The morning times., 1896-02-03
FLAMES COST A MILLION
Philadelphia Hotel Guests 4 Weakened
bN EnrlY Morning Fire

Philadelphia Hotel Guests 4 wakened
by Early Morning Fire.
Philadelphia, Feb. THE flcrCest, most
stubborn aud most destructive fire that
has visited Philadelphia in years broke
out at 800 this morning in the cellar or
the Hazletinc building, Nos. I4lG and
1913 Chestnut street.
Before it had been suhdued the HaZletine
building ard the American Baptist Pub
LEGATION Society's building 1T Ncs. 1920
and l422 Chestnut street were DESTROYED
the dry goods store OF Homer, LeBoutii-
lier * Co., Nos. 1412 and 1414 Chestnut
street, was badly damaged and the rear
OF the Hotel Lafayette, which faces ON
Broad street, was damaged to the extent
Of $4,000.
Tne approximate total less by the fire is
! Sl,u7J.Uuo, the greater part OF which
| is covered 10y insurance. The cause OF the
! fire is not definitely known
Several alarms brought nearly every fire
/ company in the city TO the scene. The
] flames leaped high into the air and burst
| out in the rear OF the building on Samson
! street and threatened the handsome club
! house of the Union League Club with de-
! stTucIion.
BY this time most of the guests in the
.hoiel had been awakened, and, as the build
ing seemed in immediate danger, they
We're warned 10 leave. Scantiiy clothed
/ men and women poured out into Broad
/ street, dragging with them their trunks and
/ bags. ALI the night cabmen in the neigh
! b0rhood had been attracted TO the scene
and they garnered a harvest of dollars i'll
/ conveying the guests TO other hotels.
Ponce patrol wagons were also pressed
| into service for this duty, and among those
who ayailed themselves of this sort Of a
vehicle was Mayor Porter King of Atlanta
! and the other Atlantans who came on here
with the Liberty Bell. They took posses
sion Of one patrol wagon, and their SatchelS
| and grips filled another, and they passed
| theremainder of the night in the Con tinental
/ Hotel.
There is a story going around that one
Of the Atlantans slept all through the
| excitement, and descended for brea kfaSt
this morning in blisSful Inconsistencies
! that he had been in peril of cremation. The
story, however, is improbable, and is likely
Jest upon one Of the Southern visitors.
The fire i'll the meanwhile had spread from
the Hazeltine building to the fOur-Story
! marble building OF the Baptist Publication
| Society and this too, was soon a mass OF
| flames. Like the HaZeitine building ii eN-
tends ESQ feet back from Chestnut To
I SAMSON street.
The Lafayette Hotel has only been re-
| Gently Teopened after having been altered
I and refurnished at a cost of $500 eco.
| The firemen directed the most of their at
| tention towards saving this building. Itwas
on fire at least a half hundred times, but the
department did splenddly efficient work
and confined the flames 10 the rooms ON the
eighth and ninth floors, facing the fire.
In the cellar of the Baptist Publicatio ion
Society in vaults is 100000 worth OF
plates Of publications and it is not known
whether these have been destroyed. The
most serious loss 10 the publication society
is the destruction OF the valuable library
Of the Baptist Historical Society and several
hundred historical papers OF the denomina'
ton that cannot he replaced.
Eight or nine firenen were injured by
falling bricks, but none of them was
dangerously hurt. Frank Hines of Pitts.
burg, guest at the Lafayette Hotel, in
descending the stairs tripped and fell and
broke his arm and several ribs. These are
the only casualties.