Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-03-19
FLAMES IN A BUSY CENTRE
Fire on Saturday Night in the
Clymer Factory.
OTHER BUILDINGS THREATENED
The Kirkwood Houses Mar
row Escape.


ilpHI IVA W. VI, lHlIu anu Mig
streets.
Within 90 minutes of the alarm of
fire the third floor of the factory run.
ming from Third street to the Western
Hotel stables was ablaze.
The fire department was in service at
2.10 o'clock and under the direction of
Chief Robinson every effort was cen.
tired upon the plan of restricting the
fire to the factory building. The firemen
well understood the critical job on hand
for the whole factory was nothing
less than storehouse of dry wood sea-
soned for the needs of carriage body
making. The plan was while keeping
q watch along the roofs TO prevent the
flames stealing into neighboring build
ings and to work at the same time in an
effort to keep the fire from creeping TO
the second and first floors.
With what remarkable success this
plan was carried out the results show.
Probably in all the record of the fire
department of this city the annals can
not show such successful and credit
able work on the part of the VIII
mington fire department Not stick
of wood was injured by fire on the first
floor nor on the second with the excep-
ton of the stairway from the third floor.
Both first and second floors were
drenched with water but that under the
circumstances was excusable and the
sacrifice had to be made to save what
was there and also TO ensure against the
risk to the whole block which the firing
Of such an immense mass of combusti-
BE material would undoubtedly hazard.
What the firemen undertookwas effected
in most signal and successful manner.
AS to the Clymer Company's losses,
they are estimated to he close on $780,
600 There is full insurance.
The cause of the fire has not heGn as
certained. 1t originated undoubtedly
close TO the party wall at the north end
of the third floor. The big tin-plated
roof collapsed early in the conilagration.
Everything on the third floor was CON
sumed and il now presents nothing but
mass of black, charred embcrs.
The kirkwood House was not dam
aged except one bedroom at the west
end, contiguous TO the wall facing the
factory. Probably $50 will cover the
loss The hotel was filled with smoke
and burning sparks were dashed against
the window panes. The fireman watched
the building carefully, and, the roof
being flooded with water, nothing
caught fire. The hotel guests were
naturally somewhat alarmed.
Thomas Hogue, an apprentice, got to
the factory at 2.10 a. M. He found the
first and second stories free of fire. The
flames were in the northern end of the
third story, lie got ladder, and
placing it where he could reach win
dow, clambered up and discovered the
flames at the northern end of the upper
story, which was already full Of smoke,
and the fire creeping along towards
Third street. The Washington, Reliance
and Fame companies We're sending
streams into the blazing building. At
$50 o'clock the fire was under control.
But half an hour later the fire broke out
again on the Third street side, in the
drying room, on the third floor, lust
above the office. The fire was finally
put out at $50 a. M.
Numbers of citizens visited the
locality on Sunday. Every one Spike in
admiration of the fire laddies. There is
little doubt that but for their efficient
work the whole factory, filled MS il was
from first to third floor with stores of dried
wood would have been totally burned
Their persistent efforts alone prevented
conilagration that might easily have
spread to all the adjoining buildings
Their icy garments prevented easy and
quick movement.
Walking through the building on Sun
day the visitor was impressed with evil
dence ofhow successfully the tiremen did
their work. While everything on the third
floor is charred and black, on the second
and first floors nothing is burned, the
only damage being a thorough water
soaking.
AT the Western Hotel, the stable boss,
John Pointer, was seen. There is no
damage to the stables of any kind with
the exception of the point at the peak of
the wall separating the northern end of
the factory and the stables Here the
flames crept over to some of the joists,
but did not reach farther. Pointer and
his aids easily got out the 32 horses
which were in the upper and lower
stables. The halters We're unhitched and
the animals trotted out as quietly as If
they were going to water. The stables
were filled with smoke blown from the
burning factory. That was the full OK
tent to which the Western Hotel or
olhulCa NtIt dllGCltil ny lHt HIt
There is no authority to state that the
fire originated in the third story loft of
the stable. There is no evidence of fire
except at the extreme peak Of the wall
Had the fire originated in the loft there
would have easily been some evidence
discoverahle upon the floor. There is
none, The wind was blowing from the
southwest and il is only fairly proba,
bic TO suppose that some sparks or burn
ing faggots set fire to the intlammable
matter under the caves of the peak of
the. stable wall and thus gradually
burned at that point. The smoke
poured in at this point filling the stables
but the flames made no further ingress.
The statement made in morning
paper that the fire started in the West
ern Hotel stables is fatty contradicted
by the employees of the hotel. A maid
servant was the first to give the alarm,
even before Mr.. Macklem, the proprie-
tor, was aroused She saw smoke and
fire issuing from the cupola of the tin
roof of the factory building situate be-
tween third street and the factory party
wall adjoining the stables. At that time
the flames had not touched the stable
wall The misstatement probably arose
| from the fact of the existence of a num-
Der Of partially charred ioists and tim
bers in the second floor of the stable.
These were replaced there after the fire
at the hotel some years ago, But there
are no charred timbers in the third floor
cock loft where Sundays flames al
most effected an entrance at the peak of
| the roof.
There arc no indications of fire any
where around the loft. None of the hay
is even singed. Had the fire effected an
entrance there could not fail Of being
some indication of it among the intiam-
| mable material.