Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-22
'I1DRF|REMEN HURT
| At 100000 BLAZE
40 Fall From Third Floor at
Twelfth and ButtonWood
Streets Fire
FIRMS ARE HEAVY LOSERS

Two fremen walked off a roof and
AZ ,brpe stories to the street and
M u., uos rescued and carried down n
WI. W. ,,cane from the fourth floor by
~ oomrade during four-a alarm fire
a,,cb ragged last night in the building
,,s Baker Compressed Air Carpet
%..,ir0 Co.. southwest corner of
rrolftb and Buttonwood streets. A
,,n,tb fireman was overcome by smoke.
The injured:
charles p. Fox, Truck No. l: possible
,,',-o M left hip. fracture of left arm
naSit.t rnS c,,ts and bruises. Hahnemann Hos
pltsl serious.
A,hert Sickle. Engine Company No.
IL; possible fracture or arm ana cuts
md bruises Jefferson Hospital.
Leonard DaybilI. Engine Company
No. 90; smoke.
Joseph Spence, Engine Company No.
!; smoke.
During the height of the fire. which
.s NOT entirely out until O'Clock this
no,nng. the flames could be seen for
mTss and heavy pail of smoke hung
nvo, the eastern section of the city,
J,iysn slowly toward the river by
~sst wind. People squares away from
hs Are we're aroused by the smoke and
looked for fire near their homes.
Families Alarmed
The flames were kept from spreading,
,rt ra,sed alarm in the neighborhood.
galf a dozen families occupying dwell
ings nearby prepared to move their
mpniture 10 the street and flee.
The building is four stories high. ex-
,.,J;no 175 feet on ButtonwoOd street
md 1SC on Twelfth street. Seven firms
Sova manufacturing businesses in 1t.
nd oll lost more or less heavily. The
,b;rd and fourth floors were burned out
,rd the other floors and basement heav-
ir damaged BY smoke and water. 1t
y estimated that about $1,000 worth
a. damage was done. The cause has
not yet been determined.
man passing few minutes before
midnight saw the flames and ran to En-.
Gne Company No. 90, at Tenth and
Bu,tonwood streets. to give the alarm.
rsntein Schnefer, of that company,
mrned in first alarm and Deputy Chief
+. Wabert sent in second, third
and fourth alarms as the flames spread.
The flames had broken out between
mo second and third floors APPARENT ly,
md they spread by means of the stair
way and elevator shaft. The whole
|hock building was soon n furnace, and
sremen clinging to fire escapes and
shooting streams from nearby buildings
had hard time sticking to their posts
IN the face of the flames and smoke.
Sees Comrade Fall
Daybill was working on fire escape
AZ the fourth floor when the smoke
overcame him. A comrade, James Fer.
r,son. of the Tenth and Buttonwood
streets company. saw Daybill fall and
went to the rescue.
Ferguson got Daybill on his back, and
IN spite of choking smoke. staggered
with him down the three flights of iron
stems and brought him safely to the
street.
The fire was at its height when Fox
and Sickle we're hurt. They had taken
line of hose to the roof OF Il smaller
building adjoining the burning factory,
and were maneuvering for better posi-
ton from which to fight the flames.
The smoke was so dense that they couiu
not see their way, and before they knew
Il had come to the edge Of the roof ana
stepped off into space. Fortunately it
was q low building, and though they
fell three stories, the fall was not more
than about 80 feet.
Other frcmen saw them fall. and they
we're put in waiting ambulances and
hurried off TO hospitals. it is .ex,-
psctOd that both will recover, though
Fox is very badly hurt.
Just before the fourth alarm was
turned in the roof collapsed, and its
heavy beams crashed down from the
fourth to the third floor, wrecking both
floors on the way. and sending a geyser
Of fame and sparks skyward.
The firms in the building, beside the
carpet cleaning company, which occu
pied the first floor, were the National
Adhesive Co.. glue manufacturers Will
liam s. Haincs Co., steam accessories
Charles klauSe, brass novelties; j. +,
Anderson Co., machinery manufac-
turers Miller, Closman g. CO., manu-
taCturerS of trunks and bags. and
Charles Steiner, manufacturer of ladies
bats.
Mattresses stored in the Premier
plant burned fercely and the hamel
spread throughout the rear Of the build
Ing The fire stopped traffic on Twelfth
street and hundreds of workers were
delayed going to work, The loss has
not yet been estimated.