The record-union., 1899-11-30
In the Heart Of the Business Section Of the
City Early Yesterday.
Flames Break Out in a Big Depart
ment Store, Completely Cutting
That and Two Adjoining Stores,
and Then Communicating With
the Building Of the Lippincott
Publishing Company, Laying 1t
in Ruins.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 29.-Nearly
$2,OOO,C00 worth of property was de-
stroyed by two fires in the heart OF the
business section of the city early to-
day. The greater of the two fires
started in the big department store OF
Partridge & Richardson, at the south
east corner of Eighth and Filbere
streets, the very center of the shopping
district at $50 a. m. and before the
flames had been put under control they
spread to adjoining property and
caused a heavy loss.
While this fire was progressing and
spreading every moment, another fire
broke out four blocks away on the
fourth floor of 40 Market street. The
loss at this fire is estimated at Sl1O,-
COO. The losses of the two fires are
more than covered by insurance.
The Eighth-street fire was a very
ugly one for the firemen to handle.
Eighth and Filbert streets are both
very narrow thoroughfares. There
was a strong wind blowing at the time,
and the firemen had great difficulty in
preventing the flames from getting a
good hold on the buildings on both of
these streets. As it was many struc-
lures and their contents were badly
scOrched and damaged by water. 1t
took four hours to get the flames under
control
The fire started in the basement of
Partridge & Richardson's store from
an electric spark, and soon the entire
building was mass Of flames. The
two stores to the south of Partridge &
IN hQ rCS he,
the flames attacked the big building of
the ]. B. Lippincott Publishing Com
pany on Filbert street, east of the burn
ing department store. This publish
ing establishment is one the best known
in the country, many first-ciass refer
ence books, periodicals and numerous
other publications being produced by
the firm. The building was completely
ruined. In this building, stored away
in vaults, is nearly half million dol
lars worth of manuscripts, plates and
other material for reference books, and
it is not yet known whether they were
destroyed.
Lit Brothers large department store,
which adjoins the Lippincott building,
and which is valued with it's contents at
more than million, was saved, but
only after the contents of one corner of
the building had been damaged.
Strawbridge & Clothier another large
department store On the west side of
Eighth, also had narrow escape. and
the building and contents were dam
aged to the extent of about $4,000.
A number of other business houses
adjoining Lippincott's and Partridge &
stroyed or badly damaged
The estimated losses are: Partridge
& Richardson, 100000; Artman &
Treichler, wholesale house furnishings,
SloO.000; Lippincott Publishing Com
pany, S6GO,OO0; Lit Brothers, So, GOO;
Strawbridge & Clothier, $4,000; Bal
1ey's five and ten-cent store, $5O, 600;
Rosenburg's millinery store, $4,000;
Partridge restaurant, $4,000; Westcott
Thompson, electric supplies, $4,000.
Additional losses, aggregating about
S25,GC0, were divided among twelve
smaller concerns All the losses are
covered by insurance
The second fire was discovered at
Z :3O O'Clock in the four-story building
at 4l9 Market street, occupied by sew
eral managers and wholesale dealers.
Inc entire building was Quilted, as was
also the adjoining building, No. All
The estimated loss is $4,000. dis
tributed among nine firms The losses
on the buildings is estimated at $4O,-
900.
More than 1000 persons are thrown
out OF work by the fires, but the pro-
prietors Of other department stores
offer temporary employment to all of
Partridge & Richardson's 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 casual
ties beyond a few minor injuries re-
celved by half dozen firemen.
IL is feared by the members of the
Lippincott Company that the plates of
the Famous variorum edition of Shakes
peare, the work of Horace Howard
Furness of this city, may have been
destroyed. They were stored in a vault
along with other valuables. The plates
represent the life work of DIR. Furness,
and their production cost the publishers
a large amount. Twelve volumes of the
edition have been completed.