The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-08-29
WORKOF THEFLAMES
The Metropolitan Opera House o
New York Destroyed.
A BOY AND GIRL BURNED TO DEATH


New YORK, Aug. o9.-The magnifi
cent Metropolitan Opera House, bound
ed by Broadway, Seventh avenue, Thir
ty-ninth and Fortieth streets, one of tht
finest and most expensive of moderr
play-houses, with an auditorium o.
greater dimensions than any other il
the world, a structure believed to b.
absolutely fire-proof, lies in ruins. Fire
gutted it with loss of $400, 900.
About $50 o'clock in the forenoon
Stage Carpenter Brown, his assistant,
Engineer Scatterwood and Cornelius
Horan, boy, the only persons in the
immense opera house, were startled al
beholding a fierce mass of flames burst
suddenly forth through tho great stage
and spread with marvellous rapidity.
The flooring laid over the orchestra at
the time of the Christian Endeavor con
vention in July last for the chairs for
the delegates, had not yet been removed.
and this once ignited carried the flames
quickly to the main entrance. The en-
gineer turned the crank to the large
water tank above the stage. and let its
hundreds of gallons of water crash
down upon the flames but the water
produced no visible effect. There were
twenty-five lines of hose in the build
ing, and the stage carpenter turned one
of these ON the flames, but in moment
was obliged to fly for his LIFE.
Nothing But the Walls Standing.
When the steame~s responded the en-
tire interior was a merry furnace. With
in half hour the roof had hc IN burned
through and the flames aud smoke shot
high up into the air. This rent, how.
ever, ard an east wind, sweeping the
flames back toward Seventh avenue,
assisted the tiremen in saving the Broad
way front, in which are located the
Bank of New Amsterdam and Zancheri
a. GazZos restaurant. surmounted by
six upper stories occupied ms apartments.
The stage and everything from the
proscenium arch to the 127-foot high
rear wall on Seventh street has been en-.
tirely swept away, leaving only the bare
brick walls standing. In the auditor-
ium the five tiers that rise above the
orchestra still remain, but all the trap
pings of the boxes, tho upholsterngs of
the chairs, the frescoes of the walls and
dome have vanished. In the boxes and
on the tiers above the iron frames Of
the chairs alone remain. The flames
burned fiercely here, but they did not
make their way through the roof and
still remain at this point Further than
the entrance doors to the auditorium
the flames did not succeed iu making
their way.
A Boy Meets His Death. ..
The boy Horan who was employed by
Alfred Operti, the scenic artist, was
hem,ned in by the flames on the third
floor. Cropping his way to one of the
windows overlooking Thirty street
he leaped down to storm door shed on
the ground floor. He was 30 badly
burned that he died at the Bellevue
hospital shortly after. When Operti ar.
rived, distracted, he saw vanishing in
smoke all the works of art which he
had been painting for use at the Worlds
fair and Columbian celebration to occur
in this city in October and new
scenery for Days, the Casino and ths
Academy of Music, all of which will h.
u total loss. ....
The estimated loss ON the Opera House
fixtures is $3.50, 900. The damage to the
building is Sl50,000. This loss is GOV.
cred by insurance, and Secretary Fl. NJ
McLaren declares that q meeting of the
stockholders will be Immediately called,
aud the work of reftting the Opera
House he begun as soon as the water
will permit. The interior of the theatre
had been overhanled and thoroughly
fitted for the opening OF the season.
Abbey, Schoefie & Grau had leased the
Opera House for the season.
A Paper Box Factory Burned.
Less than one hour after the firemen
had been summoned to combat the
metropolitan Opera House fire they
were called out TO fight a fresh and per.
haps fercer outburst of flames in the
tive-story brick building at 124 Wooster
street, just mt the junction of that street
with Prince street.
-Four alarms were sent ont with less
than two minute intervals between
them, and in an hour almost the whole
OF the northwest angle Of the block
bounded by Spring, Green, Wooster and
Prince streets was Il mass OF ruins.
Uncertainty still exists as to how
many were injured by the rapid de
struction OF the buildings. r. II
Wagner's paper .box factory occupied
part of 124, In it We're employed over
thirty girls ard fifteen men That some
of these were left behind in the blind
panic which followed the outbreak NJ
the fire is more than probable.
Mary Ellen Hanley, % years old, was
burned about head, arms and body an
died at st. Nincent's hospital. The in-
juried are: Mary Guimnezo, II year
Old, head and face burned; taken TO -.
Vincent's hospitals; condition critical.
w. D. Sperry, As years old burned abou
the face and body; injuries not serious
Morris Stack, 35 years old, fireman,
crushed by falling WALL left leg frac-
tured and injured internally; will not
live
knocked eff ladder by falling bricks;
head cut; walked home. William Nc
Coy, fireman, fell with wall; elbow
Rlightly confused and head cut; went
home.
Destructive Fire in Augusta.
AUGUSTA, Ga, Aug. 29.-A fire in
volving loss of over 1900, 900 took place,
destroying among other buildings that
occupied by The Chronicle. While
stream of water was being thrown up
to the rear stairways of the Chronicle
Office, and from the gangway firemen
Were fighting the flames, The Chronicle
force were hastily putting the news of
the fire in type, the story closing with a
prediction that the flames wonld spread
to the newspaper office. A race between
fire and steam ensued, in which the
steam won. The fire issue of The
Chronicle had been printed, when the
fire claimed its prey and forced the men
to retreat from the doomed building.
In the conf1agaratiop the following
additional buildings We're destroyed:
Alexander Drug and Seed company's
store, Fleming e. Bowles' furniture
warehouse, E. D. Smiths crockery
store, Harry Halls photograph gallery,
Joseph R. lLarimar's law office. Thomas
g. Barton, wholesale music and sewing
machines, and the residence of Leroy
Miller. The loss is estimated at $780,
OOo; insurance, $500, 900.
PETosKEY, Mich, Aug. 80. - Fire
broke out i'll the lath room of the North
ern Michigan Lumber companys fac.
tory at Fanderage, near Oden. In spite
of all efforts to control them the flames
spread with great rapidity until the i'm
mense plant was in flames. Loss be.
tween 500, 900 and 5000, 1000, with a
comparatively small amount of insur.
ance.