The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-23
Early Morning Blaze Consumes a North
End Breaker.
1T WAS NOT BEING OPERATED
Flames Broke Out About 1890 This
Morning and LeycIed the structure
in a Very short Time-- ownership
ofPIant Was In Dispute-- Adj dining
Buildings Endangered History OF
the Mine aud It's Litigation.

tween Court and Thompson streets,Was
totally destroyed by fire this morning.
1t was virtually an abandoned breaker,
not having been operated in three
years, and the machinery having been
about all removed.
Its present ownership is in litigation.
The possession Of the surface plant it
is understood, was vested in Joseph
Church. The Richmond Coal company
had the leases and mines the coal, pre-
pairing it at the old Church colliery at
the foot of the hill.
The origin of the fire is not known,
but it is thought that spark from
passing engine caused it.
1t is said that it was on fire yester-
day afternoon about 1 o'clock and that
the flames broke out again at 6 O'Clock.
The story of the early afternoon fire
could not be verified, but that there
was one at 6 o'clock is a fact.
WHERE FIRE STARTED.
1t started in the timbering nearest
ten feet distant. A "bob-tail" engine
from the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western yard was summoned and with
the aid of buckets extinguished the
blaze. 1t is thought that some sparks
escaped the notice of the fire-fighters
and that the north-bound train at 1.10
a. m. in whirling past famed the
lAp int
This supposition is given color by the
fact that the flames We're discovered
soon after the train mad gone by. Pat
rick Connors watchman at the end of
the third track, some three hundred
yards above the breaker, says that
Nheu he first saw the flames they were
creeping up the side of the structure
nearest the tracks. He aroused the
neighborhood and had an alarm sent
in from box 73. corner Of North Main
avenue and Providence road. Before
tie alarm sounded, he said. the build
Ing was crvelOped in flames
The destruction was very rapid. The
fire companies could not get u stream
nu the blaze. bat even if this was
possible it would have aycrt"d nothing
as the brcaker and all the adjoining
buildinaa OF the ,olliory plant, except
n,n tbn y.,iab oair. .,vbirr ,ras ia tbn
u,lIth ,yrr, pr.y tn The 1ana. before
they arrived. The ,irc was allowed to
| bum itself ont. III. loss T. between
/ 8" OC0 and $1,000.
! At 30 O'Clock yesterday afternoon Il
| blaze was discovered in the structure,
| which was eNl'n9uiSh"d uv u9cknen.
! An"I"Gf nam" NaS' ulS'o\'r'H ap"I. y
f,l Ia,
''''N l'> "'-"' N''''!I "'S ''' ~
- I'N 't"'' " p.,NS','- e1'''
I7"''' " So .
! t l,....l-.., ,,.1 ,,, ,.,.,,,. win
! ,,,,i,I,,,, rI,o' 'aa,r., II is .,,,,,,..6 tbut
snorI,e frnn, , p,ssiro ,.npin. igritad
/ ti,n lro,l.o,. mis- u,,rnino
r,rr, ,,tiL, rI,pnI ,prrr
~, '.,.'., a.. '..,,.,.,
~, -
/ y -N.,o - .,;,., ~, ,,'' 7-,.,l.,,,.
,,'.i, ,or,ir,. a,I, IN sand ,rba tower
la,nad royyard the roiIruad and was all
r,nst tnnnIiuo. uve,,. .yyiue. to the weight
of two large wheels in the tower which
| stood los teeI above the ground.
The breaker was erected about
| twelve years ago 10y w II. Richmond
and was operated periodically until
May, 1898, when it was shut down be-
cause "I accuihulallhs legal 'ahs'eS
that had neen growing more ana more
complicated from year l" year ON ar-
count Of the number Of hands through
| which it passed The breaker was
| erected to prepare coal mined in two
surface yeins--the five-foot and three
foot-and had a capacity of 400 ions Der
d,,.
ra, ,o,,,o TINA met tba co,l from
,,. ,.,,,,ta,,,s TO-
,''' wv '0l'' -, -
pee" p,eP"ieu AZ S"'a" otr"NeI I,lN,,.
owned pS MI RlcHhioHu near Nor'h
Main avenue the coal pelrs taken uh-
derground to 1t, This breaker Is com
monty known as the Church Breaker"
There was a dispute as to the own
ership of the breaker, and when about