Evening journal., 1890-01-22
HEAVY LOSSES FROM FIRE
MANY HORSES AND CATTLE BURNED
TO DEATH LAST NIGHT.

Burned 10 the Ground-Destruction of
Large Barn ON One of the DUPONT
Farms.
Eight alarms of fire within forty min |
utes from four different boxes situated in |
as many different sections of the city, |
threw the nervous portion of Whining |
tons population into high state Of ex-
citement last evening. There were but
two fires, however, but both were disas-
trous
McCabe & Darragh's match factory at
Seventh street and the Brandywine
creek, was burned to the ground and
large barn on one Of the DUPONT farms
was destroyed with twenty-nine head of
cattle and horses. The loss on the match
factory is about $4,000 and on the farm
$1,000, with only partial insurance In
each case.
The first alarm was struck by Police
Officer Schultz from box 2, at Twentieth
and Market streets In the Ninth ward.
He saw a bright light off to the north
west, which was the burning barn, and
thought the fire was near the city.
Guided by the bright illumination, most
of the fire engines started out Delaware
avenue. None went far beyond
the city limits before the loca-
tion of the fire was discovered.
and some were returning, when at 7.21
o'clock an alarm was struck from box 81,
at Seventh street and Railroad avenue,
opposite the jackson and Sharp Com
pany's works This was followed by a
third alarm from box No. 81, ct Front
and Searles streets. Ignoring the third
alarm, thinking rightly that it was
struck on account of the burning barn of
to the northwest, the engines started for
bright glow that lit up the eastern sky,
under which tongues Of flames were
rising.
The crowds Of men and boys who at
tend fires were confused by the num-
erous alarms, and some ran northeast,
others east and still others ont Lancaster
avenue. People came out on the street
and looked from one illumination to the
other
After a short interval an alarm was
rung from box No. 40, at Head and
Lobdell streets, South Wilmington
Within the next few minutes two more
alarms were struck from box 81 and two
more from box 81, the last at Z. 90 o'clock.
These were on account Of
|
and added to the unusual excitement
Some miscbievious persons sent in the
alarm, taking advantage of the boxes
being open. A few people laid
the blame of the numerous
alarms to the striker at the City
Hall, which has been striking in an &c
centric manner of late.
The fire companies found that tn,
I ,,,o&n1, faatorr hafror too1o4a1 Al.
marsh in the rear of jackson and Sharp's
was inaccessible on account of bad roads
and returned to their houses with ex
hausted horses.
The Match Factory.
The factory was Of frame and was
operated by John G. McCabe and Richard
Darragh, trading as McCabe and Darragh
Daniel Kerbaugh is superintendent of thu
match works. They furnished employ
ment for twenty-five persons and had
capacity of 800 gross of parlor matches
day. The business was started two year
: ago and increasing trade made al
. addition Of space and new mschiner,
necessary. Much Of the new machineri
f; had been received but had not yet beer
. used. The building will be rebuilt anI
the business continued. The origin Of
the FIRE is unknown. The loss may reacl
l $40, 900, 81, 900 being covered by insur
= ance policies with Thomas F Hanlon
The loss on machinery and stock is thu
. heaviest, the building was fran
, structure.
The Bnrned Barn.
. The barn was situated on the roa
running from the kennett turnpike {
D. the Dupont homestead, the home of tn
late General Henry DUPONT. The loca
ton is four or FIVE miles from the Cit
Hall. 1t was known as the Flemin
I. barn, and was owned by f. l. DuPor
de Nemours g. Co. It was large strul
b ture, having a stone foundation and bas
n ment. The upper part, which was {
d wood, had been rebuilt within a fe
J. years.
4 The FIRE had a good start when it wa
discovered in the rear of the barn, an
although a crowd gathered, it burned I
rapidly that nothing could be done to sa'
the building. All efforts were devoted
q. the house and other buildings, toward
which the wind blew the fire at first. II
wind afterwards shifted and they wei
out Of danger.
IL Cattle and Horses Burned.
Stabbed in the lower part of the ban
were nineteen cows and heifers and eig
horses and colts, belonging to Wet
0 Sterling. In order to get out, the sto,
had to pass under the hay bay, whiC
was burning so fercely that no one cou
Z go under it to unhitch the horses halle
q or let the cattle loose from their stal
chions.
Two gof the cows got loose and rush
n out. One of them wild with pain al
terror, went back again and then o
% again and dropped dead. The other W
SO badly burned that il was killed. The
was high stone wall around the stall
0 yard adjoining the barn, which al
n rendered assistance to the sufferiI
animals difficult or impossible.
The horses and cattle imprisoned in t
barn struggled wildly to escape al
dashed blindly abont the barn with fea
full cries of agony and terror. One by o
8 through the windows they could be Sc
? to fall, struggle in the burning straw
awhile and then remained quite, VIII
the odor of burning flesh rose on the a
The roof fell in a short time and &
Z fire burned itself out.
The Property Destroyed.
Eighty tons Of hay, corn crib cc
4 tanning $50 bushels of corn, lar
"a quantity of corn fodder, mowi
es machines. farm wagons and 9th
We machinery were destroyed. The loss
estimated at 81, 000 There is 81, 900
"a surance on the barn in the Farme
~ Mutual Company Of this city. 7
NJ machinery and stock were not insurl