Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-01-26
WATCHING THE FLAMES.
scenes and Incidents of the Bt
Philadelphia Fire.

>cenes and Incidents of the Big
Philadelphia Fire.
From Special Correspondent
PHILADELPHIA. Pa. January 28-One
entire block Of business houses In the YER,
heart of the city is mass of ruins and
Tor time the pride Of PHILADELPHIA as
embodied in the magnificent CITY hall tho
United States mint. the Masonic Temple
the superb Betz building. the Pennsylvani.
depot. the Windsor and other hotels and
Johh Wanamaker's worId-famous store
were all more or less seriously threatened
makers was. indeed burned partially
opposite the ruins on Market street the
piock Is occupied entirely by Wanamakers
At the corner of Eth and Market streets
stood the Wanamaker clock tower with
us chime of bells which unsteady rang
OUT the hours for the city. The tower is
gone, and the chimes will probably not ring
again ''o' -'e
Shortly after o'clock this morning. lust
as tnc WorRmen were assembling at their
benches In the umbrella factory of Hirsc!
Bros, fve-story building in the middle
of the block on Market street, fire was dis
covered In the building. The work people
scainpered down the fire escapes in the
rear of the building
In Il very few moments the flames had
burst through the roof of the building
There was an immense stock of hard and
fancy woods, used for making umbrellas
oAAN Nohc9, anu VdSt dIHOuHtS Oh pants ana
yarnishes and silks and other highly in
1ammable stuffs. There was, fortunately
but little wind blowing, and so the flames
shot straight I'D into the air. At one time
the four outer walls of the building were
as OF one vast furnace, and the flames
lowered over them in a solid mass of fire
10 height of from fifty to one hundred
feet.
department was directed toward subdutng
serious fires at Dobson's great carpet house
on Chestnut street, and another on Market
street, and only a limited number Of en-
g1nes could be sent to the Hirsch Bros
fire.
For time it was thought that the fire
could be confined to the Hirsch building
There were not many dangerous sparks
flying. But In about half an hour the
brick walls of the Hirsch building began to
crumble and fall upon and crush the lower
buildings that surrounded them
The intense heat was warping, shriveling
doors and windows and roofs in every di-
rection. The windows in the city hall,
nearly 800 feet distant, bIstered.
The north end of Wanamaker's was smok-
ing. despite the frantic efforts of the army
of clerks and statesmen to keep it cool.
The surrounding buildings. one after an
other. were fgnited, and soon the entire
block around the Hirsch building was
ablaZe.
Street Car Lines Disabled.
The street cars were all stopped several
blocks away from the fire after it
started. In an hour all the trolley wires
were sundered and as they are all of one
system nearly every car line in town was
stopped. In the vicinity of the confiagra-
ton the streets were full of live, writhing.
curling wires, splitting out their deadly cur
rents. The power houses were signaled to
cut off their currents and the town came to
standstll.
Thousands who were on their way to
.Dta 1vd foot ~ c.t
closely they could to the fire. The one
object of concern was Wanamaker's. Here
1000 persons were employed. Upon them
were dependent nearly 10000 more persons:
while it is estimated, there are several
thousand more employed In making the
goods sold at Wanamaker's.
Watching the Big Store.
So it was when the tall tower of the
great store was seen to ignite a groan of
apprehension and comnliseration went Up
from the assent led multitudes, and the
pcrtentous words Wanna makers Is burn
ing" flew through the city.
The heroic efforts of the fremen and the
great stores employees to fight back the
flames and confine them to the towers
were frequently cheered by the shivering
spectators.
Meanwhile the deadly cold atmosphere
was playing its part in the common de-
struction. The fire,nen Jared the worst.
The Ice water running through the hose
numbed their fingers SO that it slipped
through and fell from their nerveless
grasp. They were addressed for such cold
business and SO with pinched faces, chat
tering teeth and shiverng bodies they were
one after another compelled to give up the
struggle.
Thirty-Ffve Firemen Carried on.
Patrol wagons carried thirty-five of them
away to hospitals, where their frozen ex-
tremities could receive attention and heat
and life be restored to their bodies
At little after o'clock the wind began
to blow little from the west. Then be
gan a fight all along the line to the east
ward. The heat was blown in that direc-
ton until scores Of roofs were abIaze
There is one consolation to be derived from
this disaster: that Is the destruction Of
the little, mean buildings which have 'front.'
ed the city hall along Juniper street They
have been an eyesore since they were
thrown into such contemplate contrast by
the superb structures which have sprung
up around them
| DAMAGE BY FLAMES ELSEWHERE.
Almost One Hundred Fires in Twenty
Four Hours In Chicago.
CHICAGO. January 26.-Almost one hun
dra1 Arao