Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-10-08
"FlREPRooF" MAIDEN LANE.
Tho Precious Metal District Almost Ex-
empt from Big Connagrations.

Tho Precious Metal District Almost Ex-
empt from Big Connagrations.
Maiden lane has been singularly free
from destructive fires for many years,
and there is superstition among the
jewelry and diamond merchants of that
street that the lane will never succumb
to flames or streams of water, and that
the old rickety buildings lining it on
both sides are pretty nearly "fireproof."
The records of the fire patrol, which
go back to 1874, prove that in the last
eighteen years 113 fires have taken place
in that neighborhood, all of which were
of little account. Those fires which af-
fected jewelry establishments were the
most insignificant of the lot, and their
stock was never damaged by any fire.
This seems strange, for the reason
that in the majority of houses occupied
by jewelers. numberless small and
rickety rooms are used ms smelling fur
naces and workshops, with plenty of op.
portunitios'for creating heat md flames
talked with number of merchants
located in the precious metal district,
between Broadway and William street,
and all of them said they had never lost
cent by fire. One of the reasons for
this happy state of affairs Is their ex-
treme cautiousncss. They have watch
men constantly on the premises to guard
against thieves, and these men are bound
to look ont for coniiagrations likewise,
Whenever there is the slightest cause
for danger the thick doors of the safes
are locked III jiffy, and all hands in the
building combine to remove that cause.
As one of the maiden laners" ex-
pressed himself, there is no induccment
for fires either. All the wealth the Jew
elers stock represents is kept i'll safes,
the doors OF which may I've barred in an
instant. Even if there was firebus
among that respectable class of mer-
chants he would not dare set fire to his
/ building in ordcr to claim insurance on
his stock for such u thing would give
him away III IN instant. If u really de-
Strucrivc fire should Cccur in ono Of the
large iewelry emporiuEs IN the lanu the
safes would tumble down into the eel
lars, and the precious stock would he re-
covered as soon rs they had cooled of.
And even ii the safes were injured on
their come down their contents would
not necessarily be lost. We all remcm
Der the great fire III Bond street whirl
destroyed II number Of wholesale jew
| elry establishments. When the propric.
tors of those precious safes looked for
them they We're nowhere, only twisted
and distorted fragments being found.
but when they dug mp the soil under the
destroyed building, they turned up large
| chunks OF precious ore tliat had once
been watch chains, brcastpins or we'd
ding rings. The police We're notified
and formed Il line all around the seat Of
| the fire. Then mining camp was es-
tablshcd. y long gutter was run
around two sides of the spot made va.
cant by the fire, Il stream of water was
led through these cutters, the earth was
carefully washed and Il fortune recov
cred. the proceeds of which were divided
among tue former occupants of the
building according to the extent of their
business.
Maiden lane is not the only down town
street that of late years has been free
from conhagrations, though no other has
srch II record to show as the lane
Tearl, w lllldiilS, Dethindn anu III
ton streets We're once notorious foi
big fires. That was i'll the times when
the big paper warehouses ana similar
establishments made their headquarters
there. The part of Maiden lane adja-
cent to the river still gives the fire de-
partment work from time to time Oil
and paint stores are mostly responsible
for contlagrations i'll that vicinity.-New
York Herald.