Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-12-30

6l6NhtOEs oJ upph htulto MtNd
from the upper windows. Suddenly the
roof fell in with loud crash, and it be-
gan TO look as If the Washington House
would go too. The channel of the elevator
FUSED TO take visitors to the wax-work
rooms and upper galieries) sucked up the
roaring flames that devoured lattice, lath,
eornice and all kinds of wood work in tile
twinkling of On eye.
TWO FIRKMEN KILLED.
At $50 p. M. the roof, which had
lodged on the top floor, fell again, taking
a portion Of wall down with It and bury
ing three fremen under heavy timbers
and stones. One of the men, Hugh Col
gan, was dug out alive; the others, John
johnson and John Gibson, cannot be
reached and are undoubtedly dead. The
FIRE is still burning fiercely and furniture,
trunks, &c, are being removed from the
Washington Hotel.
Manager George G. Brotherton was in
the theatre and had Just taken the re-
ceipts of Ohristmas-day out of the safe
when one of the Musee men rushed to
the box office and told him the basement
was on fire. Manager Brotherton, Francis
P. Haggerty, the publisher Of the theatre
programme, and James 0'Heil, an attache
of the theatre, hurried down into the
'chamber of horrors" and Mr.. Brother.
ton forced upon the cellar doors that
open on Jayne street, for the purpose of
reaching the engine room door further
down the street, to tell the engineer to
bring a stream Of water. The northwest
wind that blew in the open cellar door
caused the flames to spread like a
lightning flash, and by the time
the fire extinguisher was put in use
the flames were travelling like prairie
fire to the front of the house. While an
alal1nawas being sent ont Manager
Brotherton, Francis p. Haggerty and
James O'Neil and the theatre employees
we're trying TO put out the fire, but the
binding smoke soon drove them ont into
Jayne street, where they waited till the
firemen came. Manager Brotherton, with
the Christmas-Day receipts stuffed in the
pockets of his overcoat, handed the coat
to strange man TO hold. The pockets
contained $4,000 in cash. The man in
the excitement threw the coat down
Brotherton missed il and tore through the
black smoke and blaze back into the base
ment and CROPPED about until he found tn,
overeoat on the fnnr He storro-ad on
into Jayne street with tic OgegeJlL thrown
over mis- face and fell into tao A5in4 81
two firemen.
From 230 until $50 big blocks o.
blazing floors crashed down from Tia,
upper stories to the cellar. Stage Man
ager DAILY succeeded in saving mostoi
the valuable costumes used in "Tht
Little Tycoon"
While the fire was raging in the rear o
the building at 1.50, a number of firemei
standing on Chestnut street saw flames il
Fairbanks g. Co.'s scale store on tn
ground floor of the theatre building
Assistant Chief Engineer Mooney CAV
the word to run line of hose into tn
store. One of the truckmen shatteret
the glass in the doors aud the tiremel
crswled through the locked doors will
the hose. 1t was like the charge of th
Light Brigade" Everybody wondere
at the order, but the men went atraigh
ahead, dragging the hose into the blind
ing smoke. Then one of the members o
truck d smashed the store doors in wit
an axe, and the next moment 2
or 80 tons of the interior brio
wallis came crashing down into th
scale store, and the tiremen inside cam
running out into the street half blinde
and almost sntfocated with smoke. job
johnson of Truck D, and Jacob Gibson
Engine No.4 who had the nozzle were mi
sing. They had gone done down into Il
cellar through the store floor with I'll
tons of bricks. They were pinned dow
by burning timbers and Bcorchiu
I hHtnEo nd att -, l.
or suifocated. Hugh Colgan of Engir
No. 4, was the last to get out alive. 4
reeled out into Chestnut street bar
headed, with the blood streaming from
cash on the top of his head. The leg
his rubber boot was cut clean to the fot
as if knife had ripped it with one clea
sweep. Colgan's right knee was bad
cut. He stood in the street dazed or
unnoticed in the excitement. He starte
back in moment to see II he could IA,
: his comrades, and then he was pulled bat
, by Police Captain Quirk, who cried OF
, to everybody to run for their live
Robert Reed of Engine No.
had two of the fingers
! bis right hand torn out fro
! the sockets. James Pidgeon, Of Eneil
t No. 26, took an axe and broke Ii
iron gratings, and, plunging down Ii
steps into the cellar, called out for h
companions, but there was no answe
0 only the roaring of flames and the crac
q ling OF burning timbers. No one expect,
8 TO save the lives of the two firemen, b,
/ the men wanted to rescue their de,
8 bodies before the flames got to thei
4 Several times futile attempts were ma,
r by rescue parties, but every time tn,
: were driven back by the heat and smol
' and at midnight stream was being throw
Q on the spot where the two men we
buried. Gibson's hat was found by q,
of the firemen, and the cap that Johns,
wore was recovered just before dar
a Gibson was 81 years old, and leaves
Il widow and three children. johnson "
Il also married, and leaves widow al
= several children.
! The theatre occupied q lot 100 feet wi
n and l75 feet deep. Mr.. Singerly says
d cannot tell yet whether he will rebui
q the theatre. He is worth several million
Manager Brotherton says his own loss
$75, OOO and that he has lost every doll
he had in the world. He was complete
" unnamed tonight and shed tears vii
I he spoke OF the fire. He said if his wi
= was mere he could stand it. Hig wife di
II about two weeks ago.
The loss on the theatre and adioini,
Z properties will foot up about $500. 600
The Washington Hotel wss damaged
the extent of about $25, 600, by falli
walls and water. The salesroom Of /
Niles Tool Works Of Tifin. OH
y on the first floor Of the theat
al building lose $40, 900; insurance, sI2 or
Fairbanks d Co., scales, in the ga,
building, lose $4,000; partly insure
Wyckoff, Seaman q Benedict, agents
N Remington typewriters, whose Office v
g, in the room occupied by Fairbanks, Ii
g. from ID, 600 to $4,000. M. ii. Eatc
stationery, first floor, 1888 Chestnut stre
adjoining the theatre on the west. 10,
ID from $4,000 to $4,000; Hubba
Us Brothers, publishers, second floor. plp
their loss at $50 900.
THR SQUIRRELS BRAVE DEED.
~ Philadelphia Evening Telegraph.
lE There were some daring scenes AZ ,
tTsmpls Thsatre) Ere, and the laddsrm