, 1890-02-13
ANOTHER EARLY FIRE
Five More Tents Burned to the
Ground on Riverside
Avenue.
The Loss Will Not Exceed Five
or Six Thousand
Dollars.

broke out in the tent occupied as II
cigar store by Gribbler Il Winters,
on Riverside avenue, near Post
street. Although discovered almost
as soon as II started, the fire could
not bc eXtinguished, and quickly
spread to the tents adloiningan both
sides.
In ton minutes the tents from
McNab's drug store to the o'rncr
were In blaze, and 1t looked as II
the drug store would catch ias at
any moment. The wind being
from the west, however, managed
to keep the flames In check
for about half an hour. when the
fire engine came.
The store of william Beck, guns
and sporting goods, was where the
fire stopped on the west. There
was u very small stock of goods
left In the store, as there had been
"a closing out sale, and the damage
must have been slight.
Next to the cigar store on the
east, was G. w. Weber's hat store,
which was totally destroyed, but
most Of the stock was saved.
The auction house of Shell Il
Derry was also totally consumed by
the flames.
The American loan office of I.
Abrah on the corner, was
badly gutted, the loss being 81, 800.
with 500 insurance.
The total loss was comparatively
light, and as near a. could be asccr-
tained will not exceed $1,000 or
$4,000.
INCIDENTS.
Two minutes after the fire was dis
covered, Riverside avenue was alive
with men and they all pitched in to
save what goods they could from
the burning stores.
The entire stock of Weber's hat
store was carried to a place of safety
across the street. Men carrying
boxes of cigars and caddies Of tobac-
co were seen In all directions; others
rolled kegs Of whisky from the Ma
zeppa saloon, until there were "a dozen
or more In the middle of the street.
Boxes of hats, and loads of un-
redeemed pledges from the pawn
shop were piled on the sidewalk at
the other side of the street,
The willing helpers, even went so
far as to take of the doors of several
of the stores and carried them to u
place of safety.
IMPR0MPTU PYRoTEcHNICs.
In some one of the stores, was a
large quantity of cartridges, and
when the heat became sufficient To
explode them the effect was beauti-
full, and startling and at the same
time Intensely ludicrous.
As box after box of the explosives
was caught by the flames, the re-
ports Increased from stray shot here
and there TO u rattllny fusilado that
sent the sparks and embers high
into the mir.
The first shot caused a great scat
tering of tho crowd, and In n few
moments the entire street was
cleared. Men sought safety behind
telegraph poles, piles of brick, or
any other place that offered.
a Chinaman was seen To fall be-
hind the pile of sand bags used as u
walk around the Great Eastern
block, where he lay quaking with
fear for twenty minutes.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The fire department failed to put
In an appearance for fully thirty
minutes, some say forty. At any
rate all the damage that could have
been done was well done before they
got to work.
When tho hose cart finally rolled
up, the horses on a trot and the men
fully dressed, rs some one said even
to their white parade gloves, the
crowd hooted and Jeered them un-
mercifully.
The driver Of the hose cart was