Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-12-08

at Sixth and Chestnut streets last night,
completely destroying the west end, Nos
5O2GOi Chestnut street. and the upper
noors oil the northeast corner. Before The
names could be sublucl the loss amounted
To Sl5DOD1 To Messrs. Childs &c Drexel and
t5O,0OO to the tenants. The insurance on
the building is SlGD,O0D and that on the
Ledger contents SsDOOO. The valuable
presses in the basement of the Sixth street
building were saved by the prompt action
OF the Fire Patrol i'll covering them with
heavy gum blankets, but the floor was
Hooded with water. making it impossible
to use the presses last night. The valuable
library on the third floor was badly dam
aged by water, hnt Mr.. Chids rare collec.
ton of cllriOS ANA bric-a, brac in his private
office were saved without damage. Mayor
Stuart, Director BETTER and Police Surgeon
Andrews were promptly ON hand and re-
manned until the fire was under control, as
Were Mr.. Chlds, A. J. Drcxel. Colonel
Muckle and any number OF prominent
men, who, so soon Us they heard the Ledger
building was on fire, tlocked from all parts
OF the city.
There were many thrilling acts of
bravery by the tremcn and a number of
narrow escapes, but fortunately no one
was hurt though at one time two tiremcn
were cut of BY the flames OH the lire cs-
cape AT the NTH huOr and it was thought
they were lost. In recognition of the
heruisln Of the iiremen, Mr.. Childs will
to-day send Mayor stuart check for
$1,000 for the Police and lremen's Pen
sion Fund, and after the fire was under
control he arranged to have the police and
iiremen provided with coffee aud supper
ut Dement'S coffee house.
The origin of the lire is not positively
known. but IL IS known that it started III
the basement of the rear OF 6OI Chestnut
street, which has been just fitted up by
MI uhilds ~ an expense of $4,000. The
building will be restored at once to its
condition before the fire.
II was just about $40 o'clock when the
streets were crowded, that Miss Ewing, II
clerk in the main Office ON the corner ut
Sixth and Chestnut Streets III walking 10
to the rear Of the room discovered smoke
forcing its way through the floor. She
gave hasty alarm and Clerks l4azalere,
stiles and AChey rushed out on Sixth street
and notified the llremen Of the chemical
engine, who had Just extinguished Il fire
III the waiting room of common pleas
court, No. over the parliamentary Office,
directly across the street. The euginemeu
responded promptly, bur 80 RAPIDLY had
the flames gained hradway that in u few
moments the new composing room OH the
sixth floor of the new addition, Nos. co.
and 60l Chestnut street, formerly occupied
by Yates " Co.. was u mass of flames. The
fire started among n lot of rubbish in the
unfinished basement i'll the rear of the
building and had shot up the air shalt and
licked its way into the composing room,
where Il number of cunpositors were
laughingly chatting about the little fire
across the street, and the wild excitement
Of the employees of the parliamentary IS
office, who were preparing to save the
court records.
c0MrOsIToRs RUSHED OUT. ..
As the flames rushed into the composing
room, the CompOsitors rushed out anC
easily escaped down the staIrways of the
old building. The fire ate its way to the
front of the basement of No. G02 anC
rushed up the elevator shaft running Il
Teller 4 Bros offices on the second unC
third floors. In few minutes after the
first alarm had been struck engines Nos.
and ~ were on the scene and had four biz
streams playing ON the blaze while the
police with great promptness cleared the
streets and roped the crowds off from the
State House to Seventh street. As the
flames licked their way up the elevator
shaft and through the second and thirC
floors of No. GU2 they were met by this
flames which burned their way dow
from the composing room. Fortunately
an lSinch wall separated No. co. from
the corner building and tine high fire wal
of the Land Title and Trust Company pre-
vented the spread of the flames westward
The fire stu6bOrnly resisted the streams OF
water, however, and worked its way
through the top floor of 6O2 over into til,
top floor Of the corner building and soon
notwithstanding four alarms were sent OH
and Is engines were soon ut work with
dozen streams on the building the flame
shot through the mansard root and roarc,
with fury, while q slight explosion sen
the employees in the Sixth street offices fly
ing into the street.
Trucks Is and d shot their towers III
toward the raging furnace while the fire
men nlmbly clambered up and dragged
the hose after them. 1t seemed that th
flames could not be controlled, and at on
time it looked as though the whole build
ing was doomed. At least seven lines o
hose burst at critical moments, and whe
q stream was gotten on the furnace
spluttercd and had no visible effect.
DEADLY PERIL OF FIREMEN.
Finally No. 20 and No. engines &C
three powerful streams in play, and the
Firemen Charles Graham, jim Sowne,
James Linus and Robert Grady of No.
Crawled on to the fire escape in front {
the fifth floor and turned the stream o
the fire. As the flames roared aroun
them, rushing through the windows, the
pluckily remained in their dangerou
position, until they were finally driven /
the landing of the next story below.
Suwuey and Linus were about to leave. IN
lease it, they were for a few moments CT
off by the rushing flames, which LITERAL
enwrapped them. Everyone thought the
were lost, but two streams were playe
upon them, and covering their face
with their helmets, they rushed throug
the fiery wall and dropped to the ne!
landing, where they puckily resume
their battle with the flames. A few fc
above Truck i had shot a ladder Il
against the blazing front of No. CO., an
Assistant Foreman sam Cooke of No.
went up with il. There was wild sboi
of warming rs Cooke hung suspendt
against the flames which shot out and pl
the ladder in blaze. Cooke nov,
tlinched, but held his post until comrat
cambered up with the end of the hos
and IN few moments, standing on Il
blazing ladder, the men had stream G
the flames.
DARING BARNEY MGISNIs.
Around on Sixth street was anoth
scene of daring. Perched on the top rour
of Truck BIS ladder Barney McGinnis i
in hand, stood amidst rush OF fam
vigorously hacking away the mansa
root at the centre piece to prevent q
flames spreading to the lower end of Il
building. As lie sent the sparks iiyil
right and left the heavy iron railing of Il
roof tottered and shook above his hea
but he never needed the shouts of Il
trembling crowd to come down for his Iii
This and many other scenes of dnril
were witnessed by Mr.. ChildS, Mr.. DreX,
Mayor Stuart aud Director BETTER NJ
Chllds had lett his office right after t
fire had been exIinsuished in CONNIE
pleas court No, Lana mad gone to the Bro
street station ID meet his vi Q, VINO was
turning rom New Gurk, While there /
station u-cnt told MIN that the l.pdg