Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-10-25
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URIC Wires sRnitct The Hzonsc3
FROM Every Evening oil yeslsrday
The Academy Of Music on Delavaye
avenue near Tatnall street was destroyed
by hrc last night and MASS Of obarred
ruins encompassed by four big walls IA
all that remsins Of the quondsm theatYe
The Ore was discovered aoout 8 IS o, oloolr
by W. ". McAteer who was riding by IN
street car. Clouds OF smoke were com,
ing from the back part ot tho buildin0
and he at onoe gave the alarm. Officer
johnson who was In the vicinity struoh
the fire alarm from box No. 3 al Tenth
and Orange Htreets. The Frlendship
company was on the soene In short TINA
and for two hours played two solid
streams OF water on the burning masu
The other companies arrived within fow
minutes and as soon az they got into
active service, seven atreams or water
wore poured into the building but with.
out avail.
The building seemed to be doomed
from the beginning. When the fee was
discovered the back part OF the htructure
was already in flames and the entire In.
terror was hlled with smoke which pre-.
vented definite location Of the Are, Bv
the time the engines had arrived the firs
had gsinei great headway as it had no
most inf lmmable material to feed upon.
Mr.. Soulier, one of the lessees, who ar.
rived early ON the scene, thinks that IL
the efforts Of the fremen bad been con.
centrated 10 prevent the Ire from coming
forward, the Delaware avenue end of The
building might have been saved, but the
firemen claim that II would have bsen i'm.
possible to save anything. AZ soon AZ a
draught was admitted from the ousxi IA
the FIRE burst out with fash thronp hout
tho entire interior and within is minutes
after the arrival Of the Are companies,
the flames had bean communicated 10 All
parts of the house. a''e 1I
i Aside from thoughts Of loss and dam
age which the owners would sustain, the
sight was grand one aud was Witnessed
by an immense thropg Of people, who,
with umbrellas raised, crowded the ad.
jaeent thoroughfares, regardless Of mud
and rain. The tongues Of fame leaped
80 feet into the air until they faded into
the darkness above. Showers Of sparks
we've engendered and HoAtsd In the air
looking like so many ntars. The coca.
sional bright blue flashes from crossing
electric light wires or as they came into
contact with some foreign conductor,
looked like lightning and alarmed the
ASSEMBLED multitude more than the fire.
Ths latter was never source Of Danger.
The cir was calm and the long rain had
30 irenohed everything that the flying
sparkle could do no damage. The q inch
brick walls which comprised the four
sides Of the building still stand intact.
Thas tho fre had nothing but
the interior TO feed upon and the
four wnlls simply formed o big fue.
Everything burned 10 rapidly that
nothing was saved. Within 90 minutes
aft,r the alarm the cornioc on the back
part Of the building fell With crash,
narrowly escaping several members of the
Fame Hose Fre Company, who were inst
advancing through the narrow little street
with theis hose. Gradually ca the rafteSs
arr 1oof were consumed, tho charred
trans work above the walls would COL
lepas. Finn.,., the big ooraice on the
Deli ware avenue aiSe fell into tho street
with crash, carrying electric wires with
~, snd for moment causing great ex-
Cite nent. The firemen had seen the tot
terilg mass and kept at safe distance,
but u WIS thought 81 frst that man had
beeI, caught in the ruins. No ono, how.
eveI, was injured. The hrs was under
cont rol ct o 80 o'clock, e;though the IRE
engines continued 20 play on IL until long
after 10 O'Clock. When they finally de-
parted, two ciug streams were still con-
tinubd fSf time until all danger from
the h.ning ruins bad been averted.
The fre was we'll managed, and all OF
The hre companies rendered good service;
but II seemed impossible to save any Of
the intarior from the headway which the
fiames had received before the Are
engines got into effective service.
Tho causs Of the fire Is q mystery.
Manager Suulier says that there has mot
been Are in the building for 10 days.
In fact, he had made arrangements to put
in new heating apparatus of new pat
tern and intended going to Lancaster In q
day or two to make arrangements to that
effect. So far as known, the building
was looked and not O soul was within
Joseph 81. Wheeler, who watches at the
Academy, says that he was in the building
for about 1--WE minutes that evening as is
his dEily ouetom. he vent there to see
il every thing was right aud says that he
left there about $50 O'Clock. At thht
time there was no one else in the build.
ing. A light (elaotric) was burning in
the Office next to Delaware avenue and one
was burning In tho dressing roou which
was not burned out 10 that the Are could
not have originated with either Of
those lights. Those who were earliest on
the scene ire unanimous that the fre
began In the back part of the building.
II was not under the stage for q part Of
the stage is still standingi some of the
scenery ia not totally consumed and the
woodwork about and underneath the
stage shows that IL passed through less
Ore than other parts OF the building 90 1t
is not entirely consumed. lie. Wheeler
says that when he arrived ct the Academy
shortly after the alarm, he could $50
nothing inside the building for smoke.
The electric light in the ofiise was still
burning. MIR. Soulisr inoines to the
belief that the fire started in the flies and
can Rsoribe no other caHse thnn sons de-
/ feet In the electric wires which formed o
network throughout the building.
Tint the fire companies did good ser
Woe is evidenced by the i've feet OF water
which now stand underneath where the
stags Was Everything inside was con-
sumed, new scenery, fine piano, per.
sonal belongings, 40.
The officials OF the Oity blectslo uotn-
pany's station, Fifth and Orange streets,
were aeen by an EVERY EVENING reporter
this morning.
''Oould the electric wires have caused |
last nights oonfsgrstion at the Academy
of Music ~
mo, sir" Electrician Lighthips replied
emphatically.
but" the reporter continued, "the
people mp at the Academy cay there were
no fires or illumination of any kind in
the building but the electric lights"
N.Y. TSohthina---tsThere Vere fsw