The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1923-06-21
Trains Cut or From Broad St.
Station, Philadelphia.
LOSS OVER S1,OOO,OOO
Main Station Building Containing
Waiting Rooms and Ticket Offices
saved-onIy Skeleton Of Trainshed
Remains.

Philadelphia.-The Broad Street
station trainshed was reduced to ruins
by fire
The flames ragged furiously for four
hours, converting the high-vaulted
glass and steel structure into a char
red and twisted skeleton.
With the fire apparently quenched
the flames blazed out anew and swept
ftercely through the baggage room un-
der the trainshed at Fifteenth and
Fflbert streets.
The firemen concentrated their ef-
forts on this fresh outburst for near
by was a store of highly explosive
signal torpedoes and other inf1am-
mable material which added to the
fire menace.
Loss from the fire-the most disas-
trous and the most spectacular in this
city in many years-will exceed ST.
100000. This does not include the
loss Of many trunks In the baggage
room.
The insurance department OF the
railroad estimated the loss In actual
building destruction, exclusive of roll
Ing stock or miscellaneous damage, ut
$1,0O0OOO.
They calculated the loss on the
trainshed itself at 100000, destruc-
tion Of the power plant at Fifteenth
street at another 100000, and distruc-
tion of machinery and supplies at
5000 900.
The main station building, contain
ing waiting rooms, administrative and
ticket offices OF the worlds greatest
railroad, escaped destruction, but is
completely isolated from the rest of
its system.
The West Philadelphia station-un-
til rebuilding plans are completed
constitutes the Philadelphia terminus
OF the Pennsylvania system.
A barrage of sparks from the con-
fiagratlon leaped across Market street
and ignited the wooden concrete
moulds on the twelfth and thirteenth
floors of the partly constructed Fox
Theatre building, on the south side
of Market street, at Sixteenth
I1remen crept along the girders,
high In the air and directed streams
Of water on the burning timber. The
wooden forms, from the thirteenth to
the sixth floors we're completely de-
strOyed With other incidental dam
Gge the loss on the new theatre is
placed at S3OO,OOO
Only the iron skeleton Of the great
1OO-foOt high cavern-like structure of
the train shed Is standing. The acre
and half Of glass which constituted
the great roOf-so long familiar to
Philadelphians and visitors-has been
melted and shattered to tiny frag-
rnents and globules
The six million pounds Of metal
work that held up the roof was twist
ed ana tortured to a tangled mass OF
wreckage that threatened collapse.
In a short time after the fire start
ed the entire train shed was a verit-
able inferno, with flames roaring sky
ward for the structures entire length.
Higher and higher mounted the
flames The wind fortunately was not
high, but there was sufficient breeze
to carry the crimson tongues high
above the main building OF Broad
Street station and then bend them
eastward toward the city hall tower.
The sparks ascended in a cloud OF
twinkling stars sweeping around VIII
liam PENIS statute and Illuminating
the outlines Of the citys founder.
No loss OF life attended the fire and
although thirty persons were treated
by hospital surgeons at the scene and
In the accident wards, few were seri-
ously injured
Ten sleeping cars filed with passen-
gers were jerked out from the flames
which licked down from above and up
from below, by switching engines, then
sent on their way TO Boston and Pitts
burgh, many Of the passengers un-
aware that they had narrowly escaped
a fearful fate
A gasoline tank used as fuel for
small gas motors about the building.
blew up near the Market street wall.
shortly after the fire started, about
the middle OF the trainshed. The
tank was near the portion Of the wall
which toppled over toward the Regent
Theatre, but the explosion, according
to engineers, did not cause the fall of
the stone, but expansion Of steel grid
ers, which forced the wall out of true.
so that lt can now be seen TO bulge
perceptibly.
a cigar, a cigarette or a hot coal
dropped upon the wooden platform be-
tween tracks IL and r. 10 the north
side Of the station, started the con-