The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-12
Three alarms OF fire
Mere Sounded in Quick Succession
Early Last Night.
PROMPT WORK OF FIREMEN
Prevented Serious Blaze In Temple
Court and In Cramcr's Photograph
Gallery-Frothiugh ham Audience In
Blissful Ignorance Of Danger.

Three fire alarms were sounded last
night between the hours OF and 10
O'Clock. The first alarm at 8 o'clock
was for fire in a dwelling occupied
by Polish family In the Sixth ward;
that at o'clock from box % was for a
blaze in the Temple Court building on
Spruce street, and the third alarm,
from box Is, was for fire In Cramer's
Photographic gallery on the third floor
Of 500 Lackawanna avenue. The last
two fires did not cause serious damage,
but either might have proved very de-
structive but for the prompt work Of
the Phoenix Chemical company.
A blaze in the Polander's house in
the Sixth ward had been eXtihguished
At O'Clock in the afternoon by Eagle
| Engine company before more than $500
damage had been done to the building
and contents. Flames broke out in the
same building about s o'clock and the
| structure was totally destroyed.
c. w. Freeman occupied. with his
| wife, two rooms. one living apartment
and the other q room In which he did
watch repairing, on the third floor Of
Temple Court. 31l Spruce street. Mrs.
Freeman smelled smoke. She rushed
to the door Of the other room. but when
she opened 1t she was met by q tongue
of flame which swept across the hall
W e$y ohu S<st hhS ~ btb WOOuWOIh. 0uC
| and her husband barely had time to es-
| cape to the next floor below. He sue
ceeded In saving rack Of watches be-
| longing to customers Ail'ef their furni-
| ture. clothinU and household effects
Were destroyed. They did not have any
| insurance.
Attorney Rhodes Thrilling Escape.
Attorney J. e. Rhodes. who occupied
| a room at the end Of the hall. and who
was cut on from the stairway by the
| flames which shot across the hall from
the Freeman apartments. had thrill
ing escape from the building. He was
| partially undressed when the fire start
| ed and was Obliged to climb from his
window at the front of the building to a
narrow ledge. From this dangerous
perch he was helped into a window Of
the adjoining building and thus gained
| the street.
The stock Of Meyers art store on the
| street floor was badly damaged. His
insurance is not known. The other
street floor tenants did not suffer ma
| terial loss. On the second and third
floors the following tenants were slight
| ly damaged by smoke and water: DR..
Helmer, II. O.. Stoddard, Cornelius
| Smith, James II. Johnson and John B.
| Ceilings. .,..,............,. ..,.
The fire in the building, 3O7. 800 and 3l1
Lackawanna avenue. might have de-
veloped into q confagration which
would have swept the block between
| Penn and Wyoming avenues. Smoke
! was seen issuing from the windows on
the upper floor at 10 o'clock. The alarm
was rung from box 90 by Patrolman
Gurrel. and within two minutes the
| central city companies were on the
| scene. Two minutes later the blaze was
| found In the dark" room OF Cramers
| phOtographing establishment and the
Phoenix company's chemical engine
was put to use. The room was filled
with G,emicals, which in a few mo-
| ments nore would have exploded and
filled he upper floors of the three
| buildr ys with fame. as each building
| was > arated by only thinly plastered
| wood' partitions.
amaEe Was About 81, 500.
The structure was damaged to the ex-
tent Of about $500. 1t Is owned by
! Krotosky Bros, clothiers, Of 315 Lacka-
| wanna avenue. The loss Is fully COW
cred by insurance. Mr. Cramer was in
Carbondale last night, and the amount
of insurance he carried could not be
| ascertained. Apparently his Studio and
| contents were damaged to the extent
of about $500. The damage to the other
| tenants Of Nos. 8oS and 800 was trifiing
and was caused by water.
A panic in the rockingham theater,
which Is situated directly in the rear
of Temple, Court, was averted only by
| the great presence of mind of two gen.
| tlemen who We're attending the kir-
mess performance and Mr.. Jones, the
manager and Mr.. Duffy, the ticket sell
Ter of the theater.
Several Of the ladies In the lobby.
which is being used as refresment
room, ascertained that fire was in
progress in close proximity to them and
made ready to rush from the theater
| by way OF the Penn avenue entrance,
| the regular alley entrance being closed
Such a course would have taken them
| through the body OF the house, and in
their excitement they might have given
| the alarm to the audience which filled
the theater. The result may be con-
jectured.
The fears of the ladies' were allayed
and the four gentlemen proceeded to
clear the lobby Of its tables and chairs
| and to quietly unboit the doors leading
into the body of the house and the al
| ley. This was in anticipation Of pos
| sibly mad scramble for outdoors. But.
fortunately, the 100 spectators re-
mained in blissful ignorance of their
proximity to danger.
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