Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-12-25
FIRE IN A PAPER OFFICE.


txhe "Ohily Republican, establishments
in Fiamcs--Most Damage from watcr.
Fire was discovered Mt o'clock Tuesday
morning In the Daily Republican building.
~ The southeast corner of Third and1k ing
streets. Prompt work by the fire depart,
ment prevented disastrous loss, but the
entire building from top to bottom is dam
aged by fire and water. The damage to
type, paper, &c, is almost entirely from
water. The total loss will be about 81 900.
There is not cent of insurance The
paper will appear as usual this afternoon.
0eorge Metzner, barber living at No.
lO8 East Third street, two doors from the
Republican Building, discerned smoke
Issuing from the windows ut Q o'clock Tues
DAY. morning and ran to the Washington
engine house, just around the corner, on
french street, and notified the members
OF the company The apparatus was gotten
out and water put into the building about
The press, which is on the first floor and
neal. which the fire appeared to be. The
smoke was dense and thick and the flames
could not be located at first.
About five minutes after the Washington
engine arrived at the fire. an alarm WINS
sent out from box No. 81, at Third and
King streets by Special Waterman Pardee.
IN a short time the fire appeared to be
under control, but thick smoke still rolled
nom the second and third story windows.
Wesley Vernon, the pressrnan and
fre department, started to make an inves-
ugation. They assembled the stairs to the
second story and opened the door TO the
job department. Thick sitting smoke
rolled out, and famed by the draft. flames
burst ont on every. story of the building,
ana shot above the roof. The men re-
treated and streams from every engine
were poured into the building. Assistant
Engineers Kane and Green directed the
iiremen. The new Delaware truck was put
in service for the first time.
The flames burst out from the building
about . O'Clock and after about half
hours fight they were subdued. The en-
glncs continued to throw water into the
building for ashort time until every spark
was extingnshed.
George W. Vernon, the senior proprietor
of the paper, who lives at No. sos West
Fifth street, was notified of the fire shortly
after il broke out, and with his sons hast
ened to the scene. Walter Vernon was the
last person in the building last night. He
left there between ii and ~ o'clock He
thought he smelled the smoke of burning
wood, but believing that it was from the
stereotyping furnace paid no attention toit.
The fire originated from the furnace of
the boiler used for heating the steam table
III the ,stereotyping department, on the
second iioor. The second floor is occupied
by the job department, with the stereo-
tipping machinery in the east end. The
furnace where the fire started was in the
corner of the room against the back wall. |
The fire ate through the floor and weak |
ened it, allowing the boiler to tip partly |
over, sending fire to the first floor. Then |
the flames crept along the wall to ventla-
tor Shaft and rose through it to the third |
floor and roof
The building is much damaged by water,
the fire being confined to the corner near
the ventilator shaft. The Scott perfeeting
press, which cost $4,000, is little hurt.
Some of the ink rollers were melted and
the blankets burned Off of the cylinders.
The damage to the press is not more than
$50 or SIS. The gas engine and other ma
chinery on the first floor are not injured
Some paper is damaged by water, but the
most of 1t suffered but little. The business
office and reporters room were drenched
with water.
The cases of the job department, on the
second floor, We're soaked with water and
some type "pied.n There is no damage to
the ,stereotyping machinery worth men
tioning. The composing room in the third
story was flooded with water and the cases
soaked. A number of advertisements and
part of yesterdays paper were "pied.'
Members of the company were busy
cleaning up Tuesday morning. Many of the
windows of the building were broken.
Although the monetary loss is COMPARE
lively slight, the trouble and inconveni-
ence cannot be estimated
new dress of type for the paper had
been ordered and is expected soon, so the
in this respect will not be so
be let alone.