The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-03-01
LETTER FROM HANOVER.
Cross Wires Cause Disastrous Fire
Flames from Burning SW1tchboard
Communicate to the Big Gitt co,
Department Store Building.
Fire and Water Inhict Damage on Bmiin,
ing and Contents Estimated ai xv:'." srn.uo"
-fircnen Hampered by Ice and Wires
Special to the Democratic Advocate.
HANOVER, Pa, February - l"O2

X, l
Fire. which broke oul shortly after O'Clock
last (Friday, 2lSt) night in the Telephone
Eychangr on the third floor of the j. w. GIt
Building on Fountain Square, did great dam
AGE, caused immense excitement AL over
Town and rave the tremcn lots of hard work.
Electric li.h wires laden with snow and ice
>tre ched tn their utmost tension, were Il sun
rct discussed in almost every home FRIDAY
evening, and grave fears were apprehendad III
case of breAkage among the many cross wires.
Trouble was eXnerencrd throughout the
day in the United Telephone Co exchange
owing to broken wires, but the day passed
without any serious difficulty.
At SIS j. m. Miss Prud"nr" R"rLm'nSirr.
whn was on duty in the exchange, met with
an pxperieuce which she will never forget
She had trouble at this time with all the wires
when call after call was sounded hy cross
wires, making it impossible to Distinguish the
genuine from the false. Sac then removed
her head brace for ii moment. which surely
saved her lie, for u>t then she noticed tlAt
The large cable at the end of the building wa"
all ablaZe from coming IN contact with Il liNc
wrr. which burned through the insulation
and caused every drop on the switch board
to fall, setting the switch board ON fire and
filling the room with smoke. The operator
being driven from her room by the flames
and smoke ran to the printing office ana then
to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Cos. office
on the same floor. Both being closed. she
ran to the residence of H. N. Git on the
second floor and notified Mrs. Gitt of the
dangerous situation so close to her home. She
then ran out of the building and gave the
alarm, which was promptly responded to by
the fremen, who, i'll Il very short time, were
beginning work on the west corner of the
building where the fire had gained great head
way Lines Of hose were taken through the
long hall and up on the floor where the hire
was raging. Three streams were turned on
the fire. The fire worked ITS way lenaclouSly
under the root of the building. however, ana
rs The roof WAS covered with ice and snow 1t
made il dangerous and difficult to get to the
required points. .,
The fire was eXtingnished at about 1890
o'clock Much Of the damage was due To the
flood of water, which caused the ceiling to
crack and part of same In fall down. HE
damage to the entire buiing is thus very
large. -.
In the store ,l"paltmcrt of The big building
clerks, ti"emen aud numbers OF others helped
to spread hund eds oi y'ld, of "li cioIh over
the goods. So that they were III great measure
saved from destruction, although much of the
Goods are saturated with dnmpmes~ and smoke
Mr.. and Mrs II. n. Gitr occupy II portion
al tn seco ID AMI third floors Of the building
as ii dwelling. The handsome and cost Iy
furniture. carpets, etc. were partly removed,
i.ul damage to walls and ceiling is great.
Mess.s. Harry Long and Joseph Matthew'S
who were at the pipe of ii line Of hose ON the
roof at the west end of the building. received
severe electric shocks iroln unnsulated wires.
The miserable state in which the weather
LEFT the streets, side walks and roots made the
fighting extremely dangerous, and 1t is tortun-
ate that no accidents of greater magnitude
occurred. Fortunately, the wind, which had
been blowing briskly all day, subsidized con
siderable during the fire. which made its pro
gress less rapid. y,
Messrs. If. N. and Geo. D. Git, of the
firm of j. w. Gitt Co., and Superindent L. }.
O,Neill, of the Telephone Co., were absent
in Ragerstown during the fire, and upon their
return on Saturday morning were dlsagreeably
snrprised at the havoc wrought.
LOSSES AND INSURANCE.
The loss of the j. w. Gitt Co. Limited, on
stock, is estimated at 60 per cent. of the total
valuation of stock, which valuation is $50,
On this stock the following insurance was
carried.