Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-01-21
WORK OF THE FLAMES.
THREE FIRES YEsTERDAy-
HEAVY LOSSES.
Kent g. Weeks Lumber Yard and Mo-
rocco Factory Totally Consumed
Fire in tho Ninth Ward and
Gentleman's Furnishing Store.

Gentleman's Furnishing Store.
From about $50 o'clock on Sunday
mornipg sn insidious, slowly increasing
fire was making headway at TIE southern
corner of Kent Il Weeks lumber yard,
a adjoining their morocco factory. 1t was
not until about s. 10 o'clock that the fire
was discovered by j. Frank JACKSON,
private watchmau at the Harlan IL Hol-
lingsworth Company's Works and City
Policeman Meredith. At this time the
fire was burning aercely in that corner OF
the morocco factory, and dense volume
of fame and smoke was pour tng up from
the corner of the lumber yard adjoining.
The ysrd being covered with boards,
the flames ran and crack like demons
In the air NJ the prospect OF u rich Sunday
morning feast.
Watchman Jackson few to box No. "a,
Front and Justsoa streets, and In an In
Btant the alarm of fire was flashed to
every fire company In the city, while
Officer Mereditn's first thought was OF
the slee sing occupants of the dwellings in
the vicinity that were endangered. His
loud knocks awakened the sleepers, who
arose aud made hasty preparations for
hiBhb. AhSh VI bhc iOtsS9 lu
the stable In the yard, ii was buf the
work OF a moment to break open the
yard gates aud stable doors, and thu
three horses were quickly rescued. The
officer had time also to run out carr age
| and three sets of harness before the stable
was enveloped In the roaring fam S.
By this time the whole root of the
yard WAS on fire, nearly the whole of the
| morocco factory was enveloped, and leap
| ing tongues OF frs began to CHAIR aud
cinler the rear of the brick dwelling No.
600 West Front street, owned by Kent "
| Weeks and occupied by Henry Valentine
| the barber The latter was Just aroused
In time to pick up his children and carry
them down stairs and out Into the chi ling
night air before the d % broke through
into his bed rooms.
The fire department promptly respond
ed to the alarm and In v ry short time
after their arrival were throwing streams
\ of water over the belching flames. Tnere
was no prospec. ct this time of saving
nything in the morocco factory nor in
| tho lumber yard and the firemen bent
their energies to prevent the spreading OF
the flames down Justison street, south,
and down Front street. west. The roof
OF the lumber yard WAS speedily consum-
ed, but the solid compact piles of lumber
burned slowly after the exposed parts be-
came cha red. All day yesterday the
solid piles of lumber smouldered, smoked
and occasionally burst out into flames
and requiring constant watch.
Never did bremen work harder. The
morning was cold and many of them
were covered with ice The citizens in
the vicinity We'd with eacher In making
| hot coffee and sandwiches for the gallant
tiremen who were fighting the flames.
In recognition Of these kind attentions,
the following has been handed the RE-
PUBLICAN for publication;
WILMINGTON, Del, Jan. 81, 1885,
The chief engineer desires to return
thanks to the following parties; Mr.. G..
/ Wigglesworth, 206 Jefferson street; Mira.
G. Murray, American Laundry, 602 West
Front street; Mr.. g. Krautter, soap
manufacturer, COG West Front street;
Mrs. g. Stoyel, III Justiscn street, and
others Tor furnishing lunch and coffee to
the Aremen at Kent & Weeks lumber
yard ilre Sunday morning.
WM MCCRACKEN,
Chief Engineer w. +. Department.
The office of Kent Il Weeks was at the
corner OF the yard adjoining tho Valen-
tine building on Front street and is
hlMnos Nubll1 utlbtOlOds n VI
the books OF the firm were on the desks
and Sergeant Blackburn saved them by
bursting opsn the door and na'ching
them from the flames that had forced
their way inside. Besides the burn ng
and d.enching of the Valentine residence,
the American Laundry at No. COB West
Front street carried on by the Misses
Carroll h Murray, was considerably iG-
jured by the drenchlng 1t received. There
was no insurance on their property, but
the loss is not large and they are glad
they escaped as well as they did.
At one time there was danger of the
whole row of houses on Justison street
down to the railrod being swept by the
fire, but the exerlions of the hremen
saw d them without material Injury ex-
cept Fitzpatrlck's saloon, adjoi ing the
rear OF the morocco factory one corner
OF which was scorched by fire and the
building thoroughly drenched.
B. Luudy Kent, of the firm of B. Lundy
Kent 81 Co. and OF the lumber firm of
Kent q Weeks, places the entire loss at
81, ,0G0 TO S25 900, OF which loss $4,000
is on the lumber. The insurance, he
says, is 40, 0c0 divided amorg va ious
companies, but he does not know which
ones. r. L. Gilpin aud L. P. Buck & |
70. are agents lOE tlo companies. In re /
Is also some insurance In the New Castle |
Mutual. The insurance is divided as fol-
lows: Building, $500; stock, S1,5C0;
machinery, 81 40; lumber yard, $40, COO. |
Henry Valentine, the barber, is irsur- |
ed In L. p. Buck u Co. 3 agency for t400,
but he says his oks Is much more. His |
house was well furnished, plano occupy.
Ing the front upstairs parlor. Every |,
thing in the house is totally ruined.
AS to the cause of the fire the general !
impressi was that it came from the
steam boiler in the cellar In the front
part of the morocco ctory, some years
ago the Black Horse hotel kept by Ter
renee Brdgemsn. Joseph J. Quinby,
the engineer, says, however, that be care
fully banked the fire when he lett on Sat-
urday evening", aud the fact that the fire
being first seen at the lower end of the
factory would destroy the steam boiler
theory
The factory had not been in active
opei alton for about two months, as there
were not less than 100 dozen oil finished
skins on hand that had not been disposed
II. Henry Herniken was foreman Of the
When the place was In
ull OF Grafton it employed about tiity
,Ands. The rear and main part OF the
actory was built of frame, the weather
boarding being covered with corrugated
ron, except one brick wall one story
Ugh along Justison street.
ANOTHER ERE. /,
About 10.30 O'Clock yesterday morning,
md while the fire department WaR hnsv