Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-01-27

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. Ei.-1u0 IHoSG
disastrous confagration that has visited
this city in recent years broke out
shortly before a. III. in the rear of
the basement of the big grocery store of
Hanscom Bros, 1917 Market street,
and before the flames were gotten under
control, property amounting i'll value
to So, 500, ,000, was destroyed
The flames were first discovered by
John Wagner, a reserve policeman, who
was passing the big building at 90
O'Clock He immediately turned in an
alarm. Before the engines reached the
scene the entire rear portion of Hans
com & Dennett's big restaurant was
ablaze Immediately adjoining Hans
com Bros on the west was a 5story
building occupied by Blum Bros, man
ufacturers of ladies' cloaks. The flames
spread with almost lightning rapidity,
and Blum Bros building was soon a
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 flre,
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 Showell & Fryer at 1925
Market street.
While the flames were sweeping west
on Market street, the umbrella manu- /
factory of Hirsch Bros, the largest in
the world, which adjoined Dennett's
restaurant, caught fire. The infam-
mable nature of the immense stock of
light silks added fuel to the seething
flames, and in half an hour the beauti
full S-story building, extending from
1909 to 1915 Market was mass of
flames.
On the north side of Hirsch Bros.
factory, Immediately across Silver
street, stood the new 7-story building
of Dunlap Bros, fancy printers. This
building extended 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 it completely. The small build
ings on Silver street, which runs west |
from Thirteenth to Juniper, were all
gutted. The shop of Contractor Lewis
Havens caught fire from the rear of |
Blum Bros, and three fremen were |
caught by falling wall. Frank Piper |
of Engine company No. 30, was the |
only man seriously injured.
Wannamaker Narrowly Escaped.
At s. 10 a. m. fire was discovered in |
the tower of John Wannamaker's big |
dry goods store The tower contained |
q handsome clock and chimes At 8 |
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 |
Philadelphia's most famous store was
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 the |
clock andsschimes and the breaking of
all the large plate glass windows on
Market street. The roof of the build
ing 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 building on Thirteenth
street.
When it was apparent that the block
originally attacked was doomed, squads
of iremen, with long lines of hose,
were detailed to try and save Wana-
makers. This structure, with the
goods piled up within its four walls,
represented money value of over &c.
900, 900. Despite the efforts of the city
fremen, reinforced by Wanamaker's
fire brigade, the high wind prevailing
forced the flames across Market street,
after they had been fought off for an
hour and half.
Fire Caught in the Tower.
The fire caught in the hight tower on
Market street corner This supported
a big clock and chimes which rang out
every half hour. Little patches of
fame made their appearance along the
edge of the roof Of the main structure,
and the excitement among the firemen