Evening journal., 1898-10-08

THE ORIGIN OF THE FOURTH
STREET. FIRE A MYSTERY
, FULLY COVERED BY INsrrR-
4 ANCE-A GENERAL ALARM
STRUCK.
The large morocco factory of Tad
man & Hickman, on West Fourth
street, between Orange and Tatnall
streets, was completely quilted by fire
last night
About 1920 o'clock, ais Messengers
Croft and Warner. of the Western
, Union Telegraph Company, were riding
UP Third street on their way home they
noticed smoke proceeding from the fac
tory Of Tadman & Hickman. The boys
, turned their wheels about and immedi-
, ately proceeded to the Fame Hose
, House, on Second street, and turned in
I the alarm.
The company at once responded and
} was the first to reach the scene Of the
: fire. In the meantime an alarm had
, been sent in from box No. 212, Third
, and Tatnall streets, and the district en-
gines responded. The other engines all
over the city were notified by telephone
to hold themselves in readiness, as II
was thought that their services would
be required. Assistant Chief Joyce was
, at his home at the time the alarm was
, struck, but Immediately boarded a car
] and proceeded down town. Upon learn
ing where the fire was he turned in
general alarm from box No. 213, and
the entire Fire Department was soon
upon the scene.
The fire originated in the rear Of the
large building, and it was with difficulty
that the firemen were enabled to get
at it, but i'm a short while fifteen or
more streams were being directed upon
} the burning building. By this time
flames were leaping from the windows
OF the factory and lighting up the en-
tire sky. The men worked with a will,
however, and kept up a plucl1y fight
against the blaze until after some two
} hours hard work it was subdued,
but not before the entire building was
destroyed and its contents ruined.
The origin of the fire is a mystery.
The blaze started somewhere in the
rear Of the factory on the east end
| and rapidly spread to the building
proper, eating everything in its way.
The engine and boiler rooms are situ-
ated here, and it is in one Of these that
the fire is supposed have started. The
boiler is located in the basement OF
the back building and is encased in
solid wall of brick and cement. The
floor of the room is Of cement and the
entire contents of the fire box could
have been pulled out upon it without
damage.
Above this room is located the engine
room proper, which is divided from
sort of store-room and machine shop
by wood partition. These rooms were
shut off from the main building by an
eighteen-inch wall, whose doors and
) windows were tightly closed.
When seen this morning one of the
, proprietors of the factory stated that
= he was utterly at a less to account
how a fire could have originated in
either of these places, as there was no
3 waste or other lnfammable matter left
about, and that he had cut out all gas
connections from that and all other
portions Of the building after O'Clock
last night.
After burning through the roof Of the
engine room the flames leaped into the
second story and quickly ate their way
through the floors above until they
reached the top story. A space the
entire width of the structure and about
fifteen feet wide was burned out from
the first floor up. Thousands Of dol
lars worth Of dressed skins were ruin
ed by water, fire and smoke, costly ma
ehinery was warped and bent, and
clouds of black smoke envelOped
= everything.
Shortly after the arrival of the fire
companies the steam in the boiler be-
gan to escape, making a terrible noise
and rendering the work OF the firemen
more difficult. AT the same time the
fire was burning in front of the fac
tory the flames were devouring the
contents of the rear wing on the west
side. They jumped from the roof OF
the engine room, missing the adjoining
story, to the second story above. Here
everything was consumed. In this wing
were several barrels of oil, but, though
they were charred, their contents es-
, capped the blaze.
, Crowds of people thronged the
streets, but were easily kept back by
squad OF officers under Captain
Kane. About 1880 O'Clock the Liberty
and Water Witch engines were ordered
, home, and shortly after she rest OF the
steamers ceased playing upon the