The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-07
FIRE IN THE LEDGER.
CHILDs' NEWSPAPER PALACE
BADLY DAMAGED.

The Total Loss 100000, Half of
Which Is on the Building-The Total
Insurance Carried 100000 The
Firemen to Be Given $1,000 for
Their Efficient Work.
PHILADELPHIA. Pa, Dec. 6.-The Public
Ledger building, massive 6-story brown
stone front structure at the southwest oor-
ner Of Sixth and Chestnut streets, and run
ming through to SAMSON street, was dam
aged by fire tonight to the extent of $780,
600, Of which $780, 900 Is sustained by the
LEDGER and $4,000 by tenants.
The Ledger's Insurance. aggregates $240,-
600, $780, 600 on the building and $50, 900 on
contents. The occupants are believed TO be
fully insured.
A collection of curios in the private
Office Of Mr.. Childs, the LedgeT's owner
and publisher, inestimable In value, were
| saved.
The damage to the building is 800. 200.
About half of the structure was gutted by
fire and water. The flames were confined
to the fourth floor and all above and por-
tions below were flooded.
DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.
About o'clock this afternoon, when the
fire was discovered In the old court house at
the southeast corner of Sixth and Chestn ut
streets, directly opposite the Ledger build
ing, a still alarm was sounded. The flames
were soon extinguished. Mr.. Childs watched
the work Of the firemen, and after the fire
was sxtinguished left for home. While a
| number Of the Ledger's employees In the
business Office were talking Of the court
| house fire at $40 o'clock, Miss Ewing, a
clerk, snw smoke coming through orevices
Al l. Al. IL A.
publication office and gave the alarm.
Clerks aud others hurriedly applied chemi-
| cal extinguishers, and IA a few minutes the
| fire was subdued, apparently extinRuished.
BREAKS OUT AGAIN.
Soon, however, smoke was again seen,
| and this time the flames leaped up the
| freight elevator shafb, and rushed into the
new composing room, occupying the fifth
| and sixth floors. Fire had mysteriously
started in the basement of No. GOA Chestnut
street, which is part Of the Ledger prop
erty, and occupied by the Standard type
writer exchange. There was no rubbish In
the cellar, and there is no plausible theory
as TO the origin. u was probably started
| by careless workmen. A general alarm
was sounded. Flames soon enveloped the
composing room. The competitors number
40. They hurriedly retreeted down the
stairs, adj escaping safely.
MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSION.
Soon after the fire started there was a
sharp explosion, the cause Of which is un-
known, and the business manager, joel
| Cook, and a number Of clerks were forced
| into the street by the conclusion.
| The facilities Of every printing Office ia
the city were offered Mr. Childs and after
William III. 6ingerly, president OF the
Record Publishing Company, had person
ally rendered the use Of his plant, the offer
was accepted, and tomorrow and till further
arrangements the Ledger will be issued from
the Record Office. The Ledger oompositors
are now at work in the emergency compos-
ing room, No. AIS Locust street, and the
editors and reporters are utilizing the board
Of sade rooms on the fourth floor of the
Drexel building, at Fifth and Chest.
| Drexel were witnesses of the fire
| end personally noted bhe efficiency of the
| fire department.. They expressed their ap,
| probation by telling Director Butler OF the
| department of public safety that a check
| for 5000 would be sent him tomorrow to
be used at his discretion for tbs benefit OF
| the hremen.