Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-30
FIRE LOSS OF TWO MILLIONS
Philadelphia Visited by Two of the MOst
Disastrous Fires in Years.
HEAVIEST LOSS FALLS ON llPpNcoT1
Valuable Plates and Machinery of Rig
Publishing House Dcstroycd-
Department stores AIso
suffer Heavily.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 29.-Nearly So
100000 worth of property was destroyed by
two fires in the heart of the business Sec
tton OF the city early today. The greater
of the two fires started in the big depart
ment store of Partridge & Richardson at
tho southeast corner of Eighth and Fiibsrt
streets, the very center of the shopping dis
tricJ at $50 a. m, and before the flames
had been put under control they spread
to adjoining property and caused loss of
about $1,O00OOO
While this fire was in progress and spread
ing every moment another fire broke out
four blocks away on the fourth floor of 4l9
Market street. The loss at this fire is esti
mated at $4,000. The losses of the two
fires are more than covered by insurance.
The Eighth street fire was a very ugly
Que for the fremen to handle. Eighth street
and Filhert street, are very narrow. There
was strong wind blowing at the time and
tho fire fighters had great difficulty in pre-
venting the flames from getting a hold on
the buildings en- both of these streets. As
It was many of these buildiugs and contents
were badly scorched and damaged by water.
1t took four bours to get the flames under
control. The fire started in the basement
of Partridge G. Richardson's store from an
electric spark and soon the entire building
was a mass OF flames.
The two stores TO the south of Partridge
& Richardson's were soon gutted and then
the flames attacked the big building of the
j. B. Lppincott Publishing company on Fill
bert street, east of the burning store. This
publishing house is one of the best known
In the country, many high class reference
books, periodicals and numerous other pub
lications being produced by the firm. The
building was completely ruined In this
building, stored away in vaults, is nearly
S5OOO0O worth of manuscripts, plates and
other material for reference books, and il
is not yet known whether they were de-
stroyed.
Save Two Department stores.
Lit Bros. large department store, which
adjoins the Lippincott building, and which
is valued, with its contents, at more than
81 900 ,O0O was saved, but only after the con-
tents of one corner of the building had been
damaged Strawbridge & Clother another
large department store on the west side of
Eighth street, also had narrow escape and
the building and contents were damaged to
the extent Of about 10000. A number of
other business houses adjoining Lippincott's
and Partridge Richardson's were either
entirely destroyed or badly damaged The
estimated losses are:
Partridge & Richardson, $4,000 j. B.
Lippincott Publishing company $6O0,OOO;
Artman Tretchler wholesale house tur-
nishngs, $4,000; Lit Bros $s5. 900:
Strawbridge & Clother, $4,000; Baley's 5
and 10 cent store, $4,000; Rosenberg's mill |
inery store, 100000; Partridge G. Sons res
taurant, $4,000; Westcom & Thompson
eleCtrotypers $40 OO0
Additional losses aggregatng about $25,-
600 are divided among A. l.. Williams,
gloves; Little Jet Jewelry store, Pldas
Partisan Hair Store; c. Eastborn, corsets;
H. NJ Mosebach, restaurant; p. T. Hallahan,,
shoes; R. Goldberg, millinery and cloaks;
Wooworths and 10 cent store p ]. Hala- I
han. shoes; Samuel D. Levy, small wares;
F. w. Dean & Co., perfumery; G. Ulrich,
wire worker. All the losses are covered by
insurance.
The second fire was discovered at 7:3O at
439 Market, occupied by several manufactur-
ers and wholesale dealers. The entire build
ing, four stories, was gutted, as was the ad-
joining building, No All. The estimated loss
is $751; 900, distributed as follows: A. G. Dowie
wholesale stationer, $15, 900; w. H. Harris
& Sons, wholesale boots and shoes, $25, ,O00
l.. Katz, clothing manufacturer, $4,000, and
$4,000 divided among Hoffman, Goldman &
Co., wholesale cordage and wadding; A. j.
Bates, boots and shoes; Sullivan, Hettrick
G. Co.. notions; D. Mausow & Co.. shirts; S.
Ronovo, shirts and wrappers. The loss on
the buildings is estimated at 100000
More than 1000 persons are thrown out
of employment by the fire. but the pro-
prietors of other department stores offer
temporary employment to all of Partridge &
900 employees at the salaries
they received from the burned out firm.
Although the big fire ragged for more than
four hours there were no casualties, beyond
1 few minor injuries received by half
lozen fremen.