The times., 1899-07-20
BIG FIRE IN SARATOGA.
Congress Park Hotel and Two Blocks
of Stores Destroyed.

Saratoga, N Y, July ia fire, which
for an hour threatened the Grand Union
Hotel and destroyed the Congress Park
Hotel and two blocks of stores, broke out
at $3.50 o'clock this morning. The fire was
started by the explosion of a naphtha
bicycle enameling machine in the cycle
academy of Charles w. Leggett. The fire
spread with great rapidity and soon the
south wall of the Grand Union Hotel was
scorched. Water was poured on and the
floors soaked, and the building was saved.
The fire gutted the Favorite Spring
building, the Y. NJ. C. A building, the
Congress Park Hotel, the Erb House, and
about fifteen stores, kept mostly By sum
mer proprietors.
AT 10 o'clock the north walls of the
Favorite Spring building fell. The corner
of this structure was occupied by f. w.
Hoffman's Albany jewelry store.
There were several narrow escapes of
store employees. An employe in a laundry
owned by Mrs. Murphy is missing His
name Is Dowd.
At 1890 o'clock the fire, famed by
heavy wind, was moving toward the south
of the block bounded by Broadway. West
Congress, and Hamilton Streets and the
Columbian Hotel.
The department announced at 1880
O'Clock that the fire was under control.
The tower of the Favorite spring building
tumbled in and the fire lines were enlarged
TO prevent serious casualties to the crowd
Of 10000 persons which watched the fire.
The Grand Union Hotel guests were great
ly alarmed and hastily packing up their eff
fects made preparations to leave the south
wing, which was threatened. Sensational
reports were sent out from Saratoga that
10 ha. al DrpnriafDra
Wooley and Gerrans despatched scores o.
contradictory kilograms in response to re-
quests for information. The employees or
ganized fire brigade, and patrolled the
halls and kept a lookout for sparks which
were falling on cornices and roofs. Across
the way from the fire was Congress Hall
A sharp lookout for sparks was kept there
by the employees, who were organized under
the direction of the proprietor, Colonel
Clement
The Congress Park Hotel was the centre
of the fiercest part of the fire. II was a
four-story frame structure, containing 100
rooms. There were forty-four guests, and
all but three or four will lose everything.
Miss Minnie Lawrence, a manicure, of
New York. was overcome by the smoke
in attempting to remove her effects.
The frame hotel at noon was ruin.
The contents of the summer stores under
the Congress Park Hotel were nearly all
| destroyed. There were fifteen tenants in
| the two buildings burned.
The Y. NJ. C. A carried an insurance
| OF 500, which will not cover the loss.
Leggett's bicycle academy contained s., 900
worth of machines. which were insured
for $500.
Arthur Goffe, of Albany. who was OPP
Grating the gasoline machine when the
explosion occurred was seriously burned
about the face and hands
The Favorite spring building, where the
| fire originated, was owned jointly by Ed
ward Croker, of New York. and William
a. Pierson, OF Saratoga. 1t was insured
for S23. 900 and was valued at $50, 600 The
| total loss is estimated at s15O.O00. and the
insurance on the properties destroyed at
two thirds of that amount