Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-14
IS FAMILIES FLEE
$5OO,0OO BLAZE
Ritter Can Co. Fire Spreads to
Adjoining Properties at
Ninth and Oxford
TRAINS HALT; FIREMEN HURT

Fire destroyed the factory of the Rit
tier Can and Specially Company. 151'
North Hutchinson street. causing
loss Of S4O0.O0O and spread to prop
critics adjoining. with an additional los
Of 100000. The fire started Mt Il;
T.. NJ, and thirteen families were 500,
driven from their homes.
For two hours all traffic on the phii
| adelphiu and Reading Railway wa
halted by the fire. The Columbia ave,
nue. station is less than $50 yards away
The chief loser. outside of the cannin,
company, was Frank Schoblc 4 Co.
hatterS at Ninth and Oxford streets
Their factory ignited from the intens,
heat of the burning buildings nearby
Damage TO the Ritter Company wa.
estimated by the president, William
II. Ritter, to be S400, 900. The ag
gregate Toss suffered by>thc other prop
erty owners is said to be 500, 600
1t was not determined how the fir,
originated.
The first alarm was turned in Il,
20 o'clock by Lieutenant Kern an(
Oxford streets police station. who were
notified BY n. A. Fischman. Of 154l
North Seventh street, while OH his way
to the alarm box.
Within twenty minutes four more
alarms were turned in. When the fire
men arrived they found the building
swept by the flames. Twenty minutes
after the first alarm had been turned in
the three top floors collapsed. Tel,
minutes more and the four. story brick
wall OIL Hutchinson street fell.
Truck Company No. and Engine
No. 22 were working from Hutchinson
street. which is very narrow. Their
ladders were against the burning build.
ing. When the wall started to bulge
the ladders We're hastily removed. The
moment that had been done the wall
fire. Lieutenant W. w. Dean. OF
verely laccrated foot when Il claw tool
fell upon it. He was taken to the
ildren's Homeopathic Hospital.
Harry 8. Slater. of Engine Company
No. 3, was overcome by smoke.
The glaze from the fire, which could
be seen from all parts of the city. at
tractcd more than 1J0.0 900 spectators
Sparks from the fire few for several
blocks. In one instance they fell around
a stable at Fourth and Thompson
streets, nine blocks distant. SO endun-
gering the building that the vehicles in
it were removed.
Burning electric wires furnished Il
brilliant pyrotechnic display. which had
Il utilitarian value as the dazzling light
aided the firemen in combating the
flames.
As result Of the fire the theatre
crowds from Germantown and Chestnut
Hill on the r. and II. were held UP. as
all north and southbound traffic was
halted by the fire. The Black Diamond
Express from Buffalo was one of the
main trains that could not get to til"
Market street terminal
The Ritter Can and Specially Com
pany was four-story brick building.
1t had two wings, the main one OF
of the plant is a small two. story wing
housing the general Offices and ma
chine shop and another two story
structure used as Il warehouse.
The hat factory of Frank Schoble &
Co. is a six story brick building. Other
properties damaged were the Margaret
Penn Candy Company, Oxford and
Ninth streets, and the National Re
frigerator Company.
Among the individual houses slightly
damaged by fire, broken windows or
water are nine on the west side Of
Hutchinson street, rs follows:
Fifteen twepty-six. John Brown:
1928, Patrick O'Neill 1870, William
Jackson: 1892. Thomas O'Ncin; 1921,
Joseph Evans; 1896. Charles Miller;
1898, Thomas Jackson 1910, Mary
Jackson 1542, Mary Ward.