Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-05-09
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.
Il. DuERRy MEAT MARkEr BURNED.
An EsrIy Morning Blaze ON Water Street
That Entailsd 200 Loss-Ths
Eomily'S Marrow EscaDc

An Early Morning Blaze ON Water street
That Entailsd %, 900 Loss-The
Family's Marrow Escape.
About I O'Clock this morning the ex-
tensive butchering and meat curing es-
tablishment of Henry Doerr, No. 112
North Water street, was discovered to be
on fire. An alarm was first struck from
box &c, corner Market and Chestnut
streets, and almost Immediately after
wards from box 16, corner West King
and Water. Mr.. Doerr aud his family
were fast asleep in their beds (the
family residence adjoining the market)
and it was with some difficulty
that they escaped from the burning build
ing. The fremen promptly responded to
the alarm, and although the situation of
the fire made it difficult for them to get at
the flames, they worked with will and at
last got the fire under control.
1t is not known exactly how tho fire
originated, but it is supposed to have been
caused by some meat or fat catching fire
in the smoke house, which adjOinS large
room, some % feet wide by 40 feet
long, used for preparing slaughtered
meats for market. This room contained .
large number of valuable machines for
cutting and stuffiDg sausages and puddings,
all of which were worked by steam, also
large vats for rendering lard and tallOw,
and much other valuable property, includ-
ing the boiler used for running the engine,
some parts of = new engine which was to
havo been put up to-day, and the tools Of
the workmen who were engaged to sot up
the engine. 1t also contained an immense
amount of cured and fresh mcats-nOt
less than $40 worth of sausages
and puddings having been made
yesterday all of which were destroy
cd. Adjoining this room Oh the south is
the engine room which also contains .
number Of choppers and other machinery,
none Of which were seriously damaged.
Adjoining the large room OIL the east, and
fronting on Water street are the sales
room and tho ware room, stored with from
$1,000 to $1,000 worth of fresh and cured
meats. The interior of thcso rooms
were entirely burned out and their
contents almost entirely destroyed. 1t was
u sad sight 70 see SO many hundred plump
hams, tongues, rounds OF beef, bologna
and other sausages, lying charred among
other debris or banging burned to 4 crisp
ON their hooks.
Mr.. Docrr's dwelling house adjoins
the meat market, and is connected with it
on the south. 1t has not suffered much
from fire, but the dense volumes of smoke
from tho burning meats entered every
room from top to bottom, discoloring the
paint aud paper and making the whole
building smell like smoke-hOuse. 1t will
probably have to bc rcpaintcd and papcrcd
throughout.
MIR. DOerr has an insurance with MIR. j.
Ii. Ostcrmayer of $1O, 900 ON that part Ut
the premises including tue residence, sales.
room and ware-rOom, which will much
more than cover the loss but unfOrtuu-
ately he has no insurance on that part in
Guiding the largo room containing the
most OF his machinery, boiler, meat watts
and other apparatus. His loss in this
room alone will perhaps reach 81, 900. The
loss on tho other portions of the building
and their contents may reach 81, 900 more.
The books, papers, &C., wero locked up
in fire. proof sale and escaped damage.
The firemcn deserve unstintetl praise for
the active aud intelligent manner in which
they did their work. Mr.. DOerr speaks
in the highest terms of them and also of
tho valuable services rendered by his
neighbors and friends during the fire.
Chief Engineer Howell made y narrow
escape with his life while experimenting
operations. He stepped upon rear bal
cony, which was SO much burned that tho
flooring broke beneath him, and he would
have fallen through into the fire had he
not succeeded in catching the railing and
thus saving himself.