Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-03-24
THE SMITH BUILDING Quilted.
Disastrous Fire at Twilight Thurs
day Morning.


floor OF the smith Building, Nos blU and
6l2 Market street, and within two hours
the big four-story structure was almost
Quilted.
An alarm was struck from box No. ~ at
i,55 O'clock There was some difficulty at
first in locating the fire, rs it had broken
out on the second floor, rear, and conse-
quently could not be seen from Market
street.
At o'clock the fire department was on
the ground. At first the iiremcn devoted
their whole attention to the rear of the
building Here il was difficult to get at as
the Smith building is located in the centre
of the block and tho hose had to bedragged
up through the yards on King street. I'M
| fortunately too, as the fire reached to the
front of the building there was still greater
difficulty as the dense network of wires,
telegraph, telephone, and electric light
almost completely blocked the work Of the
| liremen. one telegraph pole alone, that
| in front Of Elliott e. Co.'s banking office,
an indignant fireman cried ont this morn
had 9S wires strung on it,
The fire was first seen belching out in
| long, fierce flames from one Of the rear
windows of the Shields Library. they
| quickly reached from the second floor TO
the shutters of the third and fourth floors
and so ON 70 the roof. Three of the fire
companies with great difficulty had
managed TO get their hose into the yard
| at the rear of the building, and shortly
after O'Clock three streams were playing
on the upper windows and the roof.
The Washington company hauled out its
| truck right away, but WAS stopped by the
snow and slush NJ Fourth and King streets.
The men Immediately unshipped the lad
dcrs and, carrying them to the location of
the fire, distributed them among the
PhwniX, Reliance Wcccacoe and Washing
ton companies. The northern end of the
building was mass of flame before the
streams could be got effectively on the
roof. There We're three streams at the
front-the Washington, Phoenix and Re.
lance, while the Friendship, Liberty and
Fame played iheir hose on the rear. The
building south of the Smith block caught
fire from flying embers and faggots AS part
Of the southern wall fell in. The Wash
ington and Reliance companies had to
play two streams on il for an hour.
The mass Of wires in front of the Smith
Building caused the tiremen the greatest
trouble. Chief Robinson was heard to re-
mark that had il not been for the tcle
graph wires the fire would not have got
! beyond the third floor.
AT daylight on Thursday the Marke
street front presented a strange spectacle
its features having equally those of rare
beauty and blackcned dismal wreckagc.
All along the front of the structure the
maze of silver frosted wires gistened in
frosty beauty. Through the open door
ways and large windows which gapcl
black and shntterless torrents of water was
seen dripping from ceilings and dashing
down the main stairway in Hoods.
A great mass Of tons of brick and wall
work fell from the south side Just as the
Washington and Reliance fire laddies were
entering with their hose. lii another
minute the men would have been killed,
as five or six carloads IF brick came top.
pling down from the top Of the roof.
The iircmen did splendid volunteer ser
vice under the most trying circumstances.
Complaint is made by the men Of their
having to run around for teams to fetch
coal for the engines. This caused delay,
as they ut length had 10 60 to the gas house
for coal. II was too early TO obtain ii at
any neighboring yard Several of the
companies have already appointed com
mittees TO sec City Council on this subject.
THE Losses.
The estimated value Of the Smith Build
ing is from $1,000 to $4,000. The insur.
ance is considered sufficient to cover tile
loss, and upon the building proper and the
tenants Offices and apartments is as fol,
lows:
on THE BUILDING,
with F.. A. Van Trump: United Firemen
Philadelphia, e, 800 Gtrus Falls Company
$500; with Hawkins 4 Co.. The Royal
si,b0o' the Queen, 81, 500; total on tht
building $1,000.
TENANTS INSURANCE.
Andrew w. Sclak. tobacco store, Will
Cilpin Il CO., $1,000 in the lennsylyanip
, Fire Insurance Company.
knights of pythias, with ]. NJ. Mather &
Coz sl,001 in the tiirard Company of Phil
adelphia.
Apollo Castle, X. G. H., 800 with ]. NJ
Mather V Co., Northern Insurance Com
pany.
George Diller, poolroom, $1,000 Will
Lewis +. Buck, in the Niagara Company
Alpha Council, l.. q. Il. C., $500 ON para
phernalia With i, a. Van Trump III tn,
S Etna Company.
| shields Library, sl,9OO with Gilpin 4
Company.
fhe Office Of Elliott Il CO., bankers, Of
> the first floor is seriously damaged b,
water, 1t was not touched by the tire. Til
loss may be within 81 900
'rhcroonls Of Wilmington Typogranhica
: Union, No. l23, on the third Iour wer
4 damaged. No estimate can be made n
to the loss.
i III addition the building No. sos. adioin
a ing and south of the smith building ha
+ been badly damaged, ID Il owned by Mr.
, Glpin. Tho damage includes d thofouel
water soaking, skvlisht broken aud dam
: age done by The failing ont Of the southern
4 wall Of the smith building, when a qlan
= lity OF bricks fell upon Il. The damag
has not been estimated
q Almost all the property Of the tcntant
in second third and fourth floors isa com
pletc loss either by tire or water, or both
\ The Shields Library has an irreparabl
u loss in 4 number Of extremely valuabl
e volumes belonging to the library. Also
c beautiful oil painting Just presented b.
the nuns Of the Academy of the Visitation
3 The Shields Library officers csimat
their loss ut sl,%Q. II is presumed tia
Mn. Selak 4 stock is totally destroyed. Nj
y OILERS pool tables are d wreck, and til
t same condition exists in regard to Ia
e paraphernalia Of the various societie
o tehanting the building
The Knights Of fythias have secure
+ Temporary quarters III he Hardness Built
ing, Tenth aud Market streets.
II lrsr ~ rlNtE,
= 4 remarkable incident III conncclio
with the fire is the fact that al the rcgula
RI meeting Of the knights of Pyihias lat
"a night the secretary presented new insu
as ancc policy from J. NJ. Maiher q Con
O. pany Of this city. The policy was in tn
tiirard company Of Philadelphia for 81 90
" i was q most timely Offering aud is no
= thoroughly appreciated. Mr.. Mather Tn
morning experienced The curious btisine.
Z coincidence Of having to report to hea
re oiice in Philadelphia hy the same adyi,
IN beth the ettecting uf the fire policy an
u also the loss upon il
Charles n Wcldie of The Friendship. ",
the first to enter the building. Heascend,
70 the second iloor. he remained the
with the hose pipe until the ceiling abo'
fell in.
n POSSIBLE LEGENDARY.
4 Martin O'Toolc, No. "A Monroe stree
Va was arrested Thursday by Officer Ak
H on suspicion Of setting the building
NJ fire lie was seen by Captnin Francis iyir
&c apparently drunk IN the second floor pa
es siigcway beforeth fire Departmental arrive
so The owner Of the building is Charles .
liz Sparks of Philadelphia lie is father-i