The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-12-26
DRIVEN OUT BY FLAMES.
Destruction of a Factory and Two
Tenement Buildings. s
LOSS HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
Patients of n Hospital Carried Out by Po.
lice and Firemen-Dwellers In NeigIibor-
I ing Tenements Driven Out to Prevent
Their Being Crushed to Death.


lice and Firemcn-DwelIersi In Neighbor.
ing Tenements Driven Out to Prevent
Their Being Crushed to Death.
New YORK, Dec. S6-Fire which started
on the second floor of the seven story
building 2ll-2l9 East Thirty-third street,
yesterday did $500,000 damage The fire
started near the air shaft and spread with
such rapidity that before the first engine
arrived almost the entire building was in
flames -Four alarms were sent out in
quick succession, but the large force of
fremen who responded were powerless to
stay the progress Of the fire in the build
ing in which 1t originated.
The flames burst from the rear win
dows Of the factory, and licked the walls
of the New York Polyclinic, on Thirty
flourish street, adjoining the burning
strueture In the Polytechnic there were
from fifty to sixty PATIENTS some of whom
had recently been operated on und others
Of whom were awaiting the surgeons
knife. Among tho latter wero thirteen
babies. The patients wrrr hastily wrapped
in blankets and born" to tho Delaware
hotel, near by Great excitement pre-
vailed among the heI ploss sicl, people, but
the police and flremon worked hard and
all the occupants of the hospital were got
ton out in stfety.
Thirteen children were carried out with
out trouble, but there was more trouble
with the adult patients. Several women
began to scream, and men who should
not havGbeft cots defied their nursos and
tried to e+cape. Tho worst patients were
carried out on stretCher5 Several were
moved In invalid chairs Ono woman
upon whom an operation had been per-
formed only day or two before became
unconscious from fright Not one of the
patients will suffer from the change. As
SOON as possible they Wore taken to other
hospitals
Tho west side of the wall of the burning
building, on Thirty.third street. fell with
crash about twenty minutes after tho
fire was discovered, crushing in the ad-
joining building, NO. 2O9, occupied as an
apartment house. The people in the house
received timely wnrning, and rushed ont
of their homes, carrying with them such
personal property us they had time to
gather up in thoir flight. The apartment
house was almost completely destroyed by
the fire, together with No. 2O7, five story
tenement adjoining.
There were twonty four families living
in No. 2o9. The mothers and fathers
watched the iiremen indifrerently from
their windows, while the children played
with their Christmas toys. Suddenly the
house was filled with police. "Run for
your lives, they cried. The wall is 60
Ing to fall on you" Mothers picked up
5hpi,, n,,I h.,
Others said the police were foolish and re-
fused to leave. Finally the police used
force. They showed the men and women
down the stairs and picked the children
from the floors md carried them out.
Kicking, struggling shouting youngsters
were SGT down on the cold pavements
Most of them were in their night clothes,
and each one had n doll by the log or was
clinging to toy.
The two buildings in which tho fire was
raging were finder boxes, being all of
wood, except the outside shells. The lum-
ber in the piano factory helped on the
bhze. The roof Of the fuctory building
fell within an hour after the fire was dis
covered, and then there was great danger
from the walls. The wall to the west
tumbled upon the tenement house Tho
wall in the east went down upon Schulz
ler's hotel. Half the front wall went
crashing into Thirty-third street The fire.
men expected the fall and wero out of the
way. Bach full was accompanied by
loud report and clouds Of dust and steam
rose hundreds Of feet into tho air.
On the other side Of the burning factory !
stood tenement house, No 23l East
Thirty third street The people in this
house were also driven out by tho flames
and the building was badly damaged by
fire and water. The floor on which the !
FIRE started was occupied by Adolph Tin |
ner us snuff manufactory the rUmaindor
Of the building being used by B f. Klad-
enberg as q lneerschaum pipe factory The
factory building WIS almoat totally de-
Etroyed.