Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-10-24
ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
The Pretty Theatre Burned Down.
How Did the Fire Originate is the
nnn.lfnn

I @"N ht1'N AheaArs butheh AfoN u.
How Did the Fire Originate is the
Question.
The Academy Of Music was entirely de-
stroyed by fire last evening. The fire
was first discovered about s 40 p. m, by
w. +. McAteer, No 1920 Lowering
avenue. He was passing in a street car
about that time and seeing great clouds
OF smoke issuing from the building he
jumped from the car and gave the alarm
Officer w. +. johnson at once went to
Tenth and Orange streets and struck the
alarm from box No. ,. In few minutes
the Phoenix Fire Company was on the
! ground, closely followed by the Friend
ship The inhammable nature of the
building was such that IN a few minutes
II was sheet of flame. The flames first
! burst forth from the rear of the
building, where the scenery was worked
! from. The roof quickly fell in; there
We're several narrow escapes by the fire
men and electric lightmen who were busy
cutting wires. When the flames came
from the rear they shot up to height
OF fully fifty feet and furnished an illu-
/, mination for miles around After 8
o'ciSek the flames worked their way to
the froat of the house and in few min
utes Inc won cornice fell to the ground
nearly striking ne crowd Had not
ropes been placed across tae street to
keep the people back disaster would no
doubt have followed the fall BY $50 SO
fierce had the ravages of the flames been
that everything in the building that was
| combustible had gone up in smoke and all
that remained were the brick walls cal
lery supports and the stage itself. The
fremen, however, continued their work
until l30 D. m, when they were with
drawn with the exception OF couple Of
plug streams. This morning the ruins
We're smouldering and a completer wreck
could not be imagined
The origin Of the fire is a mystery.
Almost Immediately after the fire began
| charges of incendiarism were made
Joseph Wheeler, who was in chasge OF
the building while closed, was the only
person known to have been in the bri, NM o.
at any time previous TO 20 hny,,lng
About $50 p. m, he .et1.,.,,s,a from, win
Of billihs lhe town For an attraction an
bounced n ior tomorrow ereMing. Mr..
oogller .oi' min to take look around
anu ' se' if everything was all right He
0H found two electric lights burning
one in the office and the other in the
dressing room, which was over the ad.
joining building on che west
When Mr. Wheeler entered the building,
after it was burning, these lights were
still burning There had not been any
fire in the building for ten days previous
to the fire, ana therefore there were only
two causes from which the fire coulC
have arisen, namely, incendiarism anC
the electric lights. L. p. Buck, one Of
those who have an interest in H.
building believes that it was Sc
on fire On the other hand II
r. Souiier one of the managers
discredits the iea and says there was n
object 10 be attained by such a step tn
fire first commenced in the upper part q
the building, and here all the electri
wires enter. There is no gas in this paI
J of she building and a disconnected Z
! crossed wire coming in contact with tn
| scenery was apt to start a flame. I'll
rainy night and the absence Of drafts col
, fined the Games to the building
I A woman residing in the rear sa,
= that she saw fire near where the wir
!, enter shortly before the alarm was struc
The Building was erected in 1885
James H. Shoemaker and l. p. Buck al
.
4 it, it was leased by the present manage
for five years, with the privilege of tern
mating the lease at the end Of two year
On the 18th Of the coming Janual
the lease would have expired. Messr
4 Proctor and Soulier recently notified l
Haven Morris, the trustee fer the owne
of the building, that they would contin
e their lease. Preparations were at on
n commenced for the heRtingsOf the bull
ing'with steam and other Improvement
70 The building when taken by Proctor al
in SouHer was in an unfinished conditi
Il and was completed by them. A lar
amount of scenery was put in. TIL
estimate their expenditures at 500
20 The building cost S34, eco originally a
g Mr.. Buck estimates clear of insuran
le and the value of the walls, that the
81 will be clear loss of 500 600; $40, 600
the amount of the insurance on Il
building, divided among the followii
ne companies. So, 600 in London and La
ct cashire, 81 500, Royal 81 500. Fireman
ey Fund Of California; 81 500, Phoenix
he New York 81, 500. Commercial Of NJ
On York Proctor and Souher have S3,C
insurance and claim total loss of$7, OF
-. besides their loss in business.
Il The building win probably be rcbui
Il although the owners would not say
90 this morning, they preferring not
Il. commit themselves in anyway.
- Donovan q McGowen marble wo:
-. and W. s. Bulock's wagon shops w
u not injured in any way by the fire
4. water not even doing any damage. I
heat at one time was So intense Il
houses on Tatnall street were thought
be endangered