Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-04
DIG FIRE IN PHILADELPHIA.
Hotel Lafayette, baptist Bufiding,
and HaxcIfine Building Damaged.

The fiercest fire that Philadelphia has
had for several years started at $40
O'Clock Sunday morning in the cellar of
the Hazeltine building. 1916 and 1iis Chest
nut street. and before it had been sub
dued the Hazeltine building and the
American Baptist Publication Society's
building, at 1920 and 1922 Chestnut street,
were destroyed: the dry-goods store OF
Homer LIE BOutiier & Co., li2 and l4li
Chestnut street, was badly damaged, and
the rear Of the Hotel Lafayette, which
faces on Broad street, was damaged 10
the extent Of 5000 The approximate
total loss by fire Is 100000.
The cause OF the fire Is not known deli
nitely. When the firemen arrived the
Hazeltine building was already a mass
of flames in the interior. The buildins
was seven stories high, with an ornate
front Of brick and terra-cotta. 1t was
substantially built The flames. however,
spread through the building with great
fury. and the fire was soon beyond the
control of the Fire Department on tne
ground. Several alarms brought nearly
every fire company in the city 10 the
scene.
The flames burst out in the rear oil lne
building on SAMSON street, ana threaten
ed the clubhouse Of the Union League
flames and sparks In another direction,
The rear stories Of the Lafayette Hotel
lowered high above the Hazeltine buii1.
ing. and the flames poured over the wal
toward the hotel.
By this time most OF the guests In the
hotel had been awakened, anu as INC
building seemed in imminent danger, tney
we're warned 10 leave. Scantily cloehe1
men and women poured out INTO bIoau
street. dragging with them their tIui .i
and bags. All the night cabmen IN tne
unconventional had been attracted to the
scene. and they garnered harvest III
conveying the guests TO other hotels. 70
lice natrol-vagons were also pressed INTO
service for this duty, and among those
who ayailed themselves OF this SOFT Oh
vehicle was Mayor Porter King, OF At
lanta. and the other Atlantians WHO went
TO Philadelphia with the Liberty ben
They took possession OF one pasiI'oi,
wagon. and their satchels and grips niieu
another and they passed the remaihuer
| ~ the night I'm the Continental Hotel.
The fire soon spread TO the marpie
building of the Baptist Publication sooie-
~ ike the Hazeltine building, II ex-
tended 30 feet back from Chestnut street
~ SAMSON street The Lafayette Hotei
! has only recently been reopened aiter
| having been altered and refurnisneu AT d
4 cost of 100000 The nreihth VII
most of their attention toward saving
this building. 1t was on fire score OF
| times. but the department conhned 'hs
flames TO the rooms on Inc elgh'h anu
ninth floors facing the fire. The party
wall of the Hazeltne building, towering
three stories above the dry-goods store
of Homer. lie Boutillier & Co, ten ia
nnon the latter place and crashed through
a slxvlicbt I'm the centre of the store INTO
the cellar. The firemen poured grea.
volume of water upon the smoking mass
NJ bricks and saved the store from ue-
| struction. II was not until the Hazei'iiie
building and Baptist building had ueen
entirely DESTROYED. and after nVe noun
hard work. that the fire was suoaueu.
THE Hazelt,ne building was owned py
| Charles +. Hazeltine ar art dealer. Nl'.
! Uazeltine says that his stock Oh pictures
was worth Sl5o,OOo .,,o.,,o,
The most serious loss 10 the puoicat,oh
society is the destruction Of the valuaole
i,hrary of the Baptist Historical Society
and several hundred historical papers o.
the denomination that cannot De iep'aeSu.
EIGHT or nine firemen were injured pS
falling bricks. but none Of them were aan'
serously hurt. Frank Hines, OF Ptts-
burg a guest at the Lafayette ho.ei' u,
Ascending the stairs. tripped ana zen
and broke his arm and several fips'
THESE were the only casualties