匹兹堡的严重大火
宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡。,在1月27日访问rious fire on Fifth avenue, in the downtown business section, causing an estimated loss of $2,000,000. The following establishments were affected: Frank & Seder department store, a four-story brick building, destroyed, with a loss of $1,000,000; J. G. McCrory five and ten cent store, destroyed, with a loss of $125,000; Hilton Company clothing store, destroyed, with $50,000 loss; Grand Opera House building, including opera house and restaurant, partially destroyed, with $300,000 loss; a shoe store, destroyed, with $50,000 loss; a jewelry store, destroyed, with a loss of $20,000; a restaurant, loss $25,000; dental parlors, destroyed, loss $25,000; a moving picture theatre, damaged by smoke and water; vacant building, damaged by water; a five and ten cent store, damaged by water. Other stores were damaged by smoke and water. The fire, according to reports, started from an unknown cause in a corner of the McCrory building in the night time, and was discovered at 1.50 o’clock by the night watchman, who, affected by the smoke, managed to get to the street, where he was found about 2 o’clock almost overcome. An alarm was then sent in to the fire department, of which Chief James F. Richards is the efficient head. The department found such dense clouds of smoke coming from the building as to prevent anyone from entering it to find the seat of the fire. The flames spread rapidly through the basement of the McCrory building into the adjoining building, Frank & Seder’s, and then to almost every section of the eastern end of the block. The department placed a number of streams on the fire, and, the dangerous character of the fire being apparent at a glance, second, third and fourth alarms were sent in, so that every available piece of apparatus reported. The fire was very deceptive for over an hour; the progress of the fire went on without any evidence of its spread, and then quite suddenly the fire ate its way through the floor of the McCrory building and almost simultaneously leaped up into sight in virtually every one of the buildings destroyed. The roofs began to crash, carrying with them the floors. The fire, was fanned by a brisk wind, which carried pieces of burning wood through the air, and groups of men were organized to put out small fires on tops of buildings caused by the rain of sparks. Streams of water were placed on the fronts of nearby buildings to prevent them from taking fire. The fronts of the burned buildings were covered with ice from the streams of water and parts of walls collapsed, due in part to the additional weight of the ice. One engine was demolished by a falling wall, which nearly caused the death of a number of firemen. Nearly fifty firemen received injuries by flying debris. A large quantity of moving picture films stored in the opera house added danger to the fighting of the flanv-s and a large ammonia tank in the basement of one of the buildings exploded. Despite the great obstacles, Chief Richards’ department handled the fire very skillfully, without the loss of any life, and prevented the spread of the flames to other property.
The annual report of Chief Haley, of San Jose, Cal., presented to the city council, shows the per capita loss by fire in the city to have been reduced by 62 cents in 1916 over 1915. While the per capita loss in 1915 was $2.46^ it was reduced to $1.84 during 1916. During 1916 there were 263 alarms turned in. of which ten were false. The total fire loss during the year was $83,130.37. For the month of December the total fire loss was $645. City Manager Thomas H. Reed said the reduction in the per capita fire loss was in part due to improved equipment and augmented force in the fire department and to an educational campaign which the chief has been carrying ou among the school children.
