Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-03-01
FIVE FIRES
Raging at one time in PHILADELPHIA
Powers y WeightnaE'S Chemical
Works Burned.


Philadelphia, February Give
fires have occurred during the night.
Owing 10 the violence of the winds
aud the great distance between the va
rl0us alarms, the iiremen found much
trouble in keeping the flames under
control, The most disastrous WAS ut
he chemical works of Powers Il
Weightmun, the largest OF the kind in
the country, which were totally de
stroyed The loss at their place will
be over s. ,0O0, 900. The fire was first
discovered about one o'clock, bat the
alarm WAS not responded to because
the only engines in that fire distsici
were already engaged In combating n
similar fire in the wool mills ut See
ond aud Lehigh avenue. One OF the
two engines whica answered the first
| call came q distance of nearly two
miles. The store OF Coon Bros " Co i,
produce commission merchants, at
| No - South Water street, was dam
aged $4,000, About the same time
the Echo carpet mill at Lehigh nv
enue and Palethorpe street, and three
or four dwelling adjoining, were de-
str, yed, involving loss of So 900.
The other fires were not so serious,
tina the frequent alarms served 10 dis
tract the firenen and tax the depart
ment 10 its fullest capacity. Every
lirs company in the city WAS IN
service ut one time, with ON
exception at FranEford, left 10
revolutionary measure " prot, ~ the
great number Of mills in that section.
At 2:l0 Il. m, general alarm WIS
sounded, and the iiremen responded $ |
promptly AS possible, but were weary |
after working ut one fire after another,
aud the fires burning in various Sec
tons of the city made their work a.
pear endless. They We're henumbed
with cold, but succeeded in keeping
the neighboring buildiHgs soaked with
water, rs winds onveIoptd them in II
perfect storm of sparks aud cndefs
BY three O'Clock the chemicals seemed
10 burn with such extraordinary
tierceness, and the fire WAS cvidrntl,
spreading SO rapidly that he residents
of the neighborhoud left their houses
under the impression that a terrible
explosion was liable TO occur at any
moment. IL was difficult to calln
them and induce them not TO risk the
lives of their chi dren by exposing
them 10 such IA night. At this time
the entire square seemed 10 be II vasl
sheet Of fame, and soon after, three
explosions OF fluid oil occurred. the
burning fluid ran through the street
and the liiemtn called upon the citi
zens to help rescue The engines and
hose carriages from the river of baz-
ing oil The oil soon burned itselfont
but the flames had spread across an
alley.way to a five story brick build
ing. stnr,d with large quantity OF
materials.
Tnc building with all its contents
was entirely destroyed. Up To five
O'Clock the flames bad steadily tri
umphed over all opposition, lighting
up The city, while the neighboripu
streets were blocked with panic
residents removing their
goods &c places of safely. From five
o'clock until noon, the progress OF the
fire was confined 10 burning the in
4 tmmable matter within the coniines !
hlready described, and there was no
fear of spreading. Some of the neigh
boring houses had their roofs ana
fronts damaged by nfe and falling
walls, but the dTenching of water dur
ing the night prevented total destrnc'
ton. II has been impossible 80 lar 10
obtain from any one connected with
the firm any idea of the value OF ma
or stock. General estimate,
however. vary from sl,O0O,00O 10
4 AN uuD