Delaware gazette and state journal., 1902-12-18

Centreviile, Nd, Dec. 15.-The most
obstructive fire which ever visited Cen
ereville broke out yesterday morning at
8 o'olockHin the two-story brick build
kfng occupied by W. II. Smith and con-
ductsd as gentlemen's furnishing
-2re. There was no loss of life. The
bperty loss is estimated at Sl25, 900,
II th about 800, 600 insurance. The
pck in the different stores is almost
4. ~ ientire loss and was especially heavy,
" the merchants had recently obtained
A goods to supply their Christmas trade.
N III The fire was discovered by John
" lemmer, who turned in the alarm at
n fhe firehouse. The local volunteer COM
N eany arrived on the scene in short
n lime. Finding the supply nf water in
n he stand-pipe very low, p. B. Hopper,
N &he fire chief, realized that unless out
kide help was procured the entire town
IF would be destroyed, and, acting upon
X bis suggestion, the Town Commits
4 UBioners telegraphed to Wilmington,
n bompanies, fully equipped, arrived here
on a special train. By almost super
4 human efforts the local hremen had
IA Succeeded in gaining some headway
Ingain6t the flames, but were thoroughly
y Exhausted by their unacoustomed work.
The visiting companies Immediately
Ubegan work and soon had extra streams
Ipf water playing on the debris.
~ The burned buildings are: Queen
4 Anne's National Bank; dwelling and
tore of Samuel @. Allen; residence of
Mrs. Mary E. Haddaway, occupied by
Il Edwin Knox as a dwelling and barber
II bhop; Wright & Eddins' furnishing and
# undertaking establishment, together
S Filth contents; bricK store owned by
dcKenney heirs and occupied by Will
81 lam III. Smith as a clothing establish
" snent; three brick stores owned by E..
~. Forman and occupied by Tucker
Holland, druggists, E. NJ. Forman,
N druggist, and j. 8. Morris, as dry
" goods store, respectively; two stores
IA owned by Alfred Green and William ].
ll price, both OF which were occupied by
x Alfred Green as dry goods and Shoe
establishments, together with contents
n EPiiioe OF DIR. James Bordley, together
N tH}with contents; store occupied by
Joseph q. Dawson as a furniture ant
Il nndertaking establishment; harness
W bhop occupied by Shade Painter; stor,
hoom and residence occupied by A. Nj.
NJ Heating as grocery and provision
& store paint store owned by Mrs @. A.
e Busteed and occupied by MoConnor a
y Son, and the entire Perkins Building
" Min which were the following stores ant
&X offices; Store used AS storage room
|fX tin and stove store occupied by @. A
E Ringgold; millinery store occupied b.
xf Mrs. Benjamin Costan; barbersho
occupied by William Hard; grocery an,
\ provisions store occupied by E. A
'& Cam; office of DR.. ]. M. Corcoran
Office of DIR. g. G. Smith and the Cen
H treville National Bank.
f4X The following buildings were dam
N aged: Office owned by the Mckenne
III estate; dwelling and storeroom owne
fW by Mrs. M. L. Whiteley of Baltimore
storeroom of Wright McKenney & Low
In the Harman Building; storerooi
occupied by j. E. Bramble and
|5W Tilghmsn Hayden and residence occr
III pied by Thomas Davis and Harry No
r. Feeley.
The origin of the fire is unknown
4 State Fire Marshal Robert M. Pric
& when asked about the origin of the iii
n said he would not express an opinio
<kX until he had an opportunity to make
Ahorough investigation.
* The Diamond State Telephone Co.
kine was badly damaged.
lfA OF the insurance carried, about $35
}OOO is held by the agency of W. T
Gibson q Co. in the following cor
.S {panies: Royal Insurance Co. of En-
|} land; Pennsylvania of Pbiladelphi,
n st Paul Fire and Marine; Connection
16s of Hartford; North British and Me
cantile. Norwich Union; Farmers
\ New York; Insurance Co. of Nor
t<4 81 America, Glen Falls of New York al
Ai Delaware of Dover. Twenty thousai
A 2 by Thomas j. Keating in the followil
companies Phoenix of Hartford; Wes
5'3 srn Of Toronto; Hartford Fire; Britt
S45 America of Toronto and Home of Ne
}Ssg FORK. Through Rich & Tucker S25, 0
&$I In the following companies: Niagara
New York; Fire Association of Phil
N M delphia; Continental of New Yor
Norman American of New York a.
tbe Springfield Fire and Marine.
1{& The vault of the Queen Anne's Bal
q has been opened, and all of its conter
Are in good condition. The vault
.& 5fhe Centreville National Bank has r
4 yet been opened.
N<E The last preceding fire in the bio
where the fire started was more than
wears ago, when the grocery store
James Bramble, which stood on
lite of Dawson & Whitely's furnitl
store, was consumed. Many years pr
TO that there was a serious fire at
end of the block toward Liberty sire
At that time the home of Capt 10
collins stood where the law offices
X3 il b. Hopper, L. y. heating ana OH
how are. 1t swept away row fr
<.s fhat point down to Water street.
The section devastated yesterday r
fesented the original business sect
sx pf the town, which in the course of
years had passed through such ser
pf improvements as to have made
bompare favorably with the best br
2g}5 hess streets of any town in Maryland
M Some of the finest stores with fixtu
N3 and stocks, which would have d.
credit to larger towns we're among
lirst prey to the flames. The bulk
the buildings destroyed were of bri
though there we're enough interven
frame structures to enable the fire
spread further before any one pc
|of the confsgration could be brou
under control.
The town is served by volunt
fire company, which in the past
achieved wonderful results for an
L Ranization of its kind. 1t has
quently been handicapped in its W
~ by the failure of the water departm
% keep the standpipe thoroughly ill