The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-27
PHILADELPHIA VISITED BY THE
MOST DISASTROUS FIRE IN RE
GENT YEARS.
WANAMAKER'S IN DANGER.
HIS BIG STORE THREATENED, BUT
SAVED WITH A COMPARATIVE
LY SMALL DAMAGE.
STARTED IN A GROCERY STORE.
Flames Fought With Great Difficulty
Owing to the Intense Cold
Which Prevailed.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Jan. 26-A
tiny spiral of smoke curled out of the
window of a big building on Market
street at $50 o'clock this morning. A
few hours later, one Of the most valu-
able blocks of real estate in the city
had been consumed in raging fame 1t
was the block bounded by Market,
Thirteenth, Filbert and Juniper street,
In the very heart of the city. A few
steps to the right looms the massive
city hall; around the corner the Penn
sylvania railroad terinal, and direct
ly across the way John Wanamaker's
great store stretches from street to
street. So fierce was the flame and so
strong the wind which aided it's de-
structive work, that even this building,
distant the width Of Market street, was
| saved, almost by miracle, from total
destruction, and Mr.. Wanamaker to-
| night places his loss at 100000 The
total loss is variously estimated at from
81, 900, 900 to s2,5OO,OOO, but in the chaos
and confusion now existing, it is all but
| impossible to secure accurate figures.
The losses are very generally covered
by insurance.
The flames were 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 engines
reached the scene, the entire rear por-
tion Of Hanscom's store and Dennett's
big restaurant were ablaZe. A second
alarm was then sent in, and a few
moments later a general alarm was
sounded. Immediately adjoining Hans
com 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 build
ing was soon mass Of flames. The
water seemed almost to freeze before
it touched the buildings, so bitter cold
was the weather. The next building
on the west to be eaten up by the
raging fire, was that occupied by
George Marshall, as a restaurant; then
came the hat manufactory Of George
B. Wells at 1923, and the rear Of the
wholesale grocery Of Shovel & Fryer,
at 1925 Market street.
While the flames were sweeping west
on Market street, the umbrella manu-
factory Of Hirsch Bros, the largest
i'll the world, which adjcined Dennett's
restaurant, caught fire. The infiamma-
ble nature Of the immense stock OF
light silks added fuel to the seething
flames, and in half an hour the beau
tiful eight-story building extending
from 1909 to 1916 Market, was a mass
Of flames.
SPREAD OF THE. FLAMES.
On the north side of Hirscn Bros.
factory, Immediately across Silver
street, stood the new seven-story
building of Dunlap Bros, the only
printing firm in the state with ca
pacity for printing the big blanket
Australian ballots. This building ex-
tended from 1906 to 1910 Filbert street,
and was 100 feet deep. The first floors
were occupied by the Collins Carriage
company. The flames swept through
this big structure and gutted 1t conf
pletely. The small buildings on Silver
street, which runs west from Thir-
teenth to Juniper, were all gutted. The
shop Of Contractor Lewis Hayens
caught fire from the rear Of Blum
Bros, and three f1remen were caught
by a falling wall, Frank Piper, of En-
gine Company No. 30, was the only
man seriously injured.
At $40 a. m. fire was discovered In
dry goods store. The tower contained
a handsome clock and chimes. At 9
o'clock the entire tower collapsed tho
clock falling through to the first floor.
Two lines of hose were then gotten
en- top OF the gigantic structure, and
the flames which had threatened to de-
| stroy Philadelphia's most famous store
| were soon under control. The fire had
| been confined entirely to the Market
street front, and the loss sustained by
Mr.. Wanamaker was principally in the
destruction of his clock and chimes.
ana 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
| bounds.
The wind was blowing from the west
and carried the flames right into the
| rear of the buildings on Thirteenth
| street. The first building to catch fire
was that of Jacob Miller gents fur
n1shfng goods, No. North Thirteenth
street. Then came the cigar factory
OF L. Tarbliss & Co., at No. North
| Thirteenth; McCune & Co., picture
frames, 10 and II; Pither Dry Goods,
| NO. IA; 5. III. Shull, drugs, No. is:
| He1ne's bakery, No IS; the Cafe de
Blamberg, No. 20; Budd & Kite, jewel
| - pt1NSeIC 1SSIuSHC0 ana barber
shop. "a; Huber & Weber, dry goods,
26. j. H. Stall, jeweler, occupied the
first floor of 28 North Thirteenth. All
OF these buildings were completely
gutted. In many instances nothing Is
left standing but the bare walls. The
names ate their way almost directly
northwest from the rear of Blum
Bros building, cutting the rear of
Shovel q Flyers big grocery. The
rear part of Nos. z, 9, II, 13, Is, II, 19.
q, % and 25 North Juniper street
which buildings are used as law Of
fees and private residences. was com
| pletely 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 the side of the big city hall.
which was exposed to the terrible
heat. The city hall fire department ran
hose line to the roof, and in a few
minutes had the massive structure free
from all danger.
EARLIER ALARMS.
Between 3 and a. m. an alarm
brought the department to 533 Chest
nut street. where flames had broken
out in the fifth story Of the building
occupied by o. S. Bunnell, wholesale
| stationery. The fire was extinguished
with a loss of about $4,000. About
| o'clock another fire started upon the
| sixth floor Of the big carpenter store
of John and James Dobson, 808, $40 AMI
S12 Chestnut street BY hard work
| the flames were confined TO the sixtb