The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-17
PROvIDENCE'S BIG FIRE.
a List of the Firms Who Bear the
Brunt of the Losses.

PROVIDENCE, r. l., Feb. 16.--The most
disastrous fire which has visited this city
since Sept. /, 1877, when the great whole
sale buildings about the post office we're
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 awaiting at the
passenger station to take the mdni ht mail
train to New London. He blew an alarm
on his engine whistle.
The fire originated in Chace'S block,
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,
OCCUPANTS OF THE BUILDING.
The flames started in the northwest cor
ner of the ground floor of the building, oc-
cupied as an engine room by Henry Staples
q Co. On the same floor were the sash and
| blind warehouse of f. A. French and
| Edward Wheehouses sash factory.
| The second floor was occupied by William
G. Budlong, a manufacturer Of jewelers.
tools; w. Fl. Beatty & Co., jewelers.; James
A. Charnley, dealer in jewelers. supplies
| Hough & Wilkinson, jewellers, and others.
The third floor was occupied by William
H. Robinson g. Co., manufacturers of
watch chains, and Reed a. Hudson, jew
elers.
The fourth fioor was occupied by ]. H.
Sturdy, all electroplater, and others.
SPREAD OF THE FLAMES.
In a few minutes that building was gut
ted and with a crash the walls feel, throw
ing up a solid sheet of flames and in an in r.
slant the building in the block which stood
upon the opposited side of Worcester
street was in flames. The immense build
ing was consumed like so much tinder, and
in forty-fve minutes nothing but blackened
wa Is remained. Upon the first floor of this
building were Burke Bros, dealers in beer
W. j. Matson & Co., dealers in calico
prints supplies; and H. Morrissey's bar
room. In the second story were Issac
Hahn's braid shop, and Smith g. Provost
engravers. The third floor was empty The
fourth floor contained q quantity of valu-
able shafting belonging TO William Robert
son & Co. Upon the fifth floor Issac F.
Chase had just fitted rooms at a cost of
$4,000 for the manufacture of bill hooks.
CREEPING TOWARD A HOTEL.
At the rear of this building, extending
back 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 the manufacture
of tubing, with very expensive machinery.
From this point the fire extended to the
Aldrich House, the fire communicating
through the roof.
The Aldricb House was totally burned,
as was also the Exchange Hotel and Ethan
Aliens carriage repository. The cold was
paralyzlng. The tangle of electric light,
telegraph and telephone wires greatly i'm
peded the firemen. Anson W. Aldrich,
proprietor of the Aldrich House,
was lying ill in the house, and
was taken to the Girard house where be is in
critical condition. The aggregate loss is
estimated at 1862, 900 The insurance so
far as known is $145.000 The loss on the
Aldrich House is 100000 On the Blling's
building the loss is S95, 900 and the insur-
ance $4,000. On Shattuck's Exchage the
loss is S55, 900 and the insurance $20, 600.
LOSS OF LIFE AT EIMIRA.
ELMIRA, n. Y, Feb. 16.-The total loss
by the fire which broke out in the Adrer-
tiser building last night and spread to ad-
joining buildings will reach fully $3.50 900,
with insurance Of about one-half At the
time the alarm bell rang the mercury was
at zero, and it sank steadily as the night
advanced until it reached 5 below zero.
Charles Bentley, the fireman who was hurt
last night by falling walls, is dying, and
two men are missing who were seen in the
building while it was burning.
$4,000 QUICKLY LOST.
MONTGOMERY, ALA, Feb. 16.-Fire broke
out IL Vandiver's wholesale grocery store
this evening, but it was soon extinguished.
The loss will reach $4,000. The property
is fully insured.
A BLAZE AT GENEVA.
New ORLEANS, Feb. 1G.-A special from
Pensacola, Fla, reports the destruction by
fire this morning of the business portion of
Geneva, Ala. The losses are as follows:
Holloway 81 Gilchrist $4,000; Malon g.
Collins, $1,000; T. j. Marlborough, 81, $500;
j. H. Harper, $500: Hutchinson & Will
son, $4,000.