The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-27

Philadelphia Sustains the Severest Loss
Which Falls, Among Others, Upon Johl
Observation-Disclosures Reports Nearly
Hundred Individual BIazes, None Yer.
Serious-Fire at Pacific junction, Iowa
Does Great Damage-Fires Elsewhere.
philadelphia, Pa, Jan. 26.-The mos
disastrous conf1agration that has visited
this city in recent years broke out short
" before Z O'Clock this morning in tn
rear of the basement Of the big grocery
store of Hanscom Bros, 1917 Marke
street, and before the flames were got
ten under control, property amounting
I'm value to 81. $50, 900 or more had beer
destroyed.
The flames were first discovered by
john Wagner, a reserve policeman, who
was passing the big building at So
o'clock He Immediately turned in ar
alarm. Before the engines reached the
scene, the entire rear portion Of Hans
com and Dennitts big restaurant was
abaze.
A second falarm was then sent in. and
few minutes later a general alarm was
sounded Immediately adjoining Han
scom Bros on the west was the i've
story building occupied by Bum Bros,
manufacturers of ladies' clo2ks. The
flames spread with almost lightning rap
Idity and Blum Bros. building was soon
mass Of flames. The water seemed al
most to freeze before II TOUGHER the build
Ings. so bitter cold was the weather. The
next building on the west TO be eaten
I'D by the raging fire was that occupied
by George Marshall IS a restaurant;
then came the hat mandatory Of Geo.
B. Wells at 323. and in the rear or the
wholesale grocery of Shovel & Fryer,
At 1925 Market street.
While the flames were sweeping west
On Market, the umbrella mandatory
pf Hirsch Bros, the largest III the world
which adjoined the restaurant, caught
fire. The infiammable nature of the i'm
nense stock of light silks added fuel
10 the flames and in half an hour the
building, extending from 1909 to 1345,
eight stores, on Market street, was
mass OF flames.
On the east of the Hirsch building,
between 1909 and 1873 Market street,
were the following tenants: The MiZ-
pan restaurant, 1907; Steiner & Ball, CT
gar factory, 1905; A. Nickc,aky, 1906,
confectionery, and the big drug store
Of II. Hillman, a 1901, the upper story
IF which was occupied by otter Bros.
as a photograph gallery.
On the north side of Hirsch Bros, i'm
media tely across Silver street, stood the
new seven-story building of Dunlap
Bros. This building extended from 1906
to 1901 Filbert street. and about 600 feet
deep. The first floors were occupied
by the Collins Carriage company. The
flames swept through this structure and
Quilted it completely. The small build
ings on Silver street, which runs west
from Thirteenth to Juniper, were gut
ted The shop OF Contractor Lewis HaV-
ems caught fire from the rear OF this
number and three firemen were caught
by a falling wall. Frank Piper of En-
CINE Company No. 3, was the man seri-
ously injured.
FIRE AT WANAMAKER'S.
At SIS a. m, fire was discovered in
the tower OF John Wanamaker's big dry
goods store. A stream OF water from
one of the water towers was run up
to the burning structure, but the supply
of water was either too small OF the ap-
paratuS defective, as the stream would
not reach. The tower contained hand
some clock and chimes. At 5 o'clock
the entire tower collapsed, the clock fall
ing through TO the first floor. Two lines
OF hose were then got on top Of the 81
gantic structure and the flames which
most famous store. were soon under con
troll.
The fire had been confined 10 the Mar
fet street front, and the loss sustained
by Mr.. WanamaIer was principally in
the destruction of his clock and chimes
and the breaking of a large plate glass
window on Market street.
The roof OF the building was ablaZc
at one timeland 1t seemed as though the
operated by the employees of the big es-
Establishment kept the fire within bounds.
FIGHTING FOR JOHN.
When it was apparent that the block
originally attacked was doomed, squads
of firemen. with long lines Of hose. were
detailed to go and save Wanamaker's.
The structure, with the goods piled M
within its walls, represented a money
value of over $t0o00,000. Despite the
efforts of the tcity firemen reir forced by
Wanamaker's fire brigade. the high wind
prevailing forced the flames across Mar
ket street after they had been fought
for an hour and a half.
The fire first caught in the high tow
II on the Market street corner. This
supported g. big clock. and chimes which
rang out every half hour. Little patch
rs Of flames made their appearance
along the edge of the roof of the main
structure and the excitement among the
fremen was intense. All knew that il
ne flames in Wanamaker's once got be-
gond control there was no telling where
The cOnflagration would stop. There was
deep sigh Of relief therefore when the
an. ouncement was made that beyond
ne destruction OF the tower and the
sco-Ching Of paint and woodwork on the
Market street front and the cracking
Of the big plate glass windows. the fire
would not do further damage 10 Wana-
makers.
Smoke penetrated almost every por-
ton of the store and the damage 70 del
lcate dry goods from this cause alone
viii be heavy. Had the flames enveloped
Wanamaker's nothing cou}d possibly
nave prevented. the destruction of scores
u big buildings on Chestnut, Which is
Gow closely built.
Mr.. Wanamaker was early on the
scene Al the present time he employs
5000 people. and as many o. tae men
In this army of employees as would he
% use n fighting the flames were ad-
m;tted to the store. The admirable pre-
cautions than the inflsmmatle nature Of
The structure had made necessary rem
dered the work of the trained firemen
easy and az the same time effective.
Mr.. Nanamaker said % an Associated
Press reporter at 9:0S a m:
The fire is confined 70 the Market
street end Of the store. and three hours
after the firemsn ara out OF the place.
seven-eighths of the store VIII be ready
FOR business
Mr.. Wanamaker was apparently the
least concerned man III the great crowd.
Up 10 this time the flames had been
confined 10 the block bounded by Fibert
Street on the north. Thirteenth on the
.ast. Market on the south ana Juniper
ON tie west. The wind was blowing
from the west. ani carried the flames
right into the rear OF the buildings. on
Thirteenth street. The frs. building 70