Evening journal., 1919-02-17

valued at $500 was destroyed, as were
IS wagons. Luckily the eight horses
owned by the company and Kept IN
their stables, were rescued by members
of the Reliance Fire Company.
The fire fighters were handicapped
from the start through a lack OF fire
plugs. which caused many Of the COM
panies to double up their hose In or
der TO reach the available plugs. One
plug at Guthrie's Row and the Cause
way was found TO be buried beneath
a mound Of frozen earth and was-not
used. The Liberty Fire Company
which responded on the first alarm,
lost time trying 10 open plug south
OF the burning structur> The fire.
men. after making connections with the
plug found that 1t could not be turn
ed on and 1t was useless throughout
the night
While the Christiana river was but a
short distance away, the flremen could
not reach the side Of that stream to
pump water from the river. The burn
dng buildings and yards skirted the
Ghristiana and at the lower end OF the
Bader property was the canal, but
there the flremen were driven away by
the flames. Near the canal was the
government dredge Minquas.
The flames were so Intense that with
in a few minutes after the alarm had
been sent in from Box No. i42 by John
Gibson, a Negro living at No. 10 Guth-
res neyH, they melted the fre alarm
wires alongside the building. As they
fell the fire alarm system began re-
porting various boxes on the engine
house indicators and boxes Nos. 5. 2, !
81 and others were recorded. For near
ly an hour the fire bells "jazzed"
throughout the city This caused many
OF the fire companies 10 tear dashlngl
through the streets and much excite !
ment prevailed. Those who hurried /
from their homes on account of the
IOng-rlnging alarms were confronted by
the brilliant Illumination from the
lumber yard fire. Within a short time
thousands OF citizens were rushing 10
Market street bridge across the Chris
tiana river or French street station 10
view the fire. The soldiers OF Company
H. 63d Infantry. on guard along the
water front. near French street station,
prevented any one from getting TO the
river at French street.
While the "iazz" alarms were con-
fusing the lremen, Danny Branner. who
lives near by. shouted across the river
10 the soldiers TO send In an alarm.
which they did pulling Box No "a, at
French street station. The sending In
OF that alarm called the other fire com
panies OF the city. and while only one
alarm was struck from Box No ZAP. the /
1remeQ who responded to the two |
aIaEnns were needed and performed good
Arvice. Some companies dashed over
Eleventh street bridge and one 30 Fifth /
and Adams streets because Of the box
registering wrong.
After calling on the soldiers. Branner
tried 10 enter The stables Of the lumber
company to save the horses. but he
was overcome and had TO be taken away
Dy the 1remen OF the Fame COMPANY y
and revived. Shortly afterwards the /,
Fame firemen, under command OF Chief !
Hyndman, started 10 flght the fire !
alongside the stables. ana within an in y,
slant the flames from that building y
ieaped out and enveloped the nrenght- =
ers, causing many OF them TO rush into :
The marshes on the south side OF the -
road. A number OF the men had their :,
halr singed and Chief Hyndman was :,
ielled by the blast. When the flames Al
nad subsided so the flremen could re- =
turn Tor their hose they found that
iour sections. each 100 feet in length.
nad been consumed by the flames while
~ lay on the ground with water cours-
ing through Il.
According TO the flremen the entire
stable Of the lumber COMPANY was IN |
flames when they arrived. and within
few minutes the lumber yards adjoining
were ablaze. AS the burning embers
were hurled through the air nv The
wind. the plies OF lumber between the
stables and the Cool Spring Ice and Coal
Company ignfed Il was realized nom
the beginning that the flremen were
unable TO check the spread OF the
ilames. The flremen did their best 10
project adjoining properties. Chief |
Hyndman, who was assisted by Assist /
ant Chief Cannon, ordered several com /
panies to double up with the hose and |
in this manner II was possible in a |
short while TO have several streams |
OF water playing on the fire.
At midnight, almost two hours SITTER
the flremen had reached the scene. the
wind shifted and 10 was thought for
awhile that the burning embers were
going to be carried onto the properly
OF the Pusey and Jones Company on |
the opposite side OF the Christians Riv-
er- Luckily the wind veered again from
The northwest and the dancer was pass
ed. but by that time the flames had eat
sn their way to the Bader property.
which was destroyed
Early this morning Fire CHIEF Hynd-
nan declared the fire was under con- /
rol and the companies belonging in
he outlying districts returned to their I
leadquarters. The Fame. Washington. s
reliance. Weccacoe Liberty. and c
friendship companies were kept at the,
IRE and pumped continuously through G
our the night and this morning. The 0
rsine FIRE Company had two streams c.
gsesing r,' on the fire for twelve hours
ga ga Washington, Friendship. Reliance O
rr,sr Derty companies deluged the OF
M r,S unul early this afternoon 81
.nae the IRE had heen b,,r,tr, o..
was evsdo ee'ore Gibson discovered il III
cial,v ,oent tba 70 many persons. esne- le
Wilmin ., ~, ~ ~socnman at the plant NJ ibo ST
Diamond G. o'eei Company-tha old
acnord'r .-u 9s-s'e Steel Comnanv oiu q,
70 cninss ,,,ss 70 me watchman,s s.a. plenl, e, .,
cne, hyndman today. he s,asement s q
,s., .as irvn the burning lnrc,eoN" ue =,
nen an alarm was sounded 49,. YARD "
NO Il, AZ Lancaster avenue In BOX e
roe street at 10 O'Clock ~, ,u Mon '
the alarm was for tho inro,, ousnt J
nre. Instead the firemen ,.ho -ns sdrd
cd TO box No. 2i2 found a slieh, M
on the second floor OF Coursen's harra,l
factory No 9f5 Jancsofer .r,ar,,. -, - ~