The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-02-08
A FIRE.

Over One Million Dollars Worth of Prop
erty Destroyed BY a Sabbath Days Con-
fiagatIon, the Fiercest and Most Stub
born Fire that has Visited Philadelphia
in Many Years-Eiasty Flight of Hotel
Guests.
PHILADELAHIA, Feb. 3.-The fercest,
most stubborn and most destructive:
fse that has visited Philadelphia in
years originated at $3.50 yesterday morn
ing in the cellar of the Hazeltine
building, l416 and 14lSC Chestnut street,
and before it had been subdued the
Hazeltine building and the American
Baptist Publication society'S building,
at 1920 and 1922 Chestnut street, We're
destroyed; the dry goods store OF
Homer lie 8outellier & Co., 1872 and
14l4 Chestnut steeet, vas badly DAM
aged, and the rear of the Hotel Lafay-
cite. which faces on Broad street, was
damaged to the extent of $4,000. The
approximate total loss by the fire is
Sl,015.OO the greater part of which is
covered by insurance.
The cause of the fire is no definitely
known. When the firemen arrived
the Hazeltine building was already a.
mass OF flames. The building was sew
eral stories in height. with an ornate
front of brick and terra Gotta. 1t was
very substantially built, and at first.
the firemen thought that they could
contine the fire within the walls. The
flames, however, spread through the.
building with great rapidity. and the.
fire was soon beyond the control OF
the department.
The rear stories of the Lafayette
hotel lowered high above the Hazel
tine building and the flames poured
over the wall toward the hotel. BY
this time most of the guests in the
hotel had been awakened and. as the
building seemed in imminent danger,
they were warned to leave. Scantily
clothed men and women poured out
into Broad street. dragging with them
their trunks and baggage.
All night cabmen in the neighbor-
hood had been attracted to the scene,
and they garnered a harvest of dollars.
in conveying the guests to other hotels.
Police patrol wagons were also pressed
into service for this duty, ard among
those who availed themselves of this
sui VI c NCllAClC was lIdNO VI VI OCI
King, Of Atlanta. and the other Attain
tans who came on here with the Lib
crtv Bell.
The fire in the meanwhile had spread
from the Hazeltine building to the
four-story marble building of the Bap-
fist Publication society, and this, too,
was soon a mass of flames. Like the
Hazeltine building, it extends 30 feet
back from Chestnut to Samson street.
The Lafayette hotel has only been
recently reopened. after having beer
and refurnished at d cost Of
S50O.OOO L.
The fremen directed the most OF
their attention towards saving this
building. 1t was on fire at least hat
hundred times, but the department DID
splendidly efficient work, and confined
the flames to the rooms on the eighth
and ninth floors, facing the fire.
The partition wall of the HazeItine
building, towering three stories above
the dry goods store Of Homer lie Bou-
TELLER II Co., fell in upon the latter
place and crashed through a skyiight.
in the center of the store into the cell
lar. The firemen, however, poured a.
great volume OF water upon the snok-
ing mass of bricks and saved the store
from destruction.
1t was not until the Hazeltine build
ing and Baptist building had been en-
destroyed, and after five hours
hard work that the fire was subdued.
Eight OF nine firemen were injured
falling bricks. but none of them
was dangerously hurt. Frank Hines,
Of Pittsburgh, 4 guest at the Lafay-
cite hotel, in descending the stairs.
and fell breaking mis- arm.
and several ribs. These were the only.
casualties.