New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-13
HUNDREDS WE'RE IN PERIL.
FLAMES IN A CROWDED DISTRICT OF
PHILADELPHIA
TWO BIO MANUFACTURERS DESTROYED AND
MANY LODGING HOUSES BURNED OUT
NEARLY 200 PEOPLE MADE HOME
LEss-HEROIc WORK BY THE
FIIEMEN AGAINST HEAVY
ODDS.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE ]


[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUNEl
Philadelphia. Aug 12.-This city was threatened
| for two or three hours this morning with fire OF
unusual proportions and destructiveness. Flames
broke out In a paper-box factory In the crowded
lodging-house district Just north OF Franklin
Square between Seventh and Eighth SITS. and
owing to an unexplained delay in turning In the
alarm. as we'll unexpected shortness In the
water supply furnished by the neighboring street
mains the whole block In which the factory stood
was quickly menaced with destruction. Only the
desperate and genuinely heroic work OF the fire.
men against all sorts Of disadvantages kept the
flames from spreading over this crowded and ram
shackle part Of the city and inflicting enormous
damage TO life and property. AS 1t was, although
two large manufacturing adjustments were de-
stroyed and from thirty to forty lodging and
tenement houses were burned out and probably
200 people were left homeless. no actual loss OF
life seems to have occurred. and the total injury
to the burned property will not exceed s25O,OOO or
100000.
a PANIC-sTRICKEN RUSH FOR LIFE
The fire started about $50 on the ground floor OF
the paper-box factory OF Brown & Bailey. No 4I2
Franklin-st. This building. shaped like an I. ex-
tends back into the block for some distance and
then turns at right angles toward Wow-st a
narrow alleyway which runs from Franklin to
Eighth-st. The chandelier and gas-meter factory
OF w. j. Buck. Sons & Co, facing Eighthst. abuts
at the rear on the short wins Of the paper box
establishment. The engineer Of Buck Sons & Co. |
first noticed the flames shooting up through the
first floor OF Brown d Baileys annex, and he hur-
riedly gave the alarm TO the 100 or more employees
chiefly girls, at WORK in the upper stories The |
fire made such headway among the highly inham- |
mable materials strewn every hand that the |
panic-stricken women had great difficulty In |
reaching the ground by the stairways and the
fire-escapes. Several tainted In the rush and had
to be carried out, and TWO Jumped from the sec
ond-story windows. though without receiving Sc
rous injury.
NINE PEOPLE INJURED
BY the time the first fire engines had arrived
the tall factory mass Of flames, and the gas
supply establishment behind it was also plainly
beyond saving Electrician lines run along
Franklin and Eighth sts.. which are both narrow
even as Philadelphia streets CO. and the work OF
me nremen was made doubly perilous by the live
wires wnicn barred the direct approaches TO the
burning buildings. Several Of the boldest work.
'rs were knocked senseess by electric shocks, and
lad 10 bs carried to the hospitals. Others we're
overcome by the extreme heat radiated from the
'urning mass and intensified by the suns rays
or even at a. m. the thermometer here showed |
o-day temperature of nearly 80 degrees I'm the |
made Eight fremen and one policeman in all
we're disabled in the effort to fight the fire close
uarters and keep 1t from ravaging the whole
ectiOn. ,
FLAMES AMONG THE LODGING-HOUSES
To add to the embarrassments Of the Fire De-
artment the water mains In Franklin, Seventh E
nd Eighth SITS. We're found to be small and the :
ac to be sent away and all thought Of using !
he fire tower abandoned From the two fac s
'res the flames spread in ess than half an
our to many OF the smaller lodging houses. I
'me of them Of rather doubtful character. which f
'owd the surrounding blocks From thirty-nve !
forty buildings in Franklin. Willow and | D
lShth SITS. We're burned out before the ferceness !.
the flames was partially exhausted from lack -
fresh material to consume. The occupants
id scarcely time to save their clothes and few ,
eces OF furniture. Probably from one hundred -
I'd fifty 10 two hundred persons were turned y
us hastily into the streets 1t s supposed that =,
one was left behind any of these dwelling =,
'uses: everybody being apparently accounted n
7 TINS afternoon. except one small boy who | -
d somehow become separated from his family. | ~
THE PRINCIPAL LOSSES OF
BY noon the fire was fairly under control and ., %
alarm subslded. The losses in property will
obably not be much s25OOOO The chief
ers are the two manufacturing firms Of Brown
Bailey and W. j. Buck Sons & Co. The latter ca
m lost about $780, 900 It's stock and had an iis
'urance of $4,000 with the following com nc
MES: German-American. $4,000; National OF ar
nnectcut. $1,000; Liverpool. London and %
obe $4,000 ROYAL of England. $1,000; North io
Of England, 800; North American of Phila- bu
phia, $500; Reliance OF Philadelphia. 1880: he
,ttsh Union and National. $1,000; Lion Fire IN
100; Citizens. New York $1,000; st. Paul Fire IN
Marine, $500 Northwestern National $1,000 Pa
he building owned by Mary f. aud Clara s. at
eler was partially Insured Brown & Bailey IA
an insurance OF s65.75J their stock and sec
lding. distributed among nea ly forty COM de-
lies. The other property destroyed only th'
-htly insured. be-
Ill