Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-01-24
Sundays FIRES.

Weeks lumber yard at Eront and Justi-
SON streets caught fise. Almost simnl-
ianeously 1t spread right and left igniting
the morocco factory Of B. lundy Kent q
90. ON one side and the lumber yard and
shedS in front facing Front street. By 8
o'clock the whole premises stretching 100
ieet on Front street and nearly the same
length along justison was reduced to
complete wreck the whole contents of
machinery, stock, and lumber being en-
lrely consumed.
]. +. jackson, Waterman for the
Harlan q Hollingsworth Company, struck
tle alarm, and Officer Meredith aroused
the sleeping occupants of adjoining
Houses. Sergeant Blackburn gave timely
assistance by entering the lumber yard
uffice before the fire had reached that
portion OF the premises and obtained all
the books that could be found.
4 At the time Of the alarm, 3.15 O. NJ,
and before the fremen had arrived
citizen claims 10 have seen light in the
direction of the stables looking from
Justison street. But from other state
ments 1t ia pretty evident that at that time
the fire bad orept along to the western end
OF the stables contiguous to the piles of
lumber. The wind was blowing from
the west which fact explains the almost
incredible swiftness with which the fire
developed into corf1agrasion until at
O'clock the whole line of buildings and
sheds along Front street burst out into
seething roaring blazs like a cauldroa Of
fire, the flames leaping scores Of feet in
the air with rear and ferceness that
drove the brave tiremen frern the heated
glowing front, aud with brightness that
lit up the streets and houses, ard tho
hundreds Of people who by this time
packed every avenue approaching the
locality. The fremen wisely stretched
ropes along the Justison street crossing,
which, TO certain extent, kept the
crowds back and enabled the men 70
exert themselves in the direction OF nn
effort to restrict the conh4gration to the
limits of the factory aud lumber yard
premises. Their effective work was no.
warded by success, snd whet at ono mo
ment promised to be mos. disastrous
copfagrstion threatening an entire block,
was safely got under control. This
wos accomplished, however, only by the
partial sacrifice ot building, thFae.stoFy
brick house No. 600 Front stfeat oeeu-
pied by Henry Valentine. The intense
heat from the lumber yard bugded toe
rear buildings OF both houses, Nos. 600
and 602, adjoining the lumber yard Office,
Thereof of No. 600 became iPnited and only
the incessant watchtulness Of the firsmen
prevented the block OF houses being con-
sumed. Climbing to the roofs the men
used their hstchets vigorously and separ-
Rted the woodwork connecting the roofs
of Nos. 600 aud coz. Valentines house
was drenched from top TO bottom the
entire contents being damaged by watar
In order to says the contiguous row of
houses. Valentine claims his loss to be
5000, against which he holds an insurance
of $400. The house No. 500, occupied
by Carroll Murray and known 90 the
American Laundry was only slightly
damaged. The occupants CT the build
inGs below the morocco factory on the
Justison street side We're badly frightened.
The rears of the bui dinps suffered from
the effects Of the intense heat, 1t is due
to the fact of the direction Of the wind,
westward, that the fremen were enabled
to save the houses. Along Front street
in front of the burning premises, the
store front of Hopkins & WilliBrns, tin
smiths, was badly scorched and come
damage experienced 10 broken panes of
gas, . se, t sa sisil lose IL no IL.
10 keep the house from catching fir
The nsiRhboIing houses Nns sos Il A..
Mu''ar. ani 523, 71seAHlHr itai a,Ae,
had doors and sashes blistered by tho
tiere heat from the opposite side OF tho
road. The meter OF the Wilmington Gas
Company in the immediate rear OF the
stable where the fire is supposed to havs
originated Fortunately escaped uninjured
The horses were taken from the stables in
time, none Of them being hurt.
Although the confagration Yves under
control by 6 o'clock the fire continued
burning until noon end demanded the at
tention OF all the fire companies for two
hours longer. The engines left at abont
3. 80 O'clock, p m., all but the Weccacoa
and Fsme companies, there being q call
for the formers services on en- alarm
from over Eleventh street bridge. There
were other alarms from the lumber yard
and factory during the day and until
after dark. Flames would fitfuily burst
out from beneath the tin sheeting OF the
factory roof and also almost every half
hour from the great mass of partially
consumed piles OF lumber on Front street.
Seldom have the fremen OF the city
experienced such an exacting 20 hours
work as that following from 8 O'Clock
Sunday morning, the heavy atorms CT
snow and wind coupled with the extreme
cold increasing the righteousness OF their
unenviable task. The residents OF the
netghborhood Of Front and Jus;ison
streets, however, did what they could in
aiding the 0ver-worked men with sub
stantial edibiea and hot coffee.
The locality Of the FIRE was visited. by
large crowds ct citizens throughout the
whole of Sunday 3
Fae loss bytho fra is estimated al about
$4,000, which is covered by insurance
as follows. On the morocco factory with
Gilpir j Coon stock, in the american
of Philadelphia, 81 500; North Briisl,
and Mercantile, 81 600; Liverpool and
London and Globe, SO SEQ; Orient O;
Hartford, Conn, 50 EGO and Commercial
Union, London, s $500; total Oh stock,
Sl2 0UG; on the faosoty--in tie Nortl,
American, $2,5U0; Fire Association.
Philadelphia, $1,000; Phoenix Assur
nnoe, England. $4,000; total on building.
$6,500 on machinery, $1,000 in tht
Spring Garden of Philadeip4is: uper
lumber md Othe- items, 81 GEO In -tl,t
Pennsylvania and $3.50 on oiiiae, stab,
aud shed ling in the Fro Association .,
Philadelphia. u p. Buck ~ 60, holt
the following insurance On the iambej
yard, 81 aG2 ia The london aud Liygto1s
and Globe; 81 862 on the Royal, Liver
pool and $3.50 in tho German american
The New Castle Mutual Iusuran3s Con
pRuy holds 80 900 on the lumber ward
The total insurance being $40 $50 via
Glpin d % So IA with /. 2. Huuk (
Co., ana $1,000 wiih the New CAST
Mutual, cum total u 839,22i u faster,
and lumber yard,
This building IN which the morocco,
factory was located was one nt tho oil,
landmarks OF Wilmington, ard for yeaf
was one OF the best known cf Wumina
l..,l. - 49,. -. 49,.