The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-23
4 LUMBER YARD FIRE.
Hovey's Stock Made an I'm
mense Bon Fire.
THE WHOLE CITY ILLUMINATED.
Continuous Alarms Arouse Citizens,
Who Visited the Fire I'm Thousands
The Loss About 100000 and Insur-
ance Nearly $4,000.

The tower clocks OF the city had just
struck IL . and then the fire
alarm bells began sounding. 'Simul-
taneously with the first stroke OF
warning a big red glare appeared
in the southeastern sky. Fred f. Hovey's
big lumber yard ON lower South Main and
South Water streets was ablaze. The
glare grew and spread making the firma-
ment red, the fire alarm bells changed
continuously, arousing sleeping citizens
and exciting those who had not closed
their eyes. The clattcr of hurrying fire
apparatus that the triple alarm called
from all parts of the city and the ever
spreading red in the sky said palmer than
words "danger" Thousands of persons
from all parts of the city thronged to the
scene and surrounded the huge bonfire.
Storehouses and piles of lumber were
being fed to the flames and the spectacle
was brilliant in the extreme. When the
firemen surrounded the huge burning pile
quicklydemonstrated their capacity to
cope with the fire. In an hour all danger
was averted and in three hours nothing
but burning embers and here and there a
touch of flame remained of the blaze that
illuminated the eastern part Of the city to
almost noon-day glare.
Hovey's lumber yard occupies the square
bounded by Pike, South Main, Tockwotton
and SouthWaters streets, space perhaps 22,
600 feet square. The South Main street side
was fronted by three old wooden buildings
used as offices and store houses. The rest
OF the space was filled with piles of all
kinds of lumber. The fire ap-
parently started in the north
ern building and from all
indications its origin was incendiary. 1t
spread rapidly and the flying, fam
ing pieces set fire to the
piles of lumber all over the yard.
The well directed efforts OF the firemen
saved large amount of the property, and
when the fire was conquered it was seen
that there was little consumed of the large
amount Of lumber ready for the fire.
Over Mr.. Hoveys Office in the north build
ing was Nathan Shcpley's cigar box manu-
factory. This was entirely destroyed,
entailing loss of $500, which is covered
by insurance through G. II. Durfees
agency.
Mr.. Hovey's loss is not far from $4,000
on which there is an insurance of about
$4,000 through the agency of Z.
s. Babbitt. The burned buildings
were owned by Thomas j. Hill.
Their value was comparatively slight.
Fortunately for Mr.. Hovey, most of his
valuable books and papers were saved.
jeremiah Murphy, discharged employe
in Hovey's lumber yard, was arrested at
the fire on suspicion that he was the in
cendiary. He was taken to the Third
Police Station where he is being held
pending an investigation.
The new building of the Fuller Iron
Works had narrow escape. 1t is made
almost wholly of glass and the heat
cracked the glass in hundreds of places.
A four story tenement house north of the
fire, was in imminent danger and the in
mates were warned out. The house, how
ever, was not injured.
The superintendent of the fire alarm
service grounded all wires in the
immediate neighborhood of the fire, con-
sequently there was considerable damage
to telegraph and telephone service.
The first alarm came from box z, located
at the Third Police Station. The second
alarm was rung from box 8, located about
10 feet from the fire on South Main street.
The third alarm came from the same box.
The watchman Of the Providence Lumber
Company on the opposite side of the
river got excited and pulled box 252.
The latter alarm, however, made
very little confusion as the fire itself was
a sure beacon for everyone. The firemen
had an all night task before the last
spark was extinguished.