The daily gazette., 1883-01-13
BURNED AND FLOODED.
A FLOUR MILL ON FIRE LAST
NIGHT.
THE FIREMENs GOOD WORK.
william @. Valentines Establishment ON
Front Street Supposed TO Have Been
Visited By an Incendiary--aeavy Loss.

| Shortly before 10 o'clock last night fire
was discovered In the second story Of
William q. Valentines -four mill, No. 30s
West Front street, just beyond Tatnall, and
alarms were struck almost simultaneously
| from boxes 23 and "a by two workmen re-
| turning from tie Harlan e. Hollingsworth
establishment.
By the time the department ar ived the
building was burning briskly, and although
there was much difficult, in raising ladders,
owing TO the number Of telegraph wires,
| good and efficient service was performed by
the firemen, although both themselves and
the hose were covered with ice.
The engines were in service over two
hours at which time all danger was over
and the building saved from total destrue-
ton, although badly damaged from top to
| bottom.
The second and third stories were COM
pletely gutted, the front wall of the latter
falling out with crash just before IL
o'clock, and narrowly missing sUme firemen
standing below. The roof was of tin, and
now lies in the ruins of the upper stories.
On the first floor, which was filed with
flour In bags and barrels and grain and -four
In bins, much damage was done by fire,
although the greatest loss there will be from
water and smoke. The wooden ceiling Of
the salesroom was burned but little. In the
celler the fire did but little work, the prin-
cipal loss there also being by water.
There were about 175 barrels of -four In
the place, besides corn, wheat, oats, buck
wheat, ground feed, ETC., and Mr.. Valentine
places his loss on stock and machinery at
about $l1 900 The insurance both on the
building and its contents was as follows:
Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, this
city, So 500; New York Home, 81 500, and
fhap daI hto Ipo No,
The loss, therefore, will be considerable,
although 1t is barely possible that some of
the stock may be disposed of as damaged
material, thus affecting little salvage.
How the fire originated is not yet known,
as the only fire kept about the establishment
was under the engine in the basement and
In little stove near the front door on the
first floor. The flames, as was stated before,
we're said to have been first noticed in the
second story, pointing, many think, clearly
TO incendiarism, 1t is also asserted that fire
was seen at the same time near the engine.
The building next, west of the damaged
mill was occupied on the first floor by E.
Mitchell, Jr., as a roofer. The building
was flooded and MitchelPs loss will be about
$500, fully insured in the Union Insurance
Company of Philadelphia.
The second floor was used as a brush fac
tory by William F. Thompson, who esti-
mates his loss by water at $500.
To the east of the mill was the agricultu-
raj implement warehouse of John A. Wilson,
who sustained no loss. His horses, wagons
and carriage were, however, removed TO
places of safety soon after the alarm was
given.
Thomas A.Kenney of the Weccacoe Engine
Company was struck by branch pipe and
painfully injured. Two lines OF hose were
badly crushed by the falling walls.
Large numbers of people this morning
visited the ruins which are covered with
large icicles, while the telegraph wires shone
and sparkled in the little sunlight there was.
Inside the burned mill disheartening mass
Of -four and corn greeted the eye.
The mill has been on fire three times
within the last three years, the last time
about two years ago, when it was occupied
by another owner, and then by an in
cendiary.