The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-11-08

daybrelk endeavoring to lighter
the company's loss owade through
three feet OF debris before the ma
/ chimes could be uncovered.
In the spike mill, and carpenter
and pattern shops the machiner!
was totally ruined. Shafting was
piled high and the machines which
only yesterday were turning out
more work than they had for years
were broken under the weight o.
the heavy metal roof. From the
ruins continued to leap the flames
and until 3 o'clock the tiremen cen.
tered their efforts there. AT 10 clock
Chief Sasse ordered half 4 dozer
companies to withdraw and at s
O'Clock but two engines. the Wash
ington and Liberty companies were
playing on the ruins. Ats. "a o clock
Chief Sasse sounded the taps an,
nouncing that the fire was out but
until noon the Liberty tiremen were
pouring two streams on the ruins.
All morning the burned mills were
looked upon by many people. The
Company stationed extra watchmen
at the gates, and they with the as
sstance of dozen policemen kept
back the crowd which continually
surged against the gates leading
into the yard. Another squad Of
officers. under the direction of Ser.
geant Lucas, kept the crowd away
from the Head street side of the
building to prevent accidents which
might result from the fall Of timbers
which remained in place.
COMPANY OFFICERS AT THE SCENE.
Immediately after the sounding
of the alarm, Howard Il. Wallace,
pre- sident of the Diamond Steel
Company, Charles G. Phillips, his
assistant, and other officers of the
Company were at the fire. They
were averse to advancing any idea
as to the origi n oil the fire, prefer
ring to make a statement when quiet
was restored. Mr.. Phillips stated,
however, that the only tirethat was
in the destr Dyed buildings | ast
night, was in the furnaces in The
spike making machines. These
had been banked during the nIgnt
and could not possibly have CAUSED
the destruction OF the building, be
ing tar from any intlammabie ma.
terial. Tie building was Lighted
by electricity, and as these wires
entered the building in the pattern
shops where the fire OF iginated, i
| was the belief of not lew Offices o
the Company, that the wires had Sc
| fire to the wooden roof of the pat.
tern shop. Another opinion was
that hot journals in the spike max
ing machinery had originated the
fire. A superlntcndentoi one OF the
mills was of the opinion that the
pattern shop had been fired.
SAVING OTHER BUILDINGS.
The fire was one that tested thu
fire fighting abilities of the VI
mington tircmen as, perhaps, the
were never before tested. Th,
sparks from the burning mills fe.
rapidly on adjoining buildings.
Within IS feet Of what was yesler-
day the spike, carpenter and pat.
tern shops, stands the puddlln.
shop, horse shoe shop and the bar
mill, and all these buildings are OF
corrugated iron, which fact saved
them from destruction. They were
kept closed while the fire ragged to
prevent the sparks from reaching
the inside woodwork. Had these
| buildings been destroyed, the entire
"old Ferry yard would have been
wiped out and the Diamond Stee
Company suffered incalculable loss
The only adjoining building.
which were threatened with de
structiOn, were the Herbert House
tenantcd by Terrence Carvin, a
Christiana avenue and Head stree
and the barrel factory of W. f.
Tuchton adjoining, These proper
ties are opposite the burned mill
but as the wind was blowing in al
cas- tcrly direction. sparks wer,
carried to the buildings. At on,
time the root oil the Herbert House
was aGrc, but a few well directed
streams from the WASH ngton Com
pany's chemical eng inc cXtirruish
ed the incipient blaze. A shower
of sparks icll continually on the
root OF the Touchton building, bu
as the hrcmcn had water soakcc
the building. the fire did no damage.
LIBERTY HORSE AND WAGON BuRNrI