The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-12-29
FURIOUS FLAMES,
IEOldsmith's Hall at Philadelphia Com.
pletely Quilted by. Fire.
he Postoface and Several Other
| Buildings at One Time ThreatA
4 ened with Destruction.
The COnfIagratiOn Checked BY the
Firelnen After Short and Des-
perate Fight---L0ss $4,000

4 PHILADELPHIA, Dec. M.-LofY, blackened
rails, fame SCARED and gaunt, making great
leaps of debris within their confines, are all
hat is left of the six-storied Goldsmith's hall,
10 Library street, below Fifth, destroyed by
ire last evening. Heaps Of bricks blockade
ide court leading from Library street
nd an entangling mesh of telegraph
/ nd telephone wires grid Library
treet, and ensnare the feet of horses and Pc
estrians, while the fragments of charred
igns and cornices show the ruin the flames
ave made. Adjacent buildings, with black
med cornices and partly burned roofs, indi-
| ate further the narrow escape they have
Elade Two hundred thousand dollars would
4 robably cover the loss that was mainly in
icted in half an hours time. Old firemen
rho were exposed to the great heat said they
Inexperienced few such torrid scenes. At
ne time the flames were 80 fierce and the
find so strong that apprehensions were felt
1 pr the postofice building, the old
Philadelphia library now occupied by
10 Central News company and adjoin-
ag the postoffice at the northwest corner Of
fifth and Library streets, and for the Af11eri-
az Bank Note company's headquarters in the
fercantile library building at the southeast
prner OF Library street; the venerable Phila-
tphia dispensary next door below on Fifth
4 let, and valuable property occupied by
sarsnae COMPANIES on Walnut street It
ras nip and tuck between the firemen and the
ames, with the odds decidedly favoring the
estroyer for long time. Goldsmith hall was
5ut up in 1851, and was six storie in height, with
u frontage of fifty seven feet on Library
street, and depth of one hundred feet. but
had wing subsequently attached in the rear
five stories in height and about twenty four
feet square The Library street front was
brown stone AS far as it was possible TO
make such structure, it was designed to be
fire-proof throughout. Jacob Haehlen was
the owner, and erected the building Alta cal
Fculation based on the enhanced value of the
property since it was put up, it was worth
100000. Il. G. Haehlen & Co., dealers in
channels skins, parchments, artists materials,
ETC., occupied the whole basement, and had
about $4,000 worth of stock. One consign-
ment of channels skins worth $1,000 had just
been opened The building was numbered
418 420, and Az. J. W. Hampton, Jr., Co.,
custom house brokers, had the first floor OF
No. 418 A hallway led back to a row of offices
occupied by O. f. Johnson. attorney-at-law, a
broker named Wainwright, who had just
moved, and few others whose names could
not be learned Alex Murphy & Co., custom
house brokers, had the first story of No. 420.
Lehman & Bolton, printers of labels and gen
eral photographers, occupied the second, third,
and fourth floors E. G. Markley & Son,
printers, who have contracts to do work for
the council and public departments, had an
Office on the fifth and sixth floors, over all. A
G. Farley, manufacturer of blank books,
paper tablets envelopes, and other stationery
specialties was the lessee of the fiYe-story
building i'll the rear
The fire started just before clock in the
back wing, occupied by Mr. Farley. Some OF
the operatives had narrow escapes, SO quick
was the spreading of the flames While the
confiagration was at its height, and threatened
to extend across Library street to the post
office, the clerks and carriers began the re-
moval of records and mail matter to the from
Of the building Some of the ianitors of Wal
nut street buildings also became alarmed, anC
packed up household goods and piled them il
the entryways ready for fight in case the
flames came their way.
Jacob Haechlen's loss on the main and real
buildings is estimated at 100000 on which ht
wv
ton are probably the heaviest losers of any Of
the tenants, their loss being about $4,000
which is said to be nearly covered by msur
ance. E. G. Marley & Sons loss is from
$40, 900 to $45, 900, on which there is an insur
ance of $4,000 The loss Of A. E. Farley 4
Co. is estimated at about $4,000 on which
there is an insurance of $4,000, Will
E. g. Haehnlen's loss is abou
$4,000, covered by insurance Lehman
& Bolton a few weeks ago put il
a new press at a cost of $4,000 Markley 4
Son, who have the contract for printing tn
sheriff's posters, had been engaged during tn
day in preparing them for distribution, ant
had large numcer on hand. In the hurry
few were removed to the Central station, bu
the larger part of them was destroyed. Thi
loss viii probably cause many of the sheriff
sales to be postponed for some time Grea
care was necessary to guard against the show
ers of sparks at the northeast corner Of FIT
and Walnut streets The awning in front o
Joseph Schltz' saloon was in blaze, but on
of the men employed there succeeded in put
ting out the flames.