The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-17
GREAT FIRE IN PROVIDENCE.
The chace Block, the Billings Block and the AID
rich House Burned.

/ fsCh house bafurt-
Providence, February 16.-The most
| disastrous fire which has visited this city
since September, 1887, when the great
wholesale buildings about the post office
were destroyed, ragged this morning
among the business blocks near the City
| Hall. The flames were first discovered
at midnight, and the first man to give the
alarm was the engineer of the locomotive
waiting at the passenger ststion to take
| the midnight mail train to New London.
He blew an alarm on his engine whistle.
The fire originated at Chace's block, a
four-story brick structure, at the corner
of Eddy and Fountain streets, and
spread so rapidly that a general alarm
was rung and the entire fire department
responded. The flames started in the
northwest corner of the ground floor of
the building, occupied as an engine room
by Henry Staples & Co. On the same
floor was the sash and blind warehouse
of A. E. French, and Edward Wheel
houses sash factory.
G. Budlong s. Co.. manufacturers of
jewelers. tools; w. III. Beatty & Co.,
jewelers. Jas. A. Charnley, jewelers.
supplies; Hough s. Wilkinson, jewellers,
and others.
The third floor was occupied by VIM.
Fl. Robinson & Co., manufacturers of
watch chains, and Reed & Hudson, jew
clars.
The fourth floor was occupied by j. III.
Sturdy, electroplater, and others. In
few minutes this building was gutted
and with crash the walls fell, throwing
up solid sheet of flame, and in an in
stant the Billings block, which stood up
on the opposite side of Worcester street,
was in flames. The immense building
was consumed like so much tinder, and
in forty minutes nothing but the black
ened walls remained.
Upon the first floor of this building
were Burke Bros, dealers in beer; w. j.
Matheson & Co., dealers in calico prints
supplies, and FL. Morrissey's bar room.
In the second story were Isaac Haines'
braid shop and Smith & Provost, en-
gravers. The third floor was empty.
The fourth floor contained a quantity
of valuable shafting belonging to w.
Robertson.
Upon the fifth floor Isaac F. Chose
had just fitted rooms at cost of $40 900
for manufacturing bill books.
AT the rear of this building, extending
oack over the rear of other buildings,
were three floors recently erected. Two
of these were occupied by Hahn. The
third floor had just been fitted up for
manufacturing tubing with very expen-
sive machinery.
From this point the fire extended to
the Aldrich House, the fire communicat-
ing through the roof.
The Aldrich House was totally burned,
also the Exchange Hotel and Ethan AL
lens carriage repository. The cold was
paralyzing. The tangle of electric light,
telephone and telegraph wires greatly
impeded the firemen. Arson w. Aldrich
proprietor of the Aldrich House, was
lying i'll in the house, and was taken to
the Girard House, where he is in a crit
ical condition.
The aggregate loss is estimated at
$685., 900. The known insurance is S145,-
600. The loss on the Aldrich House is
$4,000 The Billings building loss is
S95, 1000; insurance $4,000. Shattuck's s
exchange, loss, $50, 600; insurance, S20,-
600