The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-01-26
Big FIRE at
PHILADELPHIA,
The Mammoth Store Of John
Wanamakar in Flames.
SAN'aN's, sNEliEysvsH's AND
Other Well Known Stores Quilted
This Morning Despite the Et
forts OF the Entire Fire
Department.
HAN'!sl'l, sNEllEysvaG's AND

wright saw smoke issuing from the rear
basement of theg grocery store of Hansoom
Bro at NO, 1917 Market street and he sent
in an alarm from the box at Thirteenth
and Market.
soon afterward smoke was seen pour.
ing out of the upper story windows and
another alarm was sent in. -
The six-story iron front building at 1909,
1911 and 1913 Market street is occupied by
Hirsh d Bro, umbrella manufacturers:
Dement'S Restaurant Company, and
Hanscom Bros grocers, respectively. The
whole of the upper floors are occupied BY
Hirsh & Co. rs mandatory.
The flames in the cellar broke ont into
the alley in a brief time, and then went
up an elevator shaft with incredible
rapidty.
! In a few minutes more the rear of Dem
nett's was in flames, and Hirsch Bros
establishment followed within few
minutes. =
In the next thirty minutes third and
fourth alarm was turned in, and before
eight o'clock all the available engines,
| hremen, hose and apparatus in the city
| were working valantly and desperately to
| subdue the flames.
just before eight O'Clock, tho fire burst
out OF the rear windows on the upper
| floors of the Hanscom building and about
the same time the roof fell in, allowing
the full fury Of the flames to bs seen and
felt.
just after O'Clock the main tower Oh
John Wanamaker's establishment, caught
fire at Thirteenth and Market. The build
ing is here, six stories in height, sur
mounted by clock tower The fire.
caught in the upper corner, and burned
slowly down. No water could be gotten
to the endangered point at first, because
the outbreak was totally unexpected. -
The centre tower, over tha main en-.
trance on Market street, also caught
and burned down the 'front.' and all the
plate glass windows along Market street
were broken by tho heat.
The establishment of Blum Brothers,
manufacturers of coats, suits and ladies'
waists, at 1919 Market street, caught tl.e
from the rear basement and side of Han.
soon Brothers just before eight, and In
brief time was Il mass of flames. 4
The water tower, which Is kept at
Twentieth and Market, was teephoned
for, and arrived about 5 o'clock. A few
minutes later it was playing on Wanna.
makers building n
B!aum Brothers had been notified that
their place was on fire, and woro gather
ing books and papers in the Office, when
ths overhead floors were in flames. > =
The police forcibly put them out just
before some of the upper floors gavo way
and came down through where they had
been.
The flames in the rear of the building
caught the rear of the Dunlap Printing
Company building, across Silver street,
setting all the rear wood work on fire,
and also across the roof. From these
points it went inside on the uppes aass@
The upper floor tenants are tho Dunlap
Printing Company, who have tho second
third and fourth floors: tho Mercantll
Laundry Company, on the fifth floor, Of
which c. A. Wendell is treasurer and
manager; the Wilbour Printing Com.
pany On sixth and seventh floors; and tho
Electro Tint Engraving Company seventh
floor.
The fremen scaled the fire escapes, and
dragged hose into the building from FIJI.
bert street; but the flames gradually
spread through the upper floors despite
their efforts lid
The Dunlap building of brick, seven
stories IN height, l396.slO Hilbert street.
1t is occupied by the Collins Carriage
Company or the first floor of 1850 and
the United states Importing and Export
Ing at 1896 ~ssa
The fury Of the flames can be likcncd to
nothing within the conception of human
beings and grave apprehension for Wanu-
makers was well founded when tho six-
stories Of the Bennett Hirsh and Hans
com building burst into one sea of lurid
flames Tongues Of fire leaped and spark
led in every window till they seemed to
cOmmiIg!e and concentrate their fury into
one mighty blaze. -
From tho roof Of the IIirsh property
Ills shot upward fully one hundred feet.
The wind caught it, and in moment tho
kncll of all the adjacent buildings had
been sounded.
Although there was no explosion the
impression that there had boon ono was
carried to the mind Of the spectator, by
the happenings Of the next few seconds.
II seemed that n hurricane force imp PEELED
the entire blazing contents Of the giant
structure forward, x
The Sncllcnburg clothing store and tho
big hotel opposite the Reading Terminal
are doomed.
Through tho bravery of Harry Nc.
Knight, the lives of Mrs, Hail, her daugh-
ter and son Adamw were saved from terr:-
bic death, as they were a,lcop in their
home at l3l? Hilbert street.
The entire fire department is in service
except one engine that is working on tho
Ledger building where small fire origi-
mated this morning. The loss will amount
to millions and the fire will not be SUBJ
dued before late this afternoon on &C.
count of the gale that is blowing.
Tho block bounded by Market and s lie
WI StltNvo, III tCSutll Gun y uhipS' '''NNos
has been totally destroyed, only TOW
bare brick walls and ruined tlmbers lc-
naming
The fro has also gone through til, cen.
tire Of the block from Silver street to Fill
bert and spread up and down each way
toward Juniper and Thirteenth.
Immense flying cindcrs carried the fire
into the center Of the blocks adjoining,
and so far cast as Eleventh and Market
streets the flames broke out on the roofs
in places, from this cause. Tho Hotel
Vendig and Snellenburg's were among the
buildings thus fired.
Tho Tango carpet house Of John Eald
James Dobson, at 800 Chestnut street, was
badly damaged by fire early this morning.
The rear roof and top floor and the back
portion Of the building all the way dcwa
are more or loss affected, while the front
of the store on all tho floors bears no evil.
dence of the Arch 1iend's Observation-Disclosures.
The damage done will probably amount
to several thousand dollars, although no
amount has been fixed upon by members