The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-02-03
MILLIONS GO UP IN SMOKE
Disastrous Sunday Morning Fire il
Philadelphia.
VALUABLE PAINTINGS DESTROYED
The Loss on These Alone is Between $500,
900 and $500, ,OoO Among Them Two
Pictures Valued at $4,000 Each.
Total Loss Nearly $4,000 900.

PHILADELPHtA, Feb 3.-Chestnut street
nbove Broad, was visited early ycsterda,
morning by one of the fle cest fires this
city has known for years The big sevcn
story building of Charles H. Haseltine
1416 and 141S Chestnut street, and the ad-
joining five story structure of the Amcri
can Baptist Publication society and the
American Baptist Historical society, No
1920, were totally destroyed. The buildings
damaged by fire and water were the four
story dry goods house of Homer lie Bou
tillier & Co., Nos. 1412 and 14l4; the dwell
ing house at 1922, owned by the Wistar es-
tate, and the Hotel Lafayette, at Broad
and SAMSON streets. On either side of the
main entrance to the Haseltne building
were the piano warerooms of Hallett &
Davis, at 1416, and of Steinway S5 Co.,
at 141S
The two Baptist societies lost large and
valuable collections of paintings, books
and curios The detailed losses have not
yet been made up, but a conservative es-
innate places the aggregate at close to 81
100000. 1t is thought that this is almost
fully covered by insurance.
There were about 250 guests in the La
fayette hotel, which is in the rear of the
Porter King, mayor of Atlanta, Ga, and
the Others of his party who escorted the
Liberty Bell home, and reached Philadel-
phia on Saturday. Olga Nethersole the
actress; her brother, Louis f. Nethersole,
and Madge Meadows and Maud Clayton,
of her company, were also guests of the
Lafayette. While there was considerable
confusion in the hotel, the guests barring
few fainting women, kept cool heads,
and all were removed in safety. Only the
eighth and ninth floors of the hotel were
burned, although the back part of the
building from cellar to roof, was badly
damaged by smoke and water 1t had only
recently been opened by a new manage
ment, after thorough renovation.
The fire, which started in the HaSeltne
building, was discovered by policemen
shortly after 3 O'Clock in the morning. An
alarm was at once sent in, but the fire
spread so rapidly that Il general alarm was
soon sounded, and the aremen directed
their energies to preventing the destruc-
ton of the entire block, which was
for a time threatened As it was it was
long after daybreall before the fire was
under control, and it was not until this
morning that the fire was declared entirely
subducd.
The upper part of the Haseltine build.
ing was known as the Haseltine art gal
leries Many leading artists had studios
there, and the art collections stored undcr
the roof aggregated in value thousands OF
dollars. At four o'clock the walls began
to collapse, and the flames spread on the
east TO Homer, LcBoutillear & Co, and
ON the west to the Baptist Publication So
ciety
Mayor King, Of Atlanta, aroused from
his bed by the fire refused to leave the
threatened hotel until he saw that every
member of his party had escaped safely.
Olga Nethersole was one of the calmest
persons in the building She saw most of
her effects safely removed before she left
the hotel Many of the other guests rushed
from their rooms in their night clothes,
and would have continued into the street
had assurance not been given that the
lower portion of the building was in no
immediate danger
The Haseltine building was valued at
100000, and was fully insured. 1t was
erected in 1888, and the first two floors were
"fireproof The loss on paintings on the
second floor is between 100000 and $780,
00O uninsured. Among those destroyed
were two by g. H. Selous, valued at $780,
600 each, and one by Roberts Fleury, val
ed at $4,000 There were thirty nine of
fees in the building, occupied mainly by
artists, lawyers and dentists Drs. Ed
wards and Curry, dentists, ON the third
floor, lost collection of South American
curios valued at $4,000 partly insured.
Other tenants lost sums ranging from $50
to 81, 900.
The valuable stock of pianos in the
stores ON the first floor was destroyed but
the amount of this loss has not yet been
estimated.
The Baptist Publication building and
stock were valued at 100000 insured.
The Historical society lost 10, 900 volumes,
valued at $4,000 and insured for S95, 900
DIR. Wnyland, the eminent divine, also
lost valuable private library, on which
there was no insurance, and DIR. ~ G.
Stelmoyor lost 1900.
The losses ON the Homer, LeBoutillier
and Lafayette hotel buildings have not
yet been approximated.
The Origin of the fire has not been