Huntsville gazette. [volume] (Huntsville, Ala.) 1879-1894, 1891-10-03
A HOT COMBINATION.
OIL, Fire and Water Combine In the De-
struction OF Half n Million Dollars
Worth of Property I'm Philadelphia
Number of Firemen Injured by Failing

| Worth of Property In PhiIadelphia--A
| Number of Firemen Injured by Failing
| Walls.
| PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 29.-Shortly
after o'clock yesterday afternoon fire
broke out in the basement of the large
building 1876 North Delaware avenue.
1t is used by Messrs. Phillips & Cum
ningham as warehouse of lard, lin
seed and other oils and was stocked
with goods. The structure is four
stories in height and extends through
| to Water street The width of the
store is about twenty feet, and it is
packed with barrels of oil on every
| floor. An alarm was sent ont, and in
about ten minutes the firemen reached
the premises, and their efforts were di-
rected to the oil store, then afame, in
in the hope of confning the fire within
its walls. In very short time, how
| ever, il was seen that the fire was more
extensive than at first thought and
orders were given for a second alarm to
be sent out.
| As the flames were observed to be
mounting up corps of tiremen con-
veyed line of hose up to the second
| and then to the third stories They
broke in the sashes and entered with
their stream and directed it upon the
blazing oil.
The water stream seemed only to
make the flames more wicked, and in a
flash they enveloped the firemen and
drove them back to the ladders, down
which they tumbled, and were severely
injured. The hospital ambulances
were on the ground and the injured
men were promptly removed.
About this time the fire burst forth
in great fury from the Water-street
front of the building and great volumes
Of greenish, heavy smoke belched
forth from the roof. driving the fire.
men back from their positions Every
drop of water that could be obtained
from the street mains was now being
thrust into the burning building, and
Delaware avenue became rivulet of
oil and water.
Just in the nick of time the police
boat Stoclxley arrived and in a little
while was pumping water from the
Delaware river on the flames.
All these manful and well-directed
efforts failed to keep the fire down,
however, and at 8 o'clock the buildings
on the west side of Water street caught
fire, and although they had been soaked
from roof tanks and with private fire
| apparatus of large firms like Weikel 81
Smith, the spice mills operators, Nos.
33-34-36 and 3S North Water street, were
seen to be smoking all along the roofs
clear through to Front street. At this
| +l,a A o1yin
was seen to be on fire, as well as 131, q
large produce store, and it looked as if
the entire block would 60 and then it
was that the entire fire department
was ordered into service and the police
boat King was ordered to the scene.
The energies of the firemen were
now directed mainly to the burning
buildings on Water street The rag
warehouse of Jessup, Moore & Co.,
which adjoined Cunningham place
to the north early became ignited, and
the party walls began to bulge,
placing a large tank of machine oil,
containing 1900 gallons, in an ex-
tremely perilous condition.
At o'clock, without moments
warning, and while the street in front
was crowded with firemen, the tank
caught fire and tie flames shot out
through the windows and over the tops
OF the buildings on the west side of
Water street. coming in contact with
the rear of the wool warehouse OF
Thos. Wilson, LAT Front street. The
contents were soon consumed and the
adjoining properties, 145 and 149, occu-
pied respectively by the Eureka Ink
Co. and G. w. Ell1ins, were scorched
pretty considerably. When the tank
fell the party wall between
Cunningham's and the Jessup 81
More Co. fell with loud crash. This
weakened the front wall of the oil
warehouse to such an extent that all
spectators were ordered from the spot,
and none too soon, for at 1886, two
minutes afterwards, with mighty
shake and great rush the five stories
of the wall came down with thunder
of noise, bricks flying in all directions.
Firemen were on a ladder resting
against the Armour Beef Co. One poor
fellow became frightened when the
wall fell and losing his hold fell, sus-
tanning slight injuries to the back of
!, |
the hospital.
The fire at about o'clock was prac-
tically under control.
The Delaware was river Of run
ming oil, and was utterly impossible.
Telegraph. telephone and other wires
! were down in every direction
/. The members of the firm of Phillips
, & Cunningham were on the ground,
, but were unable to estimate their loss,
, but said it would be very great. There
were stored in the neighborhood of
$500 barrels of oil at the time.
? The firemen injured numbered eight
! two of whom were hurt in the early
stages of the fire.
: With the exception of Richard Can't
r rell, of engine 80, all were taken to the
T Pennsylvania hospital, as follows:
Chas. Porter, No. 20, foot cut; James
: Sharen, assistant foreman; Edward
t Donohue and Thos. Whalen, all of No.
| no a-t nd No