The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-27
BIG FIRE AT PHILADELPHIA.
Destructive Blaze Among Business
: Houses and Hotels of the Quaker City.
a Half Dozen Firms and Two Hotels Burned
Out, Involving Loss to the Amount of
$780, 00-Fires Elsewhere.
THE PHILADELPHIA FIRE.
A Half Dozen Business Houses and Two Ho'
tells Burned,

A Half Dozen Business Houses and Two Ho-
tells Burned,
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 26.-The fve-story brick
building, us, TIT and 10 Arch street. was dis
covered to be on fire at 1926 O'clock this morn
ing. The flames quickly communicated to No
f721 Arch street The building in which the fire
originated is one of the handsomest on Arch
street. and was erected three and half years
ago by Eliston p Morris. The upper floors
were occupied by the firms Of Lehman g. Bolton
and Packard, Butler & Partridge, photographers
and Crosscup &C. West, photo engravers. Each
of these firms viii suffer total loss. The first
floor was occupied by Monroe Brothers & Co.,
wholesale shoe dealers. The building No. III
Arch street was occupied by j. May s. Bro.
dealers in straw and millinery goods. The fire.
men, finding their efforts to save Mr.. Morris's
building unavailing, directed their streams
to the ST. Cloud Hotel. which adjoins iuamedi
ately on the east. The guests in the st. Cloud
HOTEL who had all retired for the night were
startled by the frantic shouts Of "Fire!' "Fire!"
which came from the fourth floor A boarder.
occupying room in the western end. was one of
the first to discover the flames. and his cry Of
guests rushed from their rooms partially dressed,
into the corridors and down stairs to the Office
The female guests were escorted safely to quar-
ters in the neighborhood, while the gentlemen,
with gripsacks, and others Juggling their trunks,
looked after their own interests. There were
dozen exciting incidents and scenes attendant
upon the retreat from the hotel, but no accidents
were reported.
AT Ills the front wall of the Morris building
fell, with a loud crash, into the street This was
soon afterward followed by the fall of the side
wall upon the warehouse at Nos. 72l and 723,
occupied by J. May & Bro. The roof was
crushed and the building shattered by the burn
ing debris.
A number of buildings on the south side of
Arch street were damaged by the fire. and the
contents suffered from water. These were oc-
cupied by M. j. Fahey & Co., dealers in furs; P.
C. Fullweiller, importer and manufacturer of
cigars; the Semminway & Sons Silk Com
pany; the Photographic establishment of T..
Guetckunst, and S. K. Womrath. dealer in furs.
The Harris building just opposite the Morris
building. was badly burned about the front and
upper stories, but the fire was prevented from
spreading further in this direction by the fire.
men, who at once directed several streams on
the building. This structure is large iron
building, five stories high and extends from No.
72O to 724. 1t is occupied by the following firms,
all of whom are losers to some extent by fire or
water: Giliender s. Son. glass manufacturers
Harris Brothers, printers, l. s. Gus
ter There are also few other firms
which have of6cs-room in the place. but their
losses wilt be slight. The double building Nos.
723 and 724 Arch street, just west of the Morris
building. is entirely burned out. It was occu-
pied jointly by May q Brother, Schroeder &
Hillary manufacturers and importers of kid
gloves; the Metropolitan straw works, and A.
Riee, millinery goods.
Shortly after 2 o'clock it was evident that the
ST. Cloud Hotel was doomed, as great volumes
of heavy dark smoke came pouring through the
fifth floor front windows. During the early
stages of the FIRE. and before it had reached the
hotel, the police ran through the latter building
to awaken the guests who had not previously
been alarmed. Some of them were too sleepy
to be aroused, and the officers were obliged to
break in few of the doors to get the people out.
BY o'clock the cornice and portion Of the top
Esory of the hotel fell into Arch street. sending
under control. The ST. Cloud Hotel lessees are
Mess-s. ]. and j. K. Mullin. The hotel
is fvestory structure, with a
frontage of some eighty feet It had
Accommodations for $50 guests and last night was
filled to ,two-thirds it's capacity. The propre-
tors say they value their furniture and effects at
$4,000, which is fully covered by insurance.
The owner Of the property is W. Brics, the we'll
tknown paper dealer The London Temperance
Hotel adjoins the st. Cloud on the east side, and
also caught fre The guests, who were mainly
permanent boarders, were directed to leave it,
and all of them succeeded in saving their per-
sonal property. The loss is now estimated to be
between half and three quarters of a million.
The individual losses, as far as can be learned,
are as follows: Monroe Bros. & Co., shoes, $780,
600, Lehman and Bolton. photographers 800, 900;
ST Cloud Hotel and furniture, 100000 W. II.
Butler Autograph, $50, 900; F. Gutckunst pho
tographer. SIS, 600; May 6 Bros. millinery. $780,
900; Schroeder and HILLARY, gloves. SIS, 900;
Geo. Harris & Sons printers, SO, 900; London
House. $4,000; A. Rice, millinery. $1,000; Gal
lagher &c Casey, leather goods. $4,000; fee
small dweilin cs IN Wiufah straet $5 mn