The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-26
THE LOSS is s2,5OO,OOO.
The Largest Umbrella Factory
In the World
Is a Total Loss, Including an
Eight Story Building.
But Was Extinguished Without
Serious Damage.
The Wanamaker Store Not De-
strOyed But Badly Injured.

SGEOy Gu DuG badly InJ urea.
Philadelphia, Jan. 26.-The most dis
astrouS cOnf1agration that has visited
this city in recent years broke out
shortly before o'clock this morning
IN the rear of the basement of the big
grocery store of HanScOm Bros. 1917
Market street, and before the flames
were got under control, property to the
amount of $2,50O,OOO or more had been
destroyed.
The flames We're first discovered by
John Wagner a reserve policeman who
was passing the big building at $50
O'Clock. He Immediately turned in an
alarm. Before the engine reached the
scene the entire rear portion of Hans
com & Dement'S big restaurant were
ablaze.
A second alarm was then sent in and
a few moments later a general alarm
was sounded. Immediately adjoining
Hanscom Bros. on the west was the
five story building occupied by Blum
Bros. manufacturers Of ladies' clOaks.
The flames spread with almost light
ming rapidity and Blum Bros building
was soon mass of flames. The water
seemed almost to freeze before it touch
ed the building. The next building on
the west to be eaten up by the fire
was that occupied by George Marshall
as a restaurant; then came the hat
mandatory of George b Wells. at
1872 and the rear of the wholesale gro
Gerry of Shovel & Fryer at 1925 Market
street.
While the flames were sweeping west
on Market street, the UNI brellla manu-
factory of f1irSch Bros, the largest in
the world. which adjoined the restaur-
ant, caught fire The infiammable ma
ture of the immense stock added fuel to
the flames, and in half an hour The
building extending from 1909 to 1915, r
eight stories on Market street. was a
mass of flames
SOn the east Side of the Hirsch build -.
ing, between 1909 and 1911 Market street
We're the following tenants:
The Mispah restaurant. 1907: Steiner
& BAH, cigar factory, 1898; A. Nic<olay, .
1906, confectionery of H Hililnan at )
1901 the upper story of which was &C
cupied by Better Bros. as photograph
gallery
On the north side of Hirsch Bros
the new seven story building of Dunlap
Bros This building extended from 1906
to 1910 Filbert street, and was 100 feet
deep. The first floors We're occupied by
the Collins carriage factory.
The flames swept through this struc-
ture and Quilted it completely. The
small buildings on Silver street. which
runs west from Juniper street. were all
Quilted. The shop of Contractor Lewis
Havens caught fire from the rear of the
Blum Bros, and three firemen were
caught by falling wall. Frank Piper
of engine company No. 80 was the only
man seriously injured
At S:15 a m. fire was discovered in
the tower of the John Wanamazer's big
dry goods store. A stream of water
from one Of the water towers was run
up to the burning structure, but the
or the apparatus defective. as the
stream would not reach The tower
contained handsome clock and chimes
and at 9 o'clock the entire clock col
lapsed. the clock falling through to the
first floor.
Two lines of hose were then gotten
on top of the gigantic structure and the
flames which had threatened to de-
stroy Philadelphia most famous store
were soon under control The fire had
been confined entirely to the Market
CT md No
Mr.. Wanamaker was principally in the
destruction of his clock and chimes and
the breaking of all the large plate glass
windows on Market street
The roof of the building was ablaze
at one time and seemed as though the
entire structure was doomed. but the
hose operated by the employees of the
big establishment kept the fire within
Up to this time the flames had been
confined to the block bounded by Fill
bert street on the north, Thirteenth on
the east Market on the south and Ju-
niper on the west. The wind was blow
flames right into the rear of the build
ings on Thirteenth street The first
building to catch fire was that of ia
cob Miller, gents furnishing goods, No
North Thirteenth. Then came the
cigar factory of L. Tarbliss & Co at
No. North Thirteenth street; McCune
& Co, manufacturers of picture frames;
10 aid II, E. Pithner. dry goods; No
IA S. H. Hull, drugs; No is. Heine's
bakery; No. Is, the Cafe De Blamburg;
No 20 Blood & Kite, jewelers.; No p,
private residence and barber shop; No
"a, Huber & Weber, dry goods; No IS,
J. H. Stall, jeweler. occupied the first
floor of 20 North Thirteenth and VIM
H. Stieff, wall paper manufacturer the
remainder of the building
Foley's restaurant, at 80 North Thir-
teenth and James FurlOng'S saloon at
| 30 and 81. were the last in the row from
Market to Filbert street All of these
| buildings were completely Quilted. In
many Instances nothing is left but the
| bare walls. The flames ate their way
almost directly northeast from the rear
/ of Blum Bros building. cutting the
rear of Shovel and Flyers big gro
| Gerry. -
The rear part of Nos, Z. g. II. ID, Is.
| II 49, 81 % and % North Juniper street
which buildings are used as law offlcss
and private residences. was completely
! burned out leaving only the front walls
| standing in some cases.
! While the fire was at its height,
| flames were discovered on the window
| sashes on this side of the big city hall
| The city hall fire department ran a Ilne
| to the roof and in a few minutes had
! the structure free from all danger The
| walls of the Hirsch Bros. factory col
| Iapsed soon after the fire The walls
| Standing resambled huge icebergs