Daily Republican., 1882-07-24
FOURTHEDITION
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.


Philadelphia Visited with n Ne
rIOus OOnnASratlOn-A Loss Of
$4,000.
One of the most destructive fires that
has visited Philadelphia for some time,
broke out about o'clock yesterday af.
ternoon and, despite the efforts of the
firemen, burned for about four hours
with great fury. The fire started In
the four storied storage warehouse Of
~. Campbell Harris & Co, on Front
street above Brown.
In less than two hours the greater
part of the block bounded by Front
Beach, Poplar and Broxn streets was a
mass of smoking ruins. Six families,
who barely escaped with their lives
were rendered homeless, and had their
household goods utterly destroyed; one
woman was frightfully burned and al.
most smothered to death, and q half
dozen minor mishaps to tiremen and
citizens made up the casualties Of the
day. Fortunately the wind was not
blowing in the direction of the wharves
or the fire, had it reached the great
piles of lumber that fringe the Della
ware River, would have been one of the
most disastrous ever known In Phila.
delphia.
The burned block is an irregular
shaped hexagon, and covers an area Of
about four acres. Front street, the
western boundary, between Brown and
Poplar, has three buildings on its east
side--the warehouse of j. Campbell
Harris, an uuoccupIed buildin former.
ly used as cooper.sh p, aud dwell'ng
house occupied by three maiden ladies
named Madeira, neices of ex Mayor
Fox. On the other side of Front street
there are ten dwelling houses. Between
Front and Beach st eets, on Brown,
there are eight two.storied dwelling
houses. From the junction of Brown
and Beach streets to COhocksink Greek
on the north there was high board
fencs, and inside an e4vater used for
the storage of plaster ana cement The
lumber yard of Wiz Fox & Bro.
takes up the space Detween the crtek
and Poplar street and extends up Pop
lar street to the creek again. From
thence TO Front street coal yard is sit.
uated. All Of the property, with
the exception Of the front portion OF
Fox's lumber yard and the coal depot,
is bnrned. Nearly all the houses on
the side of Front and the southern side
of Brown street are damaged by water,
and many of them by fire. i
PANIC, STRICKEN PEOPLE.
They rushed hither and thither, in |
ana out of their houses, crying and |
wringing their hands in despair. Some,
more fearful than others, although in |
no immediate danger, began removing
their furniture and Diling it up on the
pavement. The six streets around the
doomed block were like fiery furnaces.
1t was almost impossible for the fire
men to get within fifty yards Of the
blazing pile.
About half past two o'clock the wind
died out, and the flames sho, STRAIGHT
upward. Before three o'clock Tue fire
had reached a huge pile OF ship. knees,
pack OF the cooper shop, owned by
A. lowering, and re-.
luced to charcoal. Fifty stacks
If barrel slaves in the same vicinity,
'wned by Harry RushtOn, were de-
'tr0yed at the same moment. In the
ear part of the old cooper shop there
we're stored 100 hoRsheads OF molasses
Dwned by Heyl Il Bro. Their destruc-
ion caused dense black smoke to roll
orth in suffocating clouds, driving the
tremen and people half a square away.
The rear portion of the house occupied
by the Misses Madeira then took fire,
tut the destruction there was not so
complete, owing to the wind dying out
The flames continued to spread and
capped across Cohocksink creek, and in
! few minutes six piles of valuable wal.
tut lum Der belonging to William Fox
3 Bro, were burning fercely, and 1O0,-
20 feet OF valuable timber was rendered
] most W orthless.
In spit of the most strenuous exer-
ions on the part of the Fire Depart
lent, the flames extended a, ross Brown
treet ana ignited the roof and caves of
Iernard Corr's wholesale and retail
liquor house on the corner of Beach and
Brown sTreets. The terrible heat then
Aused the window frames and sashes
0 take fire, and for time it was feared
hat the 800 barrels of whiskey and
pirits stored in the building would add
ew and more int1ammable material to
he already disastrous conf1agratiOn;
ut the establishment was saved after
be most horsulean work.
THE ORIGIN AND LOSS.
The origin of the fire is a myster v,
ut it is generally believed that it was
ccidentaly started by tramps.
The principal loss falls upon the es-
ate of Thomas Powers, deceased. All
be buildings in the block were owned
y the estate, and managed by j. Camp
ell Harris. $4,000, il is estimated,
nil cover all damages done by fire and
'ater, including the losses sustain ed
y those in the immediate vicinity, in
luding those totally destroyed. The
1ss falls heavily on the poor people in
be Brown street houses, none of whom
Tere insured. Everything they had in
ne world was destroyed.