The Evening Herald

EVENING HERALD
AN EXPENSIVE BLAZE

It Destroys the Grand Stand of the Philadelphia Ball Park.

SPREADS TO ADJOINING BUILDINGS

The Loss to the Baseball Club Will Reach Eighty Thousand Dollars, While Other Losses Will Aggregate Thirty-three Thousand Dollars More.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 7.—The pavilions and spectators' stands at the Philadelphia Baseball park, and the large stables of the Omnibus Company General were destroyed by fire yesterday, and the car depot of the Thirteenth and Fifteenth streets and Twelfth and Sixteenth street division of the Philadelphia Traction company, the saloon property of James J. Boyle, and many private residences were more or less injured. The fire was discovered in the wooden panelling of the women's retiring room in the main pavilion of the ball park at 10:30 in the morning, and is supposed to have originated from inflammables left by some plumbers.

The great tiers of seats were deserted at the time, but had the fire been discovered a few hours later, when the local club was scheduled to play two games with the Baltimore team, a terrible stampede and loss of life would have ensued. For a few minutes after the first small tongue of flame was discovered the entire mass was a roaring furnace.

The Philadelphia team was practicing on the diamond when the fire was discovered. Three of the players, Reilly, Fanning and Taylor, gave the alarm, and attempted to extinguish the blaze. They were quickly driven back by the heat, however, and made a rush for their clothes. The players had narrow escapes.

A general alarm of fire brought all the engines in the city to the spot, but the pavilions and open seats were already crumbling under the roaring flames. The fire next jumped Fifteenth street and attacked the stable of the Omnibus Company General, which covers the entire adjoining block. The offices of this company were soon gutted, and then the flames made their way to the great hay mows on the second floor of the new brick and iron structure, where over 200 tons of hay were stored. About 50 horses were in the stable when it caught, but the animals, together with the vehicles stored there, were all saved.

The next building to go was the produce shop of William Bantom, at No. 1501 Tucker street, which is a total wreck. The drug store of Thomas Park on the corner of Fifteenth and Huntingdon streets, narrowly escaped meeting the same fate. The windows were broken to atoms and the woodwork scorched and burnt. Mr. Park's loss will be heavy. A number of adjacent dwellings were similarly damaged.

Meanwhile the Traction company's car depot on Huntingdon street, opposite the main pavilion, caught fire, but was quickly extinguished. The saloon of J. J. Boyle, at Broad and Huntingdon street, was similarly damaged.

The following were severely burned while saving property or trying to extinguish the flames: James McGee, a fireman, overcome by heat and injured by falling down a flight of steps; Charles Boyer, a horse shoer, severely burned; Assistant Engineer Ellinger and Firemen Thomas Clayton, George Reese, Harry Thomas and John Elliott, badly scorched.

The Philadelphia Baseball park will lose $80,000; insured for $20,000. The Omnibus company's loss will be $20,000, the Traction company loses $2,000 and J. J. Boyle $1,000. The total damage to the other property will aggregate $10,000.

The games scheduled to be played with Baltimore in the afternoon were postponed, and last night the Philadelphia club left for Boston. The club will play two games in this city with the Washington club on Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania grounds.