Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-12-05


From the building of Brown g. Dur
rell, where the fire caught, it spread
ACROSS the street and back through the
burning building into Chauncey street.
Ia few minutes ii had extended along
Chaunoey street on the left hand side,
eating into the building next to it on the
south, occupied by Oluett, Koon Il Co.,
and in less than lO minutes was tearing
into the next, tho mammoth stone build
ing occupied by Williams il Co., on the
next corner south. From the other side
it eapsd almost at once upon the build
ings on Rowe Place al the lower end, and
the wind favored the supposition that the
whole South Cove end the wholesale dis
trict were doomed.
On the east sids OF Chaunoey etreet
the buildings, all of than mammoth
were occupied as wholesale
houses in the dry goods and fancy goods
trade, and every endeevor was made to
keep them from catching. At the inter
section Of Rowe Place with the great
building of Clahin, Larrabes 81 Co., en-
gines IL, % and 2 wers Ingssed, holding
the ire gallsntly in check until the big
stone building of 8. William1 & o., on
Chguncey straet and Rowe Place igniteo,
when, finding n fierce conAagration in
their rear they had to hurry up Rows
Place to save, il possible, the long gran.
ito block on the west side of Chauncey
street.
Just before this, while small army OF
fremen were striving to save Chaunoey
street, the hot air generated by the fire
raging in the rear blew ont the entico
glass front of No. ~ Chapncey street,
occupied by Wright Brothers, dealers in
skins and furs. Firemen were ia the
building with line of hose attempting
to save the rear, and we're literally blown
out into Chauncey street, one or them,
named Manning, being cut and torn be-
yOnd all recognition. His eyes were out
OF mis- u nd.
AT 10. 10 the massive Wellington build
ing at OhGuncey and Bedford streets
caught.
At l1.30 the fire was we'll in hsnd aud
confined wholly to the block embracing
the corner OF Chaunoey and Bedford
streets and that opposite to the we twsrd,
occupied by Morse, Dsrrabee IL Co.,
George P. Frost IL Co. and Farley,
Harvey Il 90.
This fire, coming as il does on top of
the great blHzs at Lynn is crushing
blow to many of the smaller COMPANIES,
and it is not vt all unlikely that il will
cause the suspension OF not few Of
them.
THE BURNED DISTRICT.
The burned district begins at Columbia
street ON the east and extends two blocks
westward aloug Bedford street to Chaun-
cey street on the west. On the south
side OF Bedford street the fire consumed
the entire block bounded by Bedford,
Kingston, Essex aud Cuiumbia streets;
westward OF this the entire block bounded
by Bedford, Kingston and Ohauncey
streets and Rowe Place, and westward of
ihia the buildings on Chauncsy street
from Bedford TO Exeter Place. Il also
badly damaged the building on the south.
east corner of Bedford and Columbia
streets. North OF Bedford street it con-
sumed the buildings on both the north
east and northwest corners of Bedford
and Kingston streets, and damaged the
block at the corner OF BsdfOrd and
Ohauncey streets.
BOSTON, Nov. 20. Two more hremen,
Michael Murnan, driver, and John Brooks,
pipeman, OF Hose No. z, are reported
missing this morning and are believed ia
be in the ruins of the Brown.Durell
Building.
BosroN, Nov. 9O.-Now that the last splut,
tering flame Is dying out IN the emoers OF
the great fire public interest has centred
itsslI on this pertinent question: "WhaI
started the copiiagration 7" Several the
ories have been advanced, but the following
| Is the more generally accepted:
The fire originated In the lower floor OF
/ the AulaB building, occupied by tine dry
goods firm OF Brown, Durrel & Co., whost
Htock contained nothing that could cGust
| spontaneous combustion. In the same par
OF the building was the oiflca OF the elec
tic time clock, whose ins ruments, regu,
lated from the Cambridge Observatory are
/ all over the city.
one is iii the city hall and at $50 O'Clock
| Wednesday might Il fash OF fire envelopsd
| II and the woodwork surrounding 1t tool
| lire. The wor-s instantly stopped, and
! yesterday morning every clock belonging
| 10 the company was discovered to have
stopped ut that Identical time. In many
! places where wood was ns4r the timepiect
| Ii has been burned ana charred. The
clock company 'sheadquar.ers being burned
out, they had no opportunity to observ,
what had occurred there, but they plaineC
that tho electric phenomena had oeel
eau 5ed hy one of their wires falling across
Z wire OF the WuBt End street railroad etec
trie system.
They didn't doubt the possibility that .ht
current when burned the clocks out else
where hal started fire in their office
which emOulderinG all night gave tn
flames the big start they apparently had
This he's stared public cutlery againstth
electric road baving the unprotected AM
heavilY.charget wires strung through tn
streets.
The scenes through tbs burned sectIon
yesterday were particularly desolate, as III
section WIS usually the busiest in the city
Tho dregrlness OF tho Dituatlon is heiGh
tened By tie fact that two more tlremen ar
mlssing-Rosemen MirhGel Murpane Gp
John Brooks, Of Ilos9 7, who were last see
with tho missing LaddermeD buckley an
Loker, and are evidently burned under IN
walls OF tho Ames building with tnetr com
rades.
John O. Paigs's Insurance agency esti
mates tho total loss Mt 9l0,00O, 900. O:ha
estimates are lower. Iha nsaesac value {
the destroyed buildings Is l79J.G00. Ind
vltuel losers as II rule are neu abundant
able TO stand Ii. Ine aggregate losses {
the fire insurance c0mplnies as rsIcrte
hy the agencies SLOW Il total OF owe
Ss $40 eco. Underwriters on the crest est
maIa the tOtal PtepertY loss br the con
titerRtlon 10 be between Ei,Ge1,Ou0 All
S5.0Q0,Ol0.
| ---~t~-e-@------
Fatal eaunn'ug Accident.
Special Correspondence or Gazette and Jogru'