The herald., 1898-02-12
FIRE EAT'FRISCO
Disembowels the Phelan
Building
PHOTOGRAPHER MARcEAu
.MoURNs THE LOSS OF A STOCK
OF NEGATIVES
Many of the Pittsburg People Turn
Up Safe but Sixteen Are still
Missing
Associated Press Special Wire

CURED inthe Phelan building, a large
s five-story structure at the junction of
O'Farrell and Market streets. this after
noon, which resulted in the loss of Mar
ceau's famous photograph gallery and
serious damage to several other occu-
pants.
The fire started at 2:20 o'clock in the
developing and store room occupied by
Marceau in the attic, and five minutes
later an explosion of chemicals caused
the flames to spread. Fortunately the
building is constructed in three SECTIONS.
each divided by fire-proof walls, and
the blaze was thus confined to the
southwest corner. A general alarm was
turned in, but before the fire brigade
could get to work upon the fire the
flames had communicated through the
elevator shaft to the fifth and fourth
stories and had gained good headway.
AT first the firemen encountered great
difficulty in getting at the fire enective-
ly, but after holes had been cut through
the walls, an immense stream OF water
was poured into the building, and after
an hours work the blaze was under con-
troll.
Marceau, the photographer, suffered a
total loss. 1t is estimated that his mater
ial and furnishings alone were worth
$4,000, while his negatives, OF which he
possessed a collection unexcelled in
America, Is absolutely unreplaceable.
The damage to the building Is esti-
mated at $25000. Other losses were. s.
Dannenbaum, cigars, $4,000; C. Muller,
optican, $500; Goldstein & Cohn, cos
tuners, $500; VIII & Finck. cutlery, etc,
damage not estimated; Frank Sullivan,
lawyer, library damaged by water; Drs.
Eisen, Dunn, Baily and Morris, offices
ruined by water; butchers board of
trade rooms were also flooded Some of
the records of the Pacific division, U. S.
A., were stored in the fourth story, i'm
mediately beneath Marceaus gallery,
and were thoroughly water soaked, but
1t is believed that no great Inconvenience
will result, as most of the important
documents were recently sent to WASH
ington for safekeepings.
The building was fully insured and
all the individual losses are covered by
insurance.
THE PITTSBURG FIRE
PITTSBURG, Feb. 1.-THE work OF
searching for bodies in the ruins OF
Wednesday nights awful fire was con-
tinued through the night by 200 men
but no more bodies were found. The
debris is still piled ten feet high, how
ever. and as more than a score of people
are still missing, the work will be con-
tinued without cessation until 1t is posi-
lively known that no more dead are
buried beneath the debris.
That more people were killed, Chief
Humphreys of the Fire Department says
there can be no doubt. He saw the
walls go down in the midst of mass of
humanity huddled together in small
space, and while he did not care to esti-
mate the number killed, he says 1t will
he largely in excess of any estimate yet
made. The search for the bodies is at
tended with great danger, not only from
weakened walls, but from 125 tanks OF
anhydride known to be still in the
smouldering ruins. Anhydride Is am
monia in it's most powerful state, and its
ignition would result in an explosion
which would cause incalculable disaster.
The firemen are keeping number of
streams constantly playing on this part
of the building. 1t is thought that pre-
cautionary measures will avert further
disaster.
Mrs. McFadden and her family of
eight children, who were believed to
have been buried under the walls, are
safe They were found living short
distance from the scene of the disaster,
having moved from Mulberry Alley only
a few days before.
Michael O'Hern of Oil City and James
Beverley of Grafton, who were among
the missing, also have turned UP. AS a
result of the catastrophe, movement
to prevent the storage in quantities of
bonded liquor or ammonia, within the
corporate limits of the city, has been
commenced.
Most of the victims will be buried to-
morrow. The Coroner's inquest will be-
gin Monday.
The record of the fire at this timeis:
known dead, II; missing. 16; injured,
1S; property loss, $1,600.000; insurance,
about $1,0O0,000.
A BLAZE IN GOTHAM
NEW YORK, Feb. 11.-Levi p. Nor
toms seven-story office building, with
frontage on Nassau and Ann streets
known as the Nassau Chamber building,
was destroyed by fire tonight. The
fireman had hard battle, and for more
than three hours there was every pros
pect Of great confagration. Every
fire company in the city, from Fifty
ninth street to the Battery, was called
out
The Derby Desk company occupied
both the Nassau and the Ann-street
stores and the basement of the build
ing, where the fire originated, was oc-
cunpied by the Herald Cycle company
From the Nassau Chamber building
the fire spread to the four-story build
ing adjoining and the clothing store of
Maduro Bros, on the ground floor was
uuicly in flames. The loss here will be
practically complete.
Z Several firemen were badly cut by
flying glass and debris, but none were
seriously injured.
The Murray stationery store occu-
pied small frontage adjoining the
Derby Desk company on Nassau street,
and the concern has very little, il any
thing. left. The upper part of the Mas
sau Chamber building was occupied by
lawyers as offices, and number of
manufacturing concerns also had Offices
there. All Of them suffered severely
from the fire. The Bennett building,
at the southwest corner of Nassau and
Ann streets. caught fire several times,
but was extinguished. The loss is es-
fimated at half million, the larger