The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-07
LAST EDITION
STUBBORN FIRE.
Upper Portion of the Phenix
Block Destroyed.
A Ninety Thousand Dollar Blaze This
Mornlng--loss Well Covered.

A stubborn fire broke out In the Phenix
building, the five-story block at 147 West
minister street early this morning, and for
more than four hours the flames, despite
the heroic efforts OF the fremen, ragged
fiercely. The fire started on the top floor
and burned through the roof, which
eventually fell, crashing through the floor
into the I'd Regiment armory in the story
below. The blaze was confined To the two
upper floors of the building, but the dam
age to the entire block from water will be
great.
Shortly after o'clock this morning
Barney Peck, the elevator man,
discovered clouds OF smoke in the
upper part OF the block. He Immediately
investigated and found that the
flames were raging furiously in a
store room on the top floor. Dense clouds
of smoke rolled down the stairway, and,
nearly suffocated, the elevator man started
TO descend to give the alarm. Suddenly a
tongue OF flame leaped from the partition
where 1t had burned through and struck
him directly in the face, burning his
beard completely of and scorcbing his
face and neck terribly. Rendered nearly
unconscious by the excruciating agony
from his burns, Peck, who is about
eighty-three years OF age, managed
TO reach the street where, in a half faint
ing condition, he fell on the sidewalk.
by this time an alarm had been rung in
and Eddy streets and in a few minutes
Hose Companies, 1, 2, 3, 4, o and II; Hook
and Ladders / and 3; Steamers and II
and Chemical l were hard at work on the
building.
On the top floor the fire was raging fast
and furious. Several lines of hose were
run through the halls to the top floor, and
three streams Of water were soon being
poured into the seething mass. AT
the outset the hremen met
with great obstacle in get
ting at the heart of the blaze. In the
storerooms in the attic, where the fire
originated, several huge cases, filled with
directly in front of the door and consid-
cradle time was lost in moving them so as
TO AFFORD an opportunity TO get at the
flames.
At 7:4O o'clock Chief steere ordered the
ringing OF a second alarm, and Hose COM
panies 4. s, 10. 10 and IL, Hook and Ladders
and and Steamers and 10 responded.
With the aid OF the re-inforcements the
battle against the flames waged fiercely.
From the top OF the Howard Building,
on the west, and the Rhode Island
News Company Building, on the
east, the water was poured into
the windows or the top floor in torrents,
" hile at the Exchange Place end the
water tower threw torrent into
the center of the burning structure.
Two companies, hose and IL. fought the
blaze from point on the roof, and in he
interior several companies battled Wig
orously.
Suddenly at about s:15 o'clock, there
was grinding, grating noise and in
>tantly portion of the roof fell. The fire.
! en on the roof, warned by the swapping
OF The timbers sought shelter in sudden
flight, while those inside made
a dash for the front OF the block. A tre-
mendous mass OF burning timbers crashed
through into the armory of the I'd Regi-
ment on the fourth floor, and a cloud
OF dust, smoke and firebrands
was thrown high in the air. Several fire.
men were overcome by smoke at this
juncture and had to be removed from the
building, while several more were badly
injured.
few minutes elapsed and another por-
tion of the roof collapsed, the fire being
brought by the falling of the roof to the
fourth floor. Every available line of hose
was brought into use and every stream
possible was brought to bear on the blaze