Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-01-30
FOUGHT BRANELY.
Philadelphia Firemen Master
Destructive Conflagration.
Wanamakrr's Barely Saved -Prop-
erty Loss. $4,000, 900.

PHILADELPHIA. Pa. Jan. - A ~ oOO,-
ooo hre has Just swept through the heart OF
the city. Wanamaker's big establishment
was with the utmost difficulty saved.
Inc lire started ut 6.45 O'Clock in the
morning from an overheated oven in the
basement of the siN-story iron building, 1909
to 1917 Market street. and burned over the
block bounded by Thirteenth. Juniper, Mar
ket and Filbcrt streets, destroy ing or cutting
GO buildings. Many small s.orekrepers lost
their all, and several thousand working
people were thrown out of employment.
Many of the properties destroyed. espe-
cially on Thirteenth. Juniper ana Silver
streets, the latter a small thoroughfare run
ming between Market and Filbert streets,
Were small. old-fashoned dwelling houses,
and aside from the loss to their ten
ants. their destruction viii probably be
to tho city'S ultimate good. ii newer
and more modern buildings are erected on
their sites. Surrounding this section
though. are many handsome whole
sale stores, and on the south side of Market
street. directly opposite where tn e fire ragged
the fiercest, is located the famous general
store of ex-Postmaster-G General John Wanna
maker. Though on fire time and again ,aui
though the frontage on Market street was
badly damaged, the store was saved from
destruction.
While there were number of minor casu-
alties among the lirrmen. no one was very
seriously hurt. But 0nc death is chargeable
to the fire. John A. Felt. "a book-keepcr in
the vicinity, dropped dead from heart dis
ease. produced by the excitement attending
the fire.
1t was fearful morning ON which to fight
fire. The temperature was near zero, an d
the first line of hose, rs it was unreeled.
burst, and covered everything surrounding
with water that turned ut once to Ice. The
flames gained on the iiremen, and alarm
after alarm was rung in, until every engine
in the city was hurrying to the scene.
The police forced the crowd back and got
their fire ropes up, and the tlremen worked
to good advantage. The trolley ears on
streets contiguous to the IRE. stopped run
ming, and the electric wires began to snap
and hang down into the street, threatening
death to all who came in contact with them.
The current was soon turned Off. however.
The flremen feared that the great Wanna
maker establishment would go, and they
had watched it like hawks. Mr.. Wanna
maker himself had arrived early, and. dis
missing the greater number Of his 4, 800 en-
ployes, marshalled the fire forces of the
store. These men We're placed on the lower
roof of the Market street front and they
speedily quenched the burning brands that
fell there.
Atorrent of fire flowed across the street and
broke against the building, which shrivclled
and blistered. A tongue of flame shot up
from the high clock tower at the corner
of Thirteenth and Market streets. The
jets from the hose could not reach the
flames in the tower, and the entire build
ing seemed threatened with destruction
The tower soon crumbled and fell and the
tlremen were then able to fight the heart of
the fire. They soon had it under control.
although the entire Market street front of
the store was deluged with water and the
whole building was permeated with SMOKE.
Though the fronts of the buildings on the
east side of Thirteenth street were scorched,
tho fro was confined to the block in which
it started.
While the firemen we're struggling with
the fire two alarms came in from other sec
tiOns, and it was necessary to withdraw
several engines. Fortunately, these fires
were small, and the companies were able to
return to the greatest fire.