The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-03
A $500, 900 TOBACCO FIRE.
THE PLANT OF The AMERICAN TO;
BACCO COMPANY BURNED.

The Heat so Great That the Firemen
Experienced Much Difficulty in
Working at It-Only One of the
Walls of the Building Left Standing.
500 or 600 Girls Thrown Out,
NEW YoRK, April 2.-The 7-story brick
building Nos. 700 and I'll Second avenue,
with frontage of so feet on East Thirty
eighth street, formerly occupied by W.
Duke Sons & Co. as a cigarette factory, but
more recently by the American Tobacco
Company, of which J. B. Duke is president.
as a mandatory Of smoking and chewing
tobacco, was destroyed by fire early this
morning. James B. Duke places the
total loss at S4OO, 900. This loss is
wholly covered by insurance Be-
tween 500 and 600 girls were employed
In the building. The news of the disaster
had scarcely reached the managers of the
company when arrangements were made to
send them all to Baltimore, where they will
find temporary work in the factory of Gail,
AK & Co. The employees will leave for
Baltimore tomorrow. The stock was
valued at $50, 900, the machinery at S240, 900
and the building at 100000.
WHERE THE FIRE STARTED.
Only the north wall remained entirely
standing when the fire got under control.
1t started In the cellar. At 3 o'clock this
morning a policeman saw smoke coming
from the grating in the Thirty-eighth street
side OF the building, and Immediately rang
an alarm. The 7-stoTy building was soon
wrapped in flames, which passed
from every window, and were fast
eating their way through the
roof. 10 was so fast that the hremen
ON.nIA srtfkh 1,,,1Nv H, l..
avenue, while it was next to impossible to
live in the narrow side streets. The heat
broke the windows and blistered the walls
Of adjoining tenemeuts, the occupants of
which fled for their lives.
The fire was practically confined TO the
factory, the only damage by water being
done TO the buildings Immediately adjoin-
ing. When the
SOUTH WALL FELL
few minutes after O'Clock the bonn
bardment of bricks destroyed what paint
the heat had not blistered or broken in the
faces Of the houses across Thirty-eighth
street. When the fire was at it's highs the
fire lighted up the town for miles around.
Every window in the neizhbOriuR blocks
was filled with spectators and great crowd
gathered as near as the police would let
them in the adjoining streets. Simultane.
ously with the falling of the south wall the
east Wall IelL Inc tower Tell IeW MIN
utes later, but broke in two in the process
so that it sank down near the line Of
the wall. When both the eass
and south walls had fallen Thirty
eighth street was covered one or two feet
deep with bricks, while the west half of
Second avenue was impossible Co vehicles
1t was some time after the fire before a
passage could be cleared for the Second av-
| enue horse cars. No one was injured at
the fire. The loss is large. The factory
was filed with valuable patented machin-
| cry, the possession of which made the
Dukes masters OF the. cigarette situation
when the trust was formed and made their
| rivals glad TO combine with them. There
were also tons OF tobacco, raw and manu-
factured, in the building which extended SO
feet on Second avenue, 100 on Thirty y-eighth
street, with 175 feet deep in the rear. The
insurance on the stock, machinery and
building is said to have been $750,000.
AN OPERA HOUSE BURNED.
ELIZABETH, N. J.. April 2.-The Temple
opera house was entirely destroyed by fire
tonight Loss $35, 600; insurance $40, 900.