Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-27
A DAY OF CONGREGATIONS
Philadelphia Has a Most DeSper-
ate Struggle.
THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT
Called Upon to Battle the Worst Blaze Record
ed in that City in Generation.
-Wanamaker's Mammoth Struc-
ture Was Several Times Threatened
Large Fires in Other Sections.

Philadelphia, Jan. 26.-The fire which
started at GAS o'clock this morning from
an oyerheated oven in the basement of
the six-story iron building, 1909 to 1917
Market street, burned over the block
bounded by Thirteenth street and Juni-
per street and Market and Hilbert streets,
destroyed or gutted sixty buildings and
consumed property valued at a million
and half dollars. Many small store
keepers lost their all and several thous-
and working people were thrown out of
employment. The damaged buildings
were generally fully insured. The fire
was the worst that has been experienced
in Philadelphia in a generation. The
scene Of the destruction was located in
the very heart of the city. Many of the
properties destroyed, especially on Thir-
teenth, Juniper and Silver streets, the
latter small thoroughfare running be-
tween Market and Fflbert streets, were
small, old-fashioned dwelling houses, and
aside from the loss to their tenants, their
destruction will probably be to the ulti-
mate good, If newer and more modern
buildings are erected on their sites.
Surrounding this section, though, are
many handsome wholesale stores, and on
the south side of Market street, directly
opposite where the fire ragged the fiercest
is located the store of ex-Postmaster-
General John Wanamaker.
Though on fire time and again, and
while the frontage on Market street was
badly damaged, the store was saved from
destruction. To the west of the fire, but
separated from 1t by the great width of
the street and pavement at this point, is
the great pile of white marble buildings
used as the city hall. Beyond the crack
ing of some of the plate glass windows
by the intense heat, the hall escaped un-
scathed.
While there were number of minor
casualties among the firemen no one was
very seriously hurt. But one death is
chargeable to the fire. John A. Felt. a
bookkeeper, dropped dead from heart dis
ease produced by the excitement attend
ing the fire.
f,he building, 1909 to 1877 Market street,
was occupied on the upper floors by the
umbrella manufactory of Hirsch Bros.
Tney also occupied the lower floor of
1909 as IA sales room. DennetS eating
cafe occupied two other rooms on the
ground floor and the western room of the
building, No. 1917 Market street was oc-
cupied by Hanscom Bros, grocers. The
Hanscom Bros. occupied the basement of
their store as a bakery, and in this base
ment two bakers were at work this
morning. Their furnace was overheated,
little spark flew out, a blaze followed
and almost in an instant the two men
were stretched half conscious on the
floor by the smoke. The smoke curled its
way up through the floor and porter at
work sweeping out the room, dashed
into the street calling fire! A policeman
at the corner rung in an alarm and then
went back to the building to investigate
the fire. Some one bethought themselves
of the two bakers and two young men
bravely rescended through the smoke
and dragged the half suffocated men out.
The first engine was on the scene three
minutes after the alarm was struck, but
the fire was already bursting through
the floors. 1t was fearful morning to
fight fire. The thermometer was near
zero and the first line of hose as it was
unrolled, burst and covered everything
surrounding with water that turned to
ice the moment 1t struck. The flames
gained on the firemen and alarm after
alarm was rung in until every engine in
the city was furrying to the scene.
Thousa nds of workers on their way to
their places of business were attracted by
the fire and streets in the vicinity speedi-
ly became impossible from the curious
h the crowd back by mighty efforts and got
their fire ropes up and the firemen were
able to work at better advantage.
The trolley cars were brought to
standstill and the deadly wires by which
they are run began to snap in the vicinity
of the fire and hang down into the street,
threatening death to all who came in
contact with them. The current was
soon turned off.
The flames in the meanwhile had eaten
their way through the Hirsch building
and broke through the room. Hirsch
Bros employed about 500 hands, mostly
girls but as few of them had arrived at
work when the fire broke out, those that
were there easily made their way to the
street before the flames reached the top
stories.
A strong wind from the west famed
the fire and carried burning brands of de-
struction to the roofs of the surrounding
buildings.
|. The fremen worked under the most
discoura ging conditions the hose men
and ladder men taking their lives in their
hands as they crawled up the rounds of
their ladders. The streets around the
fire were coated with ice, and neither men
nor horses could maintain their footing
except by the exercise of the greatest
caution A popularity of the fire as 1t
grew larger, was the great quantity of
smoke. This further handicapped the
firemen The smoke at times would de-
scend to the street in an almost solid
cloud and the firemen were driven back
gasping for breath.
. It was soon seen that the Hirsch build
ing was doomed and the firemen turned
their attention to saving the adjoining
properties. At first this seemed to be a
hopeless task Building after building
along Market street crumbled beneath
the touch of the fiery tongues of fame
enwrapping them, and Wnen the rear wall
of the Hirsch building fell into Silver
street the fire 1eaped across and entered
the seven story iron building fronting
on Filbert street, occupied by Dunlap &
Clark, printers; the Collins Carriage
Manufacturing company and numerous
other firms The entire block at this
time was honeycombed by fire.
The fremen feared that the great Wan
amaker establishment would go and they
had watched 1t like hawks. Mr.. Wan
amaker himself had arrived early and
dismissing the greater number of his
$500 employees, marshalled under his own
direction the fire force OF the store. These
men were on the low roof of the Market
street front and they speedily quenched
~. burning hra n<Je that foil there Then