood red appear
ance, which was very singular.
The 1remen soon discovered that the flre
had originated in tho rear of the first floor,
| and had communicated by the elevatorshaft
| to the upper floors and the inflammable man.
sard roof. The streams OF water were directed
| principally to the third and fourth floors, with
| aview TO combining the flames to that portion
of the building Shortly before o'clock, as
the four streams Of water were playing
with best effect, and Chief Cronin and
four nremen were working energetically
on the roof Of Buchly's establishment, and
the flames were kept entirely out OF
| etOht n n nd a
crash gave notice that the roof had fallen In,
and in another second the flames lept up and
beauty and thrilling effect that an exclama
tion OF awe and surprise, not unmingled with
admiration, arose from the multitude, which
now thronged Pennsylvania avenue, Ninth
Tenth and streets from curb to curb
crowded the stairway and veranda of Ford's
Opera-House and was scattered over the roofs
Of surrounding buildings.
The display of the brilliant fiery element
bursting heavenward only lasted few mo
ments, but during that time was very impos
Ing, the heat for half square away was op
pressive, and the streams of water seemed but
10 add to the fury of the flames, but soon they
were again confined to the building and only
once again burst forth. The mansard roof wa.
| by this time skeleton, and the upper fool
had fallen; shortly afterward the west wal
fell in, fragments falling on the roof Of the res
taurant adjoining, and caving in portion o
| tho roof.
At various times Mr. Buchly's establish
ment was threatened, but escaped further in
Jury than having tho upper floors flooded
| Several times the roof of this building begal
TO smoke, but the firemen were resolved t
save 1t and were successful. The fire was no
under control until z 730, and the engines
did not leave until after O'Clock.
Throughout the entire time of the fire thu
Department acted In q thoroughly successful
vigilant and pratseworthy manner, which
showed every member of the Department t.
be bravo and competent man. Too mucl
| praise cannot be given TO the firemen for thei
work last evening, which, doubtless, prevented
very disastrous confiagration, from tn,
effects of which Buchly's establishment tn
Republic office and Ford's opera-House woult
have suffered.
THE CRITIC this morning interviewed Chic
Cronin and others to ascertain the loss and In
surance on the building destroyed, an,
learned that the cause of the fire was still, AM
probably always would be, shrouded in mys
!. terry. Some persons claim that the fire was in
cendiary, while the majority and the best In
formed express the belief that inflammation
material in the broom factory In the rear Q
the first floor was ignited by spontaneou
i combustion or some other cause, and tn
flames communicated to the mansard roof in
mediately, dooming the building to total dc
struction.
A CRITIC reporter went to the scene OF tn
fire this morning and found Interested crowd
| still lingering in front and in the rear OF tn
wrecked building. On street ropes wer
falling fragments of tho walls. The reporte
made his way through five stories of corpse
and cot1ins up to the roof of Mr.. Buchly's III
dertakiDg establishment, and there foun
Chief Cronin and u band OF about a dozen FIR,
! men still at work. The men were standing o
tne edge OF the r0o1 ana had n long ladde
7 with which they were pushing the rear wall
7. the Chronicle building outward.
The wall which remained standing TO almo
; its entire height after the fire wac swaying
= and fro and gradually giving way. Final
tho wall fell, two stories OF bricks and girder
stone and ironwork went crashing downwar
0 a distance Of nearly eighty feet into the strs
below. The nose was deafening and was fC
8 | lowed by cheers from the crowds on @ stree
The view from the adjoining roofs was no
g very impressive, looking downward an ably
u OF charred timber fallen walls and wreckC
n machinery presented ITSELF The building WI
s q hollow shell.
5 The front wall still stands entre the rel
wall was thrown down above the second stor
l. and the west wall has fallen inward, so tn
o the entire building is n wreck.
:, The Inspector OF Buildings visited the scel
u OF tho fire to-day and condemned all the wal
now standing, and directed tho Fire Depa
70 ment to remove the rear wall, which was
;, danger Of falling, and issued orders TO d
. agent OF the property to erect scairolding al
. have the wall taken down, piece by piece,
coon as possible.
Y. National Hotel Arrivals.
l. l. Rosenberg, N. Y; j. A. McWhorter, Pi
Q. Il. How es, Boston; j. Howard, Nashyil
n Tenn; L. j. Adams, Pittsburg, Pa; We
- | McMurray, ptttSDurg, Pa. w. II. L. Rorth.