The record-union., 1896-02-03
PHILADELPHIA

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 2.-The
fiercest, most stubborn and most de-
structive fire that has visited Phila-
delphia in years originated at $50
o'clock this morning in the cellar Of the
HazeItone building, Nos. 1416 and 141S
Chestnut street, and before it had been
subdued the Hazeltone building and
the American Baptist Publication So
ciety's building, at 1920 and 1422
Chestnut street, were destroyed; the
dry goods store of Homer lie Boutellier
& Co., Nos. 1412 and 1414 Chestnut
street, were badly damaged, and the
rear Of the hotel Lafayette, which
faces on Broad street, was damaged to
the extent of S75, 1000 The approximate
total loss by the fire is S1,075,000, the
greater part of which is covered by in
surance.
The flames spread through the build
ing with great rapidity and the fire
was soon beyond the control of the de-
partment. Several alarms brought
nearly every fire company in the city
to the scene.
The rear stories of the Lefayette Ho-
tel lowered high above the Hazeltone
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 build
ing 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 the night cabmen in the neighbor-
hood had been attracted to the scene,
= 4. 49,
in conveying the guests to other ho-
tells Police patrol wagons were also
pressed into service for this duty, and
among those who availed themselves
of this sort of a vehicle was Mayor Por-
ter King of Atlanta and the other At
lantans who came on here with the Lib
erty bell. They passed the remainder
OF the night in the Continental Hotel.
There is a story going around that
one of the Atlantans slept all through
the excitement and descended for
breakfast this morning in bIissful un-
cosciousness that he had been in peril
of cremation. The story, however,
lacks confirmation.
The fire in the meanwhile had spread
from the Hazeltone building to the
foUr-story marble building of the
Baptist Publication Society, and this,
too, was soon mass of flames. Like
the Hazeltone building, it extends 230
feet back from Chestnut to Sansome
street
The Lafayette Hotel was on fire at
least a half-hundred times, but the de-
partment did splendid work, and con-
fined the flames to the rooms on the
eighth and ninth floors.
The party wall of the HazeIton build
ing, towering three stories above the
dry goods store of Homer LIE Boutelllier,
fell in upon the latter place and crashed
though a skylight in the center of the
store into the cellar. The firemen, how
ever, poured a great volume of water
upon the smoking mass of bricks, and
SAVED the store from destruction. 1t
was not until the Hazeltone building
and Baptist building had been entirely
destroyed and after five hours hard
work, that the fire was subdued.
The Hazeltone building was owned
by Charles F. Hazeltone, an art dealer
The loss on the building is probably
$250000, and Mr.. Hazeltone claims that
his stock of pictures was worth $780,
600
The loss to the American Baptist
Publication Society is S250,000 on stock
and machinery and S150O00 on the
building. On the stock there is an in
surance of $780, GOO and on the building
OF $4,000. In the cellar OF the Baptist
Society in vaults is 100000 worth of
plates of publications.. and it is not
known whether these have been de-
stroyed. The most serious loss to the
publication society is the destruction of
the valuable library of the Baptist His
torical Society and several hundred his
torieaI papers of the denomination that
cannotbe replaced. The tenants Of the
publication society's building lose about
S25.000
Homer LIE Boutellier and Co.'S loss is
$4,000. covered by insurance.
The loss on the Lafayette Hotel is
$4,000 by fire and water. The hotel
was reopened last evening for guests.
Eight or nine firemen were injured by
falling bricks. but none of them were
dangerously hurt. Frank Hines of
Pittsburg. a guest at the Lafayette Ho-
tel. in descending the stairs, tripped and
fell. breakinghis arm and several ribs.
These were the only casualties.