Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-02-01
Harrisburg and lis Business Men Lost a Million Dollars
 This Morning
HOTELS AND THEATERS
Suffered From the Flames and Water Explosion in a Nat Store Was the Cause ol
 the Fire.

buildings in the center of the busi- ness district of Harrisburg were eith- CT destroyed or badly damaged by a fire early this morning, involving a loss estimated at $1,000,000. The grand opera house block at Third and Walnut street, in which were five stores, was destroyed and nothing is standing but the walls. The Duncan building, on the opposite sideof Third street, occupied by three stores and pool room, was also destroyed. The Park hotel and the Columbus hotel were badly damaged by fire and wa ter. The United Telephone company building, the Security Trust build ing, the Bijou theater, Roshon's pho- tograph studio, College block, the Harrisburg Gas company building and the buildings occupied by the Harrisburg Cycle and Typewriter company, the Philadelphia and AL bany Dentists, and E. G. Hoover, jeweler, were also damaged.
 The fire started from an explosion in Pyne's hat store in the opera house block at ? o'clock, and within an hour had destroyed the playhouse and stores in the building and had leaped across to the west side of Third street to the Columbus hotel and College block. The opera house was owned by a Harrisburg syndicate. On the first floors were John Pyne's cigar store and pool room. the Grand Union Tea company and w. r. Paul's shoe store.
 The opera house stood at the south east corner of Third and Walnut streets, facing Capitol park and diago- nally across the street from the post office. Across the street at the south- west corner was the Duncan building, occupied by George H. Harry's cigar store. fruit and candy store and q barber shop. The Columbus hotel ad- joined the Duncan building on the west and next door Is the telephone building. The hotel was ruined by fire and water, Involving a loss e,of $30.OO0 The damage to the telephone building will not exceed 5000.
 The Park hotel was owned by a Harrisburg syndicate and was occu- pied by A. Boschelll. The damage to the other buildings was caused prin- cipally by water. The wardrobe and scenery of the Charles K. Champlin Stock company, which yas playing at the opera house this week, was de- stroyed, the loss about So5OOO.
 While clouds of smoke were coming out of the windows of the opera house the firemen saw a figure at one of the windows Nigh up flu the building. Then came a crash and what looked like a nude man crawled out on the sill. Standing on the window sill he shrieked for ladder.
 A ladder was raised. Its top came within several feet of the window sill. A small ladder was hoisted by men on the big ladder. The man on the window sill crawled out on the win dow and let his legs hang over. By that time the smaller ladder had reached him and he seized the hooks and fitting them Into the sill he be- gan to crawl down. Edward Holbert, q fireman got the man in his arms. The rescued man tainted and had to be carried the rest of the way. He is John Smith. of New York. He be- longs to the stock company and had been sleeping in a dressing room when the fire started.
 An hour after the fire started busi- ness at the postoffice had to be sus- pended.
 At 3:30 a. m. Mayor Gross tele- phoned to Lancaster. Carlisle and Mechanicsburg. asking to prepare to send aid. Soon word came from all announcing that apparatus was lined up and only awaiting orders for ship ping The fire was under control at 4 30 o'clock.
 The Grand opera house was one :f the foremost playhouses of Penn sylvania. no so much from a theatri- cal standpoint as from the part 1t played in the states political history. It was built as Masonic temple, the corner stone having been laid in 1872. and was opened by Lawrence Barrett and Edwin Booth.
 The building began to be used for state conventions almost as soon as 1t was built.
 The latest estimate of the loss is placed at from s15O. 900 to S1 1.0oo.- 0(l0 and fs uarff1lfy coyercd hx In