The Wilmington daily Republican., 1900-02-01

| stlSCI OIIuSC amy lHlS IHoI llus
caused loss estimated at $50, ,OOl
The insurance on the propertie
amounts to about $4,000. Th
losses are:
Illinois Leather Company. bar
and contents. consisting Of Is Cal
loads of hair and machinery $50
O00
| Walthers g. Co., carriage factory
twelve carriages, wagons and tools
$4,000.
Fred Walthers' building occupie,
by Andrew Murphy, $1,000.
! Andrew Murphy, groceries AM
furniture, $500.
Peninsula Lumber Company $l00
Other properties in the neighbor
hood, including Guthrie's carriag,
factory, sustained slight losses.
In the face of discouraging cir
cumstances, the Fire Department
by hard work, saved the factory O
the Illinois Leather Company from
destruction.
The fire started in the Walther's
carriage factory from an unknown
cause. An alarm was sent in anc
upon the arrival of Chief Engineer
Sasse, general alarm was sound
ed. When the tiremen arrived, i'm
mense and sitting volumes of smoke
poured from the building and Ian.
terms had TO be used in order tc
find the location of the fire alarm
box on the opposite side of the street.
The smoke blinded the tiremen, but
still they went to work with the
usual determination and pluck, for
which the Department is noted.
The tiremen discovered, however,
that the supply of water was In
adequate. Owing to the water main
across the Christiana at Orange
street being out OF service, the wa
ter supply came from the South
Wilmington main. The force was
inadequate. The weather was bit
ter cold, and as the water ran
through the lines of hose it troze
and finally the sire ans at times
were not much larger than that
usually thrown by pavement hose.
The lire had been raging for a bou.
twenty minutes when Andrew MUIR
ply and wife, who were sleeping
over their store, were awakened by
the cracking roise. They dressed
hurrledly, but not too soon, for the
lower floor of their residence was
on fire. Officers Pierce. Shields.
Davidson and Solomon, placed lad
ders to the second story windows
and rescued Murphy and his vile.
They were unable to save anything
except the clothing they wore.
The wind scattered 1.-The water
about the tiremen and SOON they
were living icicles.
The Walther's factory was the
first to be consumed and while the
iiremen battled with the fire at
Murpby's store and residence, the
big barn adjoining the Illinois
Leather Company's factory caught
fire. 1t burned iuriously and OWING
TO the contents being Is carloads OF
hair, the odor was slckening.
While the fire at the barn was at
its height, it was discovered that
the flying pieces of burning wood
had set a pile Of lnmber in the Pc
nlnsu1a Lumber Comp any's yard
on fire. The tirencn turned their
attention to the lumber yard, as
had the fire gotten under headway
there, it could not have been stayed
owing TO the inl1ammablc nature of
the surroundings and the lack OF
water. The blaze was confined to
one tier of flooring boards. The
rapidity with which the fire at the
destroyed buildings burned was re-
markable. The buildings and con-
tents burned like finder and the
flames were famed by the stit
breeze blowing 1T the time.
All this time the tircmen suffered
intensely. In addition to the in
tense cold they had to bear the
pungent, penetrating and PECULIAR
ly disagrceablc smoke from the
burning building.
John Walthcrs, superintendent of
the Walthcrs Carriage Manufact-
ur!nS Company, stated this morn
ing that he had no idea how the fire
originated. Two attempts at rob-
berry at the factory have been made
inside OF the past month. He
placed the loss at $4,000 on which
there is an insurance of $500 in
the Royal Insurance Company. In
answer to a question Mr.. Walthcrs
stated that the factory will be re-
built. A temporary building will
be erected Immediately in order
that the factory may resume opera
tions while the main building is be-
ing erected. Work at the factory
has been brisk and there are large |
number of orders on hand that must
be gotten out without delay.
The residence occupied by An
drew Murphy adjoining the car
riagc factory, was owned BY Fred
Walthers of State Road. The loss
is $4,000, partially covered by in
surancc. Murphy had both the
contents of his store and his house.
hold effects insured for $1,000.
The big barn belonging to the
Illinois Leather Company cont aimed
IS carloads of hair, valuable ma
chincrv and one cart. Situated in
the building was the carpenter
shop where over $1,000 worth of ma
chincry and tools were destroyed.
The losses to the other persons in
the neighborhood whose buildings
were slightly damaged will not
reach more than 5000. Chief Sasse !
was still at the scene of the fire at /
9 O'Clock this morning. lclclcs
hung from his mustachc, his ears