The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-02
FIRE ON ADAMS AVENUE.
Almost Completely Destroyed the Double
Frame House Owned by E. S. Wool.
worth..Two Alarms Sent Out.

A fierce fire yesterday morning al
most completely ruined the double
frame house, GA and SIG Adams ave-
nue., owned by C. S. Woolworth and
occupied respectively by f. L. Stark,
of Stark & Turn, and w. II. Santee, a
picture dealer. Only a small part of
the contents of either house was saved.
An adjoining dwelling, No. 61S, was
damaged to the extent of several hun
dred dollars.
Two alarms had to be sent in. Even
with the large force of firemen on hand
the flames would certainly have con-
sumed the adjacent structures and
might have destroyed the whole block
but for the slate roof which kept the
flames confined. The block is one of
the most thickly lined by wooden
houses of any block in the city. In it's
rear and facing the alley is "a closely
built row of cheaper dwellings,.
Smoke had been detected by the oc-
cupants of both houses long before the
alarm WAS sounded, but the source was
thought to be a freshly built fire in q
stove or refuse burning out of doors
Neighbors saw the smoke issuing from
near the roof of No. GA, occupied by
Mr.. Stark, and turned in an alarm at
$50 o'clock from Box %, at the corner
or Olive street. Phoenix Chemical
company reached the scene in less than
three minutes from the sounding OF
the alarm, and the Crystal, Nay Aug,
Relief and Hook and Ladder companies
soon followed
Great quantities of smoke were pour
ing from the house when the chemical
| apparatus was PUT at work bat il was
| at once apparent that the fire was too
extensive for the chemicals Chief
Hickey ordered q second olarm. No. )
| Engine company and No. 10 Hose COM
pany responded. This added force
| gave the fremen enough hose and
pumping power.
BY the time the ircmen had got fair
! ly at work each side of the structure
| was mass of flames and but little of
the contents had been saved The in
| tens" cold hampered the firemen in
their work ard caused ice to stiffcn
| their clothing and form on their hair
ard mOustdchas.
At 9.15 o'clock the fire was getting
under control and at $50 taps were
| sounded. Hardly more than the shel!
| of the structure was left standing, and
! everything belonging to the two fam
| lies and not removed when the blaze
| was first discovered was ruined.
The building No 6ls, owned by r. C,
| Clark, was damaged to the extent of
| several hundred dollars. IL was fully
| covered by insurance. Mr.. Woolworth's
loss was nearly $4,000 on Nos. GA and
GIG, which We're protected by insurance.
Mr. Stark and Mr.. Santee, the occu-
| pants, each carried $500 insurance,
| though the damage sustained by each
| amounts to about double that sum.
| There were several bOarders in the
stark house. They saved some of their
| effects
Sandwiches and hot coffee were pre-
| pared by women in the neighborhood
and sent to the firemen. The food and
hot drink served to refresh them and
aid them in combating one of the most
serious fires in the city in several
| months.
James Bremen, one of the MANY
who assisted in removing the household
| goods, was accidentally struck in the
| body by bed spring. He is now un-
! der treatment at the Lackawanna hos
| Dital