Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-14
American Theater Fire.

Big Volumes of SmoIke-Genera1 Alarm
 The Entire Upper Part Badly Damaged
 The StOres-VtEOrOus Work By the
 Firemem-The Losses.
 Yesterday noon about five minutes to l the American Theater on Church street was discovered to be on fire. An alarm was sounded from box 25, corner of Church and Grown streets, which was soon followed by g second and third alarms, calling the whole fire department to the scene of the conha-
 grafton. By the time the fremen reached
 the spot dense clouds of smoke and flame
 were coming from the windows at the north
 end of the building where the stage was
 locAted. The origin of the fire is 8 complete
 mystery The theater was heated by two
 stoves in the auditorium, but there was no
 fire or heating apparatus of any sort upon or
 about the stage where the flames first made
 their appearance An immense crowd
 viewed the fire, 1t occurring at the noon
 hour. The streets were filled with people. For some time it seemed as though the
 building occupied by Stahl 6 Hegel, under
 takers, might take fire, as we'll as the old wooden building above it. Neither, howev- CT caught fire. Councilman John Gallagher,
 noticing flames issuing from the roof, gave notice, and stream sent to the spot soon fixed the matter.
 Mir. Press Eldridge, the enterprising man. ager of the theater, did not reach the scene until some little time after the alarm, but as soon as the fire was subdued he clambered up ladder to make investigations. He found to the best of his information by inquiries that the fire started in the loft over the stage. No one, so far as he knew, had been in the | loft for long time and it was difficult to | conjecture how the fire started there. The scenery and other properties burned cost $1 ; 1 900, and the recent expense of newly fitting | up in general will bring the loss to Mir. Charles Palmer. the lessee of the theater, uI | to the neighborhood of $2,o00, there being no insurance on this part of the property. Soon after the fire started Jimmy Carroll, | an attache of the Grand Opera House, en 1 tered the theater by placing 8 ladder against l one of the windows near the stage and sue ceeded in saving the trunks of McAndrews, | the 'FWatermelon Man." and Baker and Gardner, for which he received SIP. Leader Mazziotta loses about $50 worth of music and saved about $15O worth, slightly dam 1 aged by water. This property he secured | after the fire had died down. Musician Hub bard lost his double bass viol, worth $200. All the musicians will lose more or less Tho insurance on the building was $lO,- GOO, divided as follows In H. l.. & J. s. | Cannon's agency-$2, 900 in the German
 American of New York; $2, 900 in the City of London; $1, 500 in the Niagara of New
 York; $1, 800 in the Providence Washington, of Providence, R. I. In Me A1lister & War ren's agency, $3 0OO in the Phoenix of Brook lyn, N. Y.
 The ground floor was occupied as follows
 No. 26 was leased by William Keane as g plumbing establishment, McCusker and
 Schroeder, coal dealers, having desk in there No. 28 by Lewis Asher as 8 second
 hand furniture store No. 30 by Frank M
 Hall for the sale of housekeeping goods No 32 by l.. A. Oneto as a fruit and confection
 cry store, and No. 34 by George W. H
 Hughes as flour and butter store Keane's
 insurance on stock and fixtures was $500
 and was placed with Gardner Morse in the
 Peoples Insurance company, of Middletown,
 Conn.
 Frank M. Halls insurance was $1, ,OOO on
 stock and $100 on fixtures, in the HGtna Fire Insurance company, of Hartford, Conn.
 through J. G. & J. c. North's agency. l.. A. Oneto's insurance was $350 on StocH
 and $25O on fixtures, in the Hartford Fire
 Insurance company of Hartford, Conn.
 through J. G. & J. C. North's agency. The $500 insurance on the stock and fix | lures in Lewis Asher's store was placed in H l.. & J. s. Cannon's agency in the Merider Fire Insurance company of Meriden, Conn l G. W. H. Hughes was insured in Wilson's | agency for $500.
 | Thus the total insurance foots up $13, ,OOO
 which will, it is thought, certainly be more | than the loss.
 | Throngs of people viewed the fire from | adjacent roofs. A roof ia the rear of the | burning theater was so laden that Officer i Wrinn ordered the people down and 8 gen | eral jumping to the roof below and thence te
 the ground followed. One man fell, but l luoki1v asnQOa6 iniurv