The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-01-16
FIFTH EDITION.
ss.-',.s.s:zrssr=z1s=zsz
IS 1T ARS0N7
Looks as il the Smith Building
Was Fired.
COAL OIL on THE WALL.

Ne ON Fire again THIS nl0fnInE.-s
Firemen Say They Detected the
Smell Of Cil--oniy AbsaE
$500 Damage Done Who
" occnpied the Rosms IL
For the second time within two
years the Smith building at Nos. -6I0
TO Ola Market street. has bsen ailre.
building and from all tho surround.
ings connected with It. An attempt
TO iire the big building has undoubtsd-
ly been made.
THE ALARM SOUNDED.
II was exactly at COS O'Clock when a
small boy rushed into the station
house and announced that smoke was
issuing from the second story windows
OF the building. House Sergeant MARI
and Charles Thomas the janitor. were
there. and the former rushed up the
street to tho big building.
BY the time he arrived dense volumes
OF black smoke were issuing from the
hallway and from the second story
rooms On finding the fire was fast
gaining Roadway he notified Mr..
Thomas to send In an alarm from box
No. 12. In front OF the City Hall. The
alarm brought out the. Delaware
Truck. Fame Hose. Friendship and
washington companies. The Wash.
ington men arrived fret and tho work
OF lighting the flames was i'm Immediately
begun. Sergeant Mari had affected
an entrance to the building and going
up Stare they forced an entrance into
the rooms which were lately occupied
by the Hodgson Commission Com
pany.
The fire was found to be In the north
western corner Of the room, and was
eating itsway from the floor up tho
wall TO the second story. The fire had
almost burned through tho floor and
the jolsts smouldering. A few streams
OF water extinguished the blaze, ana
then an investigation was COM
menoed.
safE1IiED COAL OIL.
When Sergeant Mari first entered
the room he detected the odor OF
burning oil, and when Chief Shields
entered the building later he also in.
quired who had been burning oil. In
the corner OF the room where the fire
was discovered some watery-like fluid
had been splashed about tho floor and
up the ceiling to height Of about
seven feet.
The gas meter is SO situated In the
corner but the pipe leading from 1t
had been cut and plugged suggesting
the fact that the II. bugs, II such they
were, were careful that no explosion
would follow and thereby further put
to great danger the lives OF the fire.
men in their works. Another fact
which points to arson was q piece OF
paper found near by. The rooms arc
divided by large folding doors and in
the adjoining room was the paper but
the lire only had to eat its way
through three inch partition to
reach the intiammable material. The
blaze had done 40. the paper blazing
aud partly burning the floor.
The fire was confined to small
space. but SO intense was the heat that
the carpet five feet away and the cell
ing had been burned. Had IL not been
FOR the prompt arrival OF the district
engine, the large and comparatively
new building would have again been
destroyed.
WHO OCCUPIED THE aooM.
The room III which the fire started
was formerly occupied by the Hodg-
son Commission Company. IL was
furnished luxuriantly and the cashiers
desk still erected. but the company
has not occupied 1t for months. There
were arm chairs about the room. and
In the centre handsome oak table on
the order OF a card table.
From this fact together with the
finding oil pack OF cards among the
burning papsr. everybody has come to
The belief that the room was occupied
by gang of gamblers. William J.
Fisher, the Jesse of the room, could
not be seen, but 1t was understood
that the commission com pany had
not turned over the koys. Joseph
Cash, assists his father rs ianitor
OF the upper floor of the building, and
on several occasions he had noticed q
light in the room but could hear moth.
ing on the inside. He hal noticed the
gas burning as late rs two O'Clock ID
the morning and only yesterday
morning when he went to the build
Ing TO do his work, he saw a we'll
dressed stranger leave the room with
grip in his possession.
The stranger wore u silk hat and ap-
parentiy had been In the room all
night. Other members OF tho Knights
of Pythias had noticed the room
lighted, but thinking it was occupied
by the Commission Company paid no
attention to 1t. From these facts the
authorities have also come to the con.
clusion that the room was'occupied by
a gang OF gamblers.
The LOSS
The aggregate loss Will amount TO
SoVNtiui1 cOFoltu ny iu6uThuC0. lnte
loss 10 principally by water. 1t having
poured through the hole In the floor
TO the office OF Elliott johnson l. Com.
pany below saturatlng the books OF
the company, and also damaging the
ceiling. A representative OF the Dom.
panv said the damage would not ex-
coed $500. The remain Ing 5000 will
cover the loss and fire in the second
story room.
FIRE DOES $4,000 DAMAGE.
The last tlrs In the Smith Building
was on March IS, 1892. when the build.
Ing was Quilted. The damage amount
ed to $50 .00O. Tho fire originated In
tue same room as It did this morning.
but then 1t was occupied by the Shields
Library Association. The walls OF
the building were only left standing,
and oil the regalia OF the severol
lodges OF the Knights OF Pythias on
tho third and fourth floors DESTROYED.
Elliott a Johnson and tho cigar store
Of Selak and Young were also Quilted.
Chief Dolan has begun an investiga-
ton. but at 2 o'clock no arrests had
been made.
Great bargains In dress goods at
hi "a Ia H.. .f-.