The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-12-17
FLAMES AGAIN ATTACK
The MASONIC temple


names when the hremen arrived. FIRE
was shooting from two windows when
the engines swung into State street,
A steam table in the middle of the
kitchen was used in connection with
last evenings banquet and it is pos
sible that in some way the gas under
that started the fire, smouldering dur
ing the night.
I The room to the front of the kitchen
is serving room and on this floor
the kitchen and this room occupy the
southwest wing of the building. This
room was completely gutted and many
chairs stored in it were consumed.
Clothing Burns in Steel Lockers
The fire made its way down under
the kitchen to the armory of the Pill
grim Commandery, Knights Templar,
which was filed with supposedly fire
proof lockers used for keeping the uni
forms of the members. Flames spread
through the south side of this room
and made the steel lockers red hot. In
dozen instances the clothing inside
( lockers caught fire. Most of the other
uniforms in this room were damaged
by smoke or water. The uniforms are
valuable, many of them having cost
more than hundred dollars apiece.
A hole about sixteen square feet was
! burned in the sixth floor and through
the ceiling of the fifth floor, the fire 60
ing on down into the council room of
the commandery, where burning embers
fell onto the handsome high backed
chair and completely destroyed it.
The, Rev. DR.. NJ D. L.iehliter. an OH
cial of the Pilgrim Commandery, opened
the door of the council chamber for the
hremen and then personally superin-
tended the saving of more than $4,000
worth of furniture. The chair. which
was the most valuable piece in the room
wds burned so badly that afterwards
when it was handled, it fell to pieces
The carpet in this room as well as that
in large meeting room Immediately
next ON the fifth floor, was damaged by
water.
Smoke poured into the meeting room
in such volume that the walls were
damaged and it may have to be redcro
rated. Water ran out on the floor above
and damaged considerably the furnish
ings in the other rooms of the Pilgrim
Commandery. The ball room and ban
quet hall were damaged by smoke but
tiiC hoollHS 10 ndiu NOOu duu lut Ndttl
did little or no damage to that.
Masons Save Records
On the western side of the building
there is an eighth floor or half stor!
which was damaged slightly by fir,
which came through from the kitcner
below. The kitchen and pantry, witt
the contents, are total loss. Th'
fire was confined TO the southwest wins
of the building and to the three uppe
floors.
Between the sixth and seventh floor
the joists are burned away and tn,
steam table and gas stoves in the kitch
en- are hanging suspended on few
pipes ready at any minute to fall ont,
| the steel lockers in tine room below.
The fire alarm box was pulled twic
and eight rounds of the alarm wer
sounded in the city fire houses Soon i
| became rumored about the city that tn
| Masonic Temple was doomed and tina
| general alarm had been sent in. Onl,
the apparatus from one district, how
| ever, was actually called out. Prominen
Masons hurried to the Temple but i
| was seen that the fire was under con
| troll in the three upper floors and the
did nothing except carry some of th
/ records out of the building from tn
| various lodge rooms in the third an
fourth floors.
|, Shivering Firemen Eat Ice Cream
Mayor John X. Rofal, who is secre
tary of the, lodge that held the banque
last evening, was on the scene early
George w. McIlhenny, William A. BoI
and Clark Z. Diehl, prominent member
of the order, were at the fire and super
intended the salvage work. The waite
was swept from the upper floors ont
the stairway. which is made of slat,
and then out of the building. Thi
plan kept the water from seeping t
any great extent jsto the lower floors
The firemen who operated the engin
stream from the fire escape suffere
from the cold Water froze on the fir
escape opposite the top floors and mad
footing dangerous. This stream wa
kept on the flames for only five minute
and the fighting was then conducte
from the inside The mercury regi
tered ii degrees at that time. TIL
low Temperature was sufficient to freez
the water inside the building so ths
: steps on the inside were ice-coate'
Inc HFe-HgnttIS NOIhtu III Codto ii'He
stiff in some instances.
In a tour of inspection after I'll
y lire one of the iremen came upon son
lee cream that had been left over fro
,r the banquet and the smoke-eaters mat
= short work of it after it was offere
to them by Superintendent Machlin.
Misses Watts Suffer No Loss
$, The occupants of the store room
I. and Offices in the first and second foo
30 Of the Masonic Temple, were very fo
.. tunate, as practically no damage WI
ne done in either of these two floors |
20 fire or water.
None of the holiday stock of Il
p Christmas Novelty Shop, which is co
- Quoted in the Third street side of Il
building by the Misses Anna NJ. al
Marion B. C. Watts, was damage
Miss Marion Watts said this m0rniI
y that if she had not been told that the
: had been a FIRE she would not ha'
Il known that any thing out of the orr
b nary had occurred when she went
the store, as il was impossible even
smell any smoke IN her quarters.
Some of the furniture was remov,
to places of safety from the Offices
10 the second floor occupied by the fl
lowing: Room. No. 13, occupied by t
a Walter Jones Manufacturing Coz
2 pany's agency; No. Is, by the Cosm
politan Insurance Company, and n
A prices. Only a few initial quotatio
!, Company.
u The Fire of November "a
The Masonic Temple was complet