The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-11-25
A SECOND ALARM OF FIRE
Brought Seven Companies to q Blaze
on Adams Avenue.
FLAMES HARD TO CONQUER
Originated in No. 742-Occaus Of Water
Saved Adjoining Property. But Ruined
the Contents Of the Double Dwell.
ing-Big crowd saw Il.

What threatened to be a serious fire
started about s o'clock last night in the
house occupied by David NJ. Reilly, of
Lewis. Reilly & Davis. at 742 Adams
avenue. The house Is a double struc-
ture. A second alarm followed the
firs. after an interval of about ten
minutes which caused the presence Of
a total Of sever fire companies, and for
a half hour their combined effort was
taxed to keep the flames confined to the
second and attic floor of No 742, where
the fire originated.
The scene of the blaze was in a thick
ly-settled residence district, dotted with
lightly built wooden houses. This fact
brought out n crowd of several thou
sand persons which, with the fire ap.
paratus. blocked the avenue and
caused a suspension of street a traf-
fic for an hour Ropes had to be
stretched by the police before h fire.
men could property perform their
work..
Tenants and Owner.
The losses are as follows:
JOHN d. WARD, of 434 Lackawanna ave-
nue., owner of the double dwelling,
Nos. 742 and 7ii, damage $500; fully
insured.
DAVID NJ. REILLY, tenant No. 7i2. loss
HARRY C. SWARTZ. tenant, No. 7A,
loss $1,000; Insurance.. $1,000.
Smoke was discovered in the back
room on the second floor Of No. 74a
by Mrs. Reilly, who was seated in the
parlor with three of her five young
children. and two young girls. Two OF
the children were in bed. Pedestrians
had also seen the smoke and a flicker
of flame issuing from a rear window.
An effort to locate the key to Box 20,
corner of Jefferson avenue and Gibson
street. was unsuccessful, and, after
almost ten minutes of disastrous de-
lay, the alarm was telephoned from a
nearby residence.
Phoenix Chemical company and Re-
lief and Crystal Engine companies
found on their arrival that the attic
was a mass of flames and smoke. The
fire was attacked by the Chemical COM
pany and Crystals from the front and
by the Reliefs from the rear. The alb
sence of ladders and h Roadway OF
the flames We're serious handicaps, and
as soon as the companies were at work
Chief Feber sent a second alarm. which
brought the Century Hose and Neptune
Engine companies from the South Side,
the Hook and Ladder company from
the West Side and the Nay Aug Hose
company, from the central city.
The Flames Burst Through.
Before the arrival of the second alarm
companies the flames had burst through
the rear of the house, near the caves
and from the roof. and the interior of
the attic vas a seething furnace. Dis
trict Chiefs Swartz, of the South Side.
and Meyers, of the Tenth ward, as
sisted Chief Ferber in directing the
firemen. For thirty minutes 1t was a
question whether the flames could be
controlled, but they had to eventually
succumb to the six lines Of hose which
poured hundreds Of gallons Of water
into the house each minute
Had a wind been blowing all the
buildings in that locality would have
been destroyed. as the abutting double
houses are only about fOur feet on
either side of the double house, In
which the fire occurred.
The flames did not cause as much
damage as did the water.
How the fire originated Is q mystery
1t Is supposed that dust in the walls
on the second floor became ignited by
a spark from the flue leading from the
kitchen ang or from the furnace, and
that the flames smouldered and ate
their way w through the studding tc
the attic floor.