The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-02-27


| avenue, and the adjoining three-story
brick building of Jones Bros, 2O5-2O7
| Washington avenue. The losers, with
their estimated losses and insurance,
| are as follows:
]. ID. Williams building
Loss Insurance.
| j. ID. Williams .......,.......S 1910 5000
| Jacobs 4 FaSod .............. $1,000 6,OOl
| Florey & Brooks ..,........... 1900 10,j0G
| Dir. IT, n. Dunnell ............ 5000 None
| Miss T.. Walsh ................ 1000 None
| Mrs. Sarah Daniels ............ 1.5OO GO)
| Lodgers in Daniels apartments 1000
| Johm Z. weaver ...,........,. lWm None
| f. H. Hancock ................ 1000 None
| b. r. Lacey ................. 1000 None
| Jones Bros. Building
| Jones Bros .................... 800
| r. T.. Prendergast ............ $500 10000
y. W. e. n .................. lOO
TAe dodgers in the Daniels apart
ments on the third floor of the Will
Jams building were John j. Lotus.
Harry and George Haak, ". G. Wor-
den, j. c. Ellison. John Moss, John Van
Miller and Charles Steadel. Each lost
personal belongings, furniture and brio
a-brac. Druggist LOTUS carried $500
insurance. The others carried no in
surance.
STARTED IN CELLAR.
The fire started about 1.50 D. M. in
the cellar of the Williams building,
directly beneath the Jacobs G. Fasod
art store. The cellar was filled with
pictures picture frames, wallpaper and
the like. How the flames had their
origin is not known. They suddenly
burst through the floor behind the
counter, near the center of the store
and almost directly beneath the light
and air-shaft extending to the roof OF
the building.
Almost instantly the store room was
solid mass of flames and great
tongues of fire We're leaping from the
front, rear and the air-shaft at the
roof. So quick was the spread of the
flames that Mr.. Jacobs had his hair
singed as he was rolling a showcase
out of the front door-the only thing
that was saved. He shut the safe door,
and started to get out the showcase
containing high-class art goods. He
was Just at the door when the flames
overlook him. 1t was impossible to get
back again.
The flames spread in all directions
from the air-shart, finding a particu-
larly easy course between the floors,
where there were large quantities of
shavings and clippings, left there by
the carpenters. They also burned
through the ceiling of the Jacobs &
Fasold store in several places. igniting
the flooring of the second story.
FILLED WITH FLAMES.
BY the time the firemen We're able to
get streams in play, the building was
fairly filled with flames. After a brief
fight, it was seen that there was dam
ger of Il big conhagration, and Super
intendent Ferber sent in second
alarm, calling five companies to assist
the four central city companies. Hard
well-directed work by the tiremen van
qushed the flames inside of an hour
While the woodwork over the art store
and about the air-shaft is badly eaten,
it might be said that the building was
saved: that is, it will not be necessary
to rebuild it, but only to repair it, Some
damage was done to DR.. Dunnell's lab
oratory by fire, but nearly all the other
losses by tenants are due to water.
The loss in the Prendergast store is
due entirely to water and smoke In
the kitchen of the Young Womens
Christian association rooms, on the
second floor, fire found its way through
a window, opening above the two-story
rear portion of the Williams building.
A large amount of water had to be
used to eXtinguish this blaze and
goodly part of it soaked through into
the Prendergast store, soiling the stock
in the store and cellar
ACT OF HEROISM.
That the fire was not attended with
fatality is due to the heroism of two
young men, Howard Davis and Walter
Jones, who We're among those on the
scene at the outbreak of the flames.
They, with others, went through the
upper floors, giving the alarm and as
ssting in removing the portable valu-
ables.
After several trips they gave up, be-
cause of the density of the smoke, and
stood on the street to watch the fire.
Mr.. Davis saw "A woman at a window
on the third floor and. followed by Mr..
Jones, dashed up the smoke-filled stair
way to her rescne. No one knew or
even dreamed there was anyone still in
the burning building, and when the two
young men tottered out of the hallway
carrying the woman, there We're loud
cheers from the onlookers.
The woman was Mrs. T.. T.. Hancock,
who, with her husband and a little
daughter, occupied four rooms on the
third floor as "A feather ornament fac
tory and living apartments. The hus-
band was away and Mrs. Hancock was
sick in bed.
AT the first cry of fire she arose ana
sent her little daughter downstairs.
She, herself did not think the danger
was imminent and made no haste to
leave. In the first place she was very
i'll and did not want to risk going into
the street unless she had to, and again,
as she explained afterwards, she did
not want to leave without taking some
of her belongings When she did de-
termine to leave she opened the door,
to find the hallway filled with smoke
and flames darting out of the air-shaft.
BECAME BEWILDERED.
Then she became bewildered and does
not remember just what happened The
young men who rescued her say they
found her sitting on the side of the
bed as If da2ed. She was unable TO
move and had to be carried every foot
of the way To the street. She was cared
for by neighbors.
Captain Campbell and Permanent
Men George and Brown, finding that a
chemical stream was of no avail on
the main part of the fire, attacked the
upper apartments from ladders, and
Gttn la1 a.