Evening star., 1897-01-26

troll property amounting in value to
s., 100000 or more had been destroyed.
The flames We're first discovered by John
Wagner, reserve policeman, who was
Passing the big building at $50 O'Clock He
Immediately turned in alarm. Before
the engines reached the scene the entire
rear portion Of Hanscom & Dennett's big
restaurant was ab!aze. second alarm
was then sent in, and a few moments later
general alarm was sounded.
Immediately adjoining Hanscom Broth
ers on the west was the five-story building
occur led by Blum Brothers, manufacturers
of ladies' cloaks. The fire spread with
almost lightning rapidty and Blum Broth
ers building was soon a mass of flames.
The water seemed almost TO freeze be-
fore 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
CT me the hat mandatory of George p
Wells at 1893, and the rear of the whole
sale grocery of Shovel & Fryer at 1925
Market street.
Flames Going East.
While the flames We're sweeping west on
Market street, the umbrella mandatory
OF Hirsh Brothers, the largest in the
" orld which adjoined Dennett's restaurant
nature of the immense stock of light silks
added fuel to the seething flames and in
half an hour the beautiful eight-storv
building extending from 1909 to 1915 Mar
ket street was mass of flames.
On the east of the Hirsh building between
l'o9 and 1901 Market street We're the fol-
lowing tenants: The Mizpah Restaurant.
1907; Sterner & Ball, wholesale and retail
cigar factory, 1905; wholesale and retail
&C nfeotionery of A. Nickolacky, 1903, and
a httrI In,t, -fA
the upper story of which was occupied by
Potter Brothers as photograph gallery.
On FiIbert Street.
On the north side of Hirsh Brothers,
factory, Immediately across Silver street.
stood the new seven-story building of Dun
lap Brothers. the only printing firm in
the state with capacity for printing the
big blanket Australian ballots. This build
street and was 100 feet deep. The first
floors We're occupied by the Collins Car
rlage Company. The flames swept through
this big structure ard gutted it completely
Ihe small buildings on Silver street which
run west from 18th to Juniper were all
gutted
The shop of Contractor Lewis Hayens
caught fire from the rear of Blum Brothers
ana three nfemen were caught by fall
ing wall. Frank Piper of engine company
No 30 was the only man seriously in
jured.
Wanamaker's ON Fire.
At SIS 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 or the apparatus defective, as the
stream would not reach. The tower con-
tained a handsome clock and chimes At
y O'Clock the entire tower collapsed, 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 destroy Philadei-
phia's most famous store were soon under
control.
The fire had been confined entirely to the
Market street front and the loss sustained
by MIR. Wanamaker was principally in the
destruction Of his clock and chimes and
the breaking of all the large plate glass
windows IN Market street
The roof of the building was ablaze at
one time land it seemed as though the entire
structure was doomed, but the hose oper-
ated by the employees of the big establish
ment kept the fire within bounds.
On North Thirteenth Street.
Up to this time the flames had been con-
fined to the block bounded by Filbert street
on the north, 18th on the east, Market on
the south and Juniper on the west The
wind was blowing from the west and car
ried the flames right into the rear of the
buildings on 18th street.
The first building to catch fire was that
OF Jacob Miller, gents furnishing goods, g
North 18th. Then came the cigar factory
OF L. Tarbliss & Co., at North 18th
street; A. McCune & Co., manufacturers OF
picture frames, 10 and IL: e. Pither, dry
goods. IA; 8. H. shull, drugs. 16: Heines'