New-York tribune., 1896-02-03
BIG FIRE IN THE QUAKER CITY
IT DESTROYS PROPERTY WORTH OVER
81 100000 AND ENDANGERS MANY LIVES.
THE HOTEL. LAFAYETTE THREATENED WITH De
sTRrCTiON-GuEsTs AROUSED AND Sent
TO OTHER HoTELs-vALUABr.E BAP-
rIsr PUBLICATIONS BURNED.

TIsT PUBLICATIONS BURNED
Philadelphia Feb THE nercesi. most stubborn
an1 most destructive fire that has visited Phlla-
dolphla in years broke out at s2O this morning in
,t cellar Of the Hazelt.ne Building, Nos LAG and
LAS Chestnut-s, and before it had been subdued
the Hazel,ine Building and the American Baptist
Publication societys building. at Nos li@ and li-Z
Chestnut-si. destroyed. the drygoois store o'
Homer Le Boutilller q CO.. Nos. ih2 and LII
Ches;nut-st.. was badly damaged. and the rear OF
tie Hotel Lafayette which faces on Broad-st' was
camaeeI to the extent OF s7-.e0 The approximate
total loss by the tire IL S05,o the greater part OK
which IS covered by insurance.
The cause Of the hre is not definitely known.
When tho nrcmen arrived the Hazetinc Building
wa. already a mass Of flames in tn, Interior. The
building was seven stories in height. with an ornate
from, OK brick and terra-cotta. II Was substantially
bull. and a: first the aremen thought tiat they
coull connnc the Are within Its walls The flames.
howev,r spread through the building with grea;
fury and the fire was soon beyond the control OF
the Fire Department the ground. Several
alarms brough, nearly every fire company In the
city to the scene. The flames capel up hgh into
the air and bmrs, out the OF tho building in
sanson-s. anl threatened the handsome club
house OF the Union League club with destruction,
but the wind blew the flames ami sparks in an
Other direction
The rear stories Of the Lafayette Hotel lowered
high above the Hazeltine Building. and the flames
time mort OF the guests In the hotel had been
awakened as tn. building seemed in imminent dan
ger Scanuly clothed MEN and women poured out
INTO Broad-st.. dragging with them their trunks
and BAGS. All the night cabmen in the nelshbor-
hood had been attracted 10 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. and among
those who avaied themselves OF this sort of vehicle
was Mayor Porter King. Of Atlanta. and the OTHER
Atlantans who came on here with the Liberty
Bell. They took possession OF one patrol wagon.
and their satcheis and grips filled another They
passed the remainder OF the night in the Con-
tnental Hotel. There is story going around that
one Of the Atlantans slept all through the excite
ment and descended for breakfast this morning in
blissful uncon scousness that he had been In peril
OF cremation.
The fire in the mean while had spread from the
Hazeltjne Building to the four story marble build
ing OF the Baptist Publication Society, and this,
too was soon a mass OF flames. Like the Hazetine
building IT extended go feet back from Chestnut
st. to Sansom-st. The Lafayette Hotel has only
recently been reopened. after having been altered
and refurnshed. at cost OF ~u,"V' Inc hremeh
directed most OF their attention toward saving
this building 1t was fire at least half hun
dred times but the Department did spenddly eili-
Client work and confined the flames to the rooms
on the eighth and ninth floors. facing the fire. The
party wall OF the Hazetine Building. towering three
stories above the drygoods store OF Homer, lie
Boutill.er a. Co.. fell in upon the latter place. and
crashed through n skyllght in the centre OF the
store into the cellar. The lremen however. poured
a great volume OF water upon the smoking
of brick and saved store from destruction. IL
until the HaZeitine Building and Baptist
building had been entirely destroyed, ana after nVe
hours hard work, that the fire was subdued
The Hazeltine Building owned by Charles +.
Hazeltine. an art dealer The ground floors
occupied by the Stetson Piano Company. and the
second floor by Mr.. Hazeltne as an art gallery.
and offices only the front wall OF the building
mains standing The loss the building Is prob
ably $50 900 and Mr.. llazeltine says that his stock
OF pictures was worth $4,000 The building was
on the pictures. J. b. Woodford. manager OF the
Stetson company. could estimate his loss but
II is probably about $4,000 fully insured The
to the tenants OF the building WIZ probably foot
Publication Society Is $4,000 on stock and ma
chnery and $4,000 the building. On the stock
there is an insurance OF s90.OO and the build
ing $ll50oO In the cellar OF the Baptist Publica-
valued at S3Occo. and II Is not known whether
these have been destroyed or not The most
serious loss to the publication society IS the de-
struction OF the valuable library OF the Baptist
Historical Society and several hundred historical
papers OF the denomination that cannot be re-
placed The tenants OF the publication society's
building lose about s25 600. Homer, lie b sti,lier a.
70 "a loss Is $1,000 covered by insurance The loss
on the Lafayette Hotel is $1,000 by fire and water
This loss is covered by insurance. The hotel *
owned by the Moro Phillips estate. and is leased
by H. c. Smith. a well known western hotel man.
The hotel was reopsned this evening for guests.
Eight or nine fremen were injured by falling
prick but none OF them were dangerously hurt
Frank Hines OF Plttsburg. guest at the Lafayette
Hotel, In descending the stairs tripped and fell
and broke his arm and several ribs These were
ne nrlv