The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-02-09
Broke Out In Paper Box Mandatory and
Spread With Great Rapidly.
AN ENTIRE BLOCK WAS THREATENED.
Two Hotels Among ihs Structures Guitsd but The
Guests Escaped Before Flames Reached Them.
A FIremans Skull Fractured.

threatened 90 destroy an entire block
started this morning i'm the bag factory
OF Walter AZ Bell. at i and 3 Front
street, a five-story brick building. The
fire soon spread 10 No . and then 20
20 Moore = ctt, the rear OF which was
close 20 that 81 the Front street build
ing.
When the cames were first discovered
laigc nunlber of girls. VINO are en-
+p.oyeu IN tho bag factory. rushed down
the stairway IN panic shrieking for
help. \ fireman who happened To be
passing and several citizens succeeded
in calming the girls. and at the same
time getting them out TO the street
safely.
Three OF the girls employed in the
factory ran out by the rear Of the build
ing as they saw their danger. instead
of following their companions. They
were caught i'm the alley separating the
building from Peter Hartman's hotel
az IS Whitehall street. An cmploye of
the hotel saw the smoke from the fire
and rushed 10 the back 90 see what was
ablaxe He saw the girls I'm the alley
crouching I'm terror from the black
smoke that filled the alley. one OF the
girls had tainted. He seized them one
by one and lifted them into the hotel
through the window. They were not
injured.
Not long after the Are started sparks
blown by the wind ignitcd Nos. and
3 South street. a four-story building
occupied as a storage warehouse by y.
H. Meyer & Go. The rear began 10 blagc
and the wind helped Il so as to fan the
blaze into a large sheet OF flame. The
smoke from the fire by this time was
black and dense and the flames crack
ling through IL showed that the entire
block bounded by South. rPont, Moore
and Whitehall streets was IN danger.
For over an hour there was doubt as
whether any lives had been lost or not
The girls employed In the bag factory
were scattered about in different
places of shelter aud Il could not be
learned whether any had been left be-
hind.
No. 5 Front street. occupied by Ar
gueim & Ramer. dealers in foreign
fruits. burned rapidly and no one
knew whether or not IL had bad any
occupants al the outbreak OF the fire.
The firern-if worked under great a4ai-
Guilty, owing TO the intense cold. The
wind blew fiercely, tanning the flames
and benumbng the faces and hands OF
the firemen. The smoke was very dense
and overpowering and IL filled all the
buildings In which the iirenen had to
go. besides hanging in an enormous
cloud over the scene OF the confagra
tion.
The four story warehouse NJ 2s Moore
street which was one OF the first To
catch fire. was used chiefly for storage
Of lumber.
The fire was close To the east side elc-
waited road that the Second and Third
avenue trains were blocked. At half
past ? O'Clock a. was believed that no
lives had been lost 1t was then learn
ed that there had been "a hundred and
fifty girls i'm the bag factory. but that
a 4
girls who ran out with the rest fearlng
that some We're left behind. returned To
thN building. She found it filled with
smoke. but not 50 thick az To prevent
her from searching the second and
third floors where any girls would be IL
they had not gone ont she found none
and then she made her escape.
Bernard Blair. fireman of the fire
boat Robert 4. Van Wick. was at work
ON the third floor OF the storage ware
house at and . South street soon after
the fire began. The smoke was So thick
there that ne was overcome. Fireman
Summerhas went UP a ladder To get
Blair down. He found him ON the floor
and carried him 20 window, Blair
partially recovered and tried TO help |
himself down the ladder. The rungs |
~ the ladder were coated with ice and |
Blair slipped. Summerhas could not
possibly save him. and Blair landed on
his head I'm the street. His skull was
fractured.
Other firelnen were cut lay fragments I
OF glass and portions of the iron shut |
ters. which were broken from the win /
dows OF the adjoining storeh0uscs. In |
the rear of the bagging factory were
rows OF small old buildings filled with |
hay. grain. feed. cotton. jute ami bag
ging. All were ablaze in an instant. IL !
seemed. and the flames gathered head |
way as they ieaped 90 the larger struc- !
tures in the block.
Peter Hartman's hotel, az IS White
hall street. was quickly ablaze The ]
flames attacked the building from the /
rear and ate their way through the /
entire structure. Next the blaze at /
tackled the roof OF the Eastern hotel. !
whitehall and South streets. and licked !
It's way downward with great rapidity.
Fortunately the dodgers were OF the |
working class and few were In the ho- |
tells at the time.
The Whitehall Hotel was soon cnpt-
ted and without panic. but it was not |
cleared OF guests before Ii was included |
in the sweep of the flames. which seem |
"a to proceed from every portion OF the !
building
The total loss from the lire is .stlm- |
sted az from 100000 40 si.c0o,00O