Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-12-07
GEORGE w. CHILp,s Loss.


| Fire and Water Destroy the Public
Ledger neutrality-suspicious. Sweep
From Cellar to Roof - Damage
About 100000.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec 6.-The Public Led
ger building at the corner of Sixth and
Chestnut streets was badly Quilted this
evening by fire and water. The damage by
FIRE was confined almost entirely to the
composing room, situated on the top floor,
but torrent of water pured down through
the building, flooding every floor.
The building is SO front on Chestnut
street and 1888 feet deep on Sixth street
and is five-story brownstone with q
mansard roof. About 5:45 this evening
one of the clerks in the business Office
detected the oder of smoke. One part of
the callar was used by workmen to store
tools engaged on the building and was
filled with rubbish. The fremen turned
in the alarm and began to fight
the flames. The rubbish fed
the flames and the fire swept
through to the back and burst out
into light we'll in the center of the build
ing. The flames sprang up this chimney
and burst into the composing room on the
fifth floor through the windows. The few
compositors at work had already escaped
to the street. Meanwhile dozen steamers
and hose carts and trucks were srriv-
ing at the scene. On the floor
beneath the composing room the rooms of
the city department were situated. City
Ne" 10 h@
assignments, hearing shouts of fire, put in
his pockets the copy turned in by report
ers during the day and also obituaries of
men of local prominence and fastened to
the street. AS the fire gained head
way everyone around the estsb-
lishment, volunteers from other
newspapers and the police began
to carry perishsble articles out of the
burning structure. The files were all
saved and many rare and costly articles in
Mr.. Childs' Office were carried out. A
dozsn streams of water were turned on
the fire in the cellar and the flames were
soon extinguished. The flames in the COM
posing room, however, created great havoc
vnd at o'clock the fire burst through the
roaf and shot mp in a great column.
At about this time Mr. Childs and his
friend, Anthony ]. Drexel, arrived Mr..
Childs watched his building go up in
flames. He told his employees what to do
in the way of providing for publishing
a paper tomorrow. Engine after en-
CINE arrivsd and a deluge of water
began to fall upon the roof. For
tunstely the wind was light and the
flames did not apread very rapidly. A
high cornice on the Sixth street front acted
as wall to prevent the flames spreading
along the roof to the south, and on the
west the solid wall of the Land Trust
building obstructed the flames. The fire.
men got the flames under control by 7:30,
and all danger of the total destruction of
the building had passed. Torrents of
water, however, had poured through the
building and the interior was flooded, The |
water ran down through every floor into |
the press room, and ten inches of water
rose about the presses, which had been |
thoroughly wetted by the dripping from |
above. While the fire was still burning |
and the water pouring through the |
building Mr.. Drexel made his way |
to the fifth floor. When he came |
out he announced that but little damage |
had been done in the rear. The iremen |
were spurred to greater efforts by the an
that Mr. Childs intended to |
venting the total destruction of his |
The greatest destruction by
ire was done to the composing room,
which was completely burned out, and the |
roof went with it. The local department |
beneath also suffered from the fire, but the
greatest damage was by water. The third
ioor was taken up with the editor
al rooms and the second floor was
occupied by Benjamin F. Teller & Broth
,rs, real estate brokers. The ground floor
'front.' was occupied by the business Office
md Mr.. Child's paivste Office. The hand
'ome business Office suffered badly from
water. The rear portion of the build
ng on Sixth street, occupied princi-
oally by LAWYERS was only damaged by
water. The stores next to the
office were badly damaged by fire and
water. Recently Mr.. Childs had made
extensive alterations and repairs to the
building. While the fire was still burn
ng the city department was removed to
,he board of trade room in the Drexel |
building and the reporters turned in copy as
usual. With the exception of presses the |
Ledger has a complete newspaper plant at |
setting type there. Mr.. Childs accepted |
The offer of William M. Singerly to print |
MS paper from the Records presses. The |
business department Is operating tonight |
in the Drexel building. The cause of fire |
IS unknown.
Joel Cook, business manager, said to |
night that the Ledger's loss was about |
$3.50, 900 on building and 5000 on the |
contents. The logs of tenants is estimated |
at $4,000. The perfectipg presses, engines |
and other machinery in the cellar are
valued at S250,000, and their only damage
s by water, $25 900 being an outside esti-
mate of loss. The insurance on building |
ls Sl6O. 600; on contents, $50, 600.