The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-07-04
Alarm Turned In.

At about 92O o'clock. flames were
noticed in the rear of the basement OF
the store at No 1872 Wyoming avenue
| occupied as a crockery store by G. j.
Weichel and as a jewelry store by
Louis Bernard, jr.
The Nay Aug and Crystal companies
were on the scene quickly, followed in
a few moments by the Hook and Lad
der, Phoenix, Century and Relief com"
panies. When the firemen first arrived
dense and choking volumes of black
smoke were pouring from the front Of
| both the Weichel store and the one
rext to 1t on the south at No. 1870, oc-
| cupied by Mercereau & Connell as a
| jewelry store.
That's pretty tough proposition IN
the way of a fire." said ex-Dstrlct
| Chief McManus, as he looked in at the
| stores and up at the immense FIVE
| story structure, and after events
| proved the truth of his assertion.
Before describing the progress of the
| fire it will be necessary to describe the
| building ITSELF that some idea of the
| difficulties the firemen labored under
may be realized. The main building is
about 100 feet long, IS feet deep and
| five stories high. 1t is constructed of
brick and occupies the center of the
east side of Wyoming avenue, between
! Lackawanna avenue and Spruce street.
ONE STORY EXTENSION.
In the rear of the building there is
| erected a one-Story extension running
the whole length OF the structure. The
five stores in the building run clean
to the end Of this extension as do also
the Easements. Behind the extension
is narrow passageway about ten feet
wide, allowing light and air to the oc-
cupants of the lower floors of the
structure.
Behind this passageway is n long
| two-stOry brick store house, now un-
occupied. This runs to a point lust
in the rear of the Weichel store and
next to it is a barn belonging to A.
r. Raub and occupied by him as a
livery stable.
The flames originated, as far as can
be learned, in the rear end Of the
Weichel basement which, from the
fierce headway the blaze made, must
have been full of highly infammable
material, supposed to be straw, hay
and excelsior, such as crockery comes
packed in.
There Is an opening from Forest
court between the long storeroom and
the Raub barn and through this at the
very outset two lines of hose were
dragged to the ten-foot passa geway
mentioned above. 1t was here that the
terrific fight was made to keep the
flames from going beyond the base
ment.
In a few moments a third line of
hose was dragged in and some ten fire.
men began the battle. The flames
were raging furiously in the basement,
and despite the three streams which
were poured on they soon burst
through the flooring and into the
Weichel store.
A VERITABLE INFERNO.
The little passageway then became
veritable inferno. 1t was filled with
choking, binding smoke and ever and
anon a sheet of flame would burst
out The cries Of the fremen, the roar
Of the flames, the splash OF the water
and the general excitement produced
a scene which cannot be pictured.
Through all this chaos the plucky
firemen worked like demons, and
demons they looked to be. with their
blackened faces and their dishevelled
hair and clothes. The blaze burst its
way through the thin partition separ-
ating the Mercerau & Connell store
and leaped madly up to the ceilings.
These ceilings We're OF steel construc-
tlon and, in all probability, saved the
building from entire destruction, for
had the flames reached the upper floor
at this early stage Il would have been
impossible to have saved the struc-
ture. 1t was fully twenty minutes be-
fore the blaze burst through to the
second floor.
In the meantime, another crowd of
firemen were industrlously laboring on
Wyoming avenue in the front OF the
building. Four streams were directed
into the two easements, without much
effect. The Crystal water battery was
drawn up in the front of the building
and thousands of gallons of water We're
pumped into both stores from It, with
hardly any noticeable effect.
The smoke was driven TO the front Of
the stores by the streams in the back,
and this rendered it absolutely impos-
sible TO enter them from the front.
Several firemen got down into the coal
holes under the sidewalk, but the
smoke was so dense that they barely
got out with their lives.
ASSISTANCE CALLED.
When Chief Walker, who directed
the movements of the firemen, realized
that If more help was not secured the
whole building was doomed, he sent
out special calls for the General Phin-
ney. Franklin and Neptune steamers