, 1905-03-01
From The Cape May County GAZETTE.

FROM L ne ldDt AluJ 1Ouhty
Shortly after one o'clock yesterday
morning, February %, the 4th ami
versary of the big fire which destroyed
the old electric light plant here, many
of our citizens were awakened by the
sound of a loud explosion, followed a
a few minutes later by a second Die.
Almost simultaneously flames were
discovered in Yourison's hard ware
store OH Mechanic street, and in less
than twenty minutes the entire build
ing with its fifteen to twenty thousand
dollars worth of stock was in ruins.
From it the flames communicated to
John b. Huffman's law office on the
west, and j. ID. Richardson 4 Co.'s
grocery store and residence on the east,
both buildings being destroyed in an
astonishingly short period of time.
From Richardson's grocery store the
fire spread to the building owned by
Mrs. VIM. Steel, and until recently oc-
cupied by Mrs. Alice Ludlam as a
notion store.
Up to this time those who were
fighting the fire had hoped to save the
buildings Oh the opposite side of Me
chanic street, but when it was seen
that the large three-story structure
owned and occupied by Ponemah
Tribe of Red Men (and also occupied
by Miss Joanna Hearon as a dry-goods
and notion store) was on fire, it was
apparent to all that all the buildings
between the concrete residence of DR..
M. f. Lummis and the corner occu-
pied by the GAZETTE building were
doomed.
The first of these buildings to go was
the large vacant store owned and
formerly occupied by John H. Benezet
as a hardware store, and only last
week vacated by Chas. Hutchinson,
the grocer and in less than 20 minutes
the adjoining store, also owned by
Benezet the store occupied by Miss
Ella Metzgar, as a dress-making
establishment; the store and house
occupied by Jacob Levi and family /;
the store occupied by Simon Gliding,
the handsome residence of Mrs. Chas.
e. Nichols; the house adjoining, own
ed by Mrs. Nichols, and occupied by
Clarence Turner and family were all a
mass of flame.
Meanwhile the building occupied by
Asa McCarty as a pool room, and the
meat market of J. Swing Willis, the
bicycle repair shop of Leslie Champion
and the concrete structure belonging
to the assigned estate of Mrs. r. r.
Sharp, all on the north side of Me-
chanic street, were being eaten up like
kindlingwood.
The GAZETTE building, on the cor
ner of Main and Mechanic streets, the
first floor of which was occupied by
Coleman f. Corson, tobacconist and
barber, and the balance of the building
by the editorial, press, stock and COM
posing rooms of this paper, carrying
as it did many tons of heavy machin-
cry and material, was on fire but a
comparatively few minutes before it
collapsed. Its next door neighbor on
Main street, the harness store and
dwelling of Walter Hurrell, vas next
to go, and was quickly followed by the
china and earthenwear store also
owned by Theodore Yourison. The
second story of this building was occu-
pied by the Mechanics and Laborers
Building and Loan Association, which
loses its furniture but no valuable pa
pers.
Next in turn came the large three
story Hotel Bellevue for which its
owner, Alexander r. Springer, last
week refused an offer of SIG, 200. From
this the fire spread to the adjoining
building, also owned by Springer, and
occupied by Elmer & Ritche as a bak-
cry and residence. Next to GO was
the double dwelling owned by Mrs.
Eliza Garrison, and from this caught
the handsome and costly residence OF
Capt. David Il. Smith, and notwith-
standing the high wind and the intense
heat in which the fire enveloped it,
this building entirely of frame) was
longer in being consumed than any