Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-08-21
ATLANTIC CITY
BOARDWALK FIRE
Loss S25O,OOO
Mayor Riddle Largest Loser in
Fire That Destroys Solid
Block.
special to the ErenIng STAR.

! ATLANTIC CITY, Aug. 21.-Dam-
age estimated at more than a quar-
| ter of a million dollars was the re-
suit of the fire on the Boardwalk
| here yesterday afternoon.
An entire Boardwalk block, North
| Carolina to Pennsylvania avenues,
was razed in the confiagration, which
at one time threatened to spread to
/ other squares of valuable structures.
The sole fact that the easterly wind
| was light one played up to the fire.
| men in a grave situation and made 1T
possible for the entire city fire de-
partment to finally check the ad-
vance of the fire and localize the
danger. Even had the wind shifted
two large hotels, Haddon Hall, owned
by j. Haines Lippincott and III. w.
Leeds, and Strand. owned by Frank
B. off, millionaire Philadelphian, al
ways in grave danger. must have
+, been destroyed.
! Young men were marshalled as the
gravity fthe situation dawned on
| the department to aid in fighting the
| flames. The junior fremen were
utilized in playing the hose on the
| flaring premises from the verandaS.
| Everyone available came to the res
cue and united effort finally con-
quered, after three hours of tenacious
work.
! Another structure threatened was
! the famous Steeplechase Pier, owned
| by the George c. Tilyou estate, di-
rectly opposite the fire. Guards
stopped serious damage here, too.
the damage being narrowed only to
| a trar %f rfr
Chop Up Part of Boardwalk.
The boardwalk also began to srnoul-
der and flame during the long and
stubborn blaze. Danger here, how
ever, was quickly halted by chopping
out sections about the square.
| The block razed contained the
Mayor William Riddle chain of
stores, eight in number, with costly
exhibits. The fire started in the Porto
| Rico shop, where laces became ig-
nited. The flames spread first to the
| basement of the photograph galleries
of Charles Dietrich, 1107 Boardwalk,
where chemicals and other combusti-
| BILE stock fed the blaze, and soon the
entire square was enveloped.
The resort was thrown into confu-
sion over the fire and crowds threat
ened panic in surging to the scene.
| 1116 DO11Ce QtDdI lllltlll VI
! handled this phase. Alertness at
| one time avoiding a real catastrophe
as several of the huge electric signs
| toppled over and were noticed barely
in time to crush the people back.
| Joseph Harrock, fireman, was
knocked from a roof by a fire-hoSe
nozzle, but not seriously hurt.
The efforts of the Hotel Strand in
playing eight streams of water on the
| fire, together with a number from
Haddon Hall, to the south, and the
Seaside, to the north, received COM
mendation from all sources. The
hotel people also had men on their
roofs beating out sparks as fast as
they landed.
| Ten Concerns Burned Out.
The occupants of the block were:
Hartman & Co., stock brokers;
American Chop Suey Restaurant,
Quaker Inn Restaurant, Van Ault's
| toy store, Dietrich photograph gall
llery, Shill rolling chair stand, Roth
schild's Jewelry shop, Huyler's candy
store, Lee Hung Co, Importers;
| Sammys cigar store.
i Mayor Riddle, the owner, placed
| his personal loss at $65, 900 in the
buildings with but $4,000 insurance
He places the loss in the stocks of
the stores at between 100000 and
$125000 and the equipment of the diff
| ferent establishments will send it up
another $4,000.
| Mayor Riddle carried insurance on
the $4,000 rents year which will
| cut down his loss. Louis Keuhnle
owned a third interest in the block.
| Tenants had a little less than fifty
Thousand fire insurance aggregate on
all.