The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-27 00:00:00

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN NEW YORK.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HARPER AND
BROTHERS IN RUINS.-OVER 81,000,000 OF
PROPERTY DESTROYED

The enormous printing, stereotyping, binding, and pub-
lishing establishment of Harper and Brothers, which has
been for many years one of the most magnificent monuments
of private enterprise which our city, and indeed our country,
could boast, was entirely destroyed by fire on Saturday last,
and now lies a shapeless mass of smouldering ruins. The
buildings were ten in number, extending through the entire
block from Cliff to Pearl-streets, five fronting on each. For
the last few months, the Cliff-street entrances have been

closed, the principal business being transacted in the build-
ings on Pearl-street, fronting on Franklin-square. These
buildings were five stories high, and all new.
Having suffered from a fire some ten years since, the
Harpers had taken extraordinary precautions to prevent the
recurrence of such a calamity. They had a large steam
boiler in the cellar, but, with this exception, no fire was ever
allowed to be used about the building in any form. The
gas lights were so arranged as to be perfectly safe. All the
buildings were heated by steam-pipes, which had been car-
ried, at an expense of over $6,000, into every part of them,
and instead of the charcoal furnaces generally used in bind-
ing establishments, for heating the tools, gas burners had
been provided to take their place. Under these circum-
stances, a fire was impossible, but for one of those accidents
which cannot be foreseen, and against which, therefore, no

provision can be made
It is necessary to clean the ink rollers used in the Adams
presses ; and this can only be done effectually by employing
camphine. In order to render the use of this pe-fectly safe
a small room had been provided on the third floor of the
lower building on Pearl-street, adjoining the press room, so
as to be easy of access from it. This room had been lined
with zinc, and all the precautions taken which seemed
necessary to insure its safety. The camphine used was kept
in shallow iron pans, and the paper, rags, &c., with which
it was applied, of course, were scattered about the room. It
seems that a plumber was employed in this room on Satur-
day, to make some repairs; and in the course of his work he
had necasion to use a light. He lit an oil lamp and threw
the match into one of the camphine pans, supposing it to be
water. It blazed up instantly,—set fire to the paper, rags,
&c., with which it was surrounded,—burst through the
partitions, and almost instantly swept with tremendous fury
through the entire range of buildings. This occurred at
a quarter to one o'clock, and in less than two hours the
entire establishment was in ruins. Some twenty minutes
elapsed before any engines brought their streams of water
to bear upon the flames, and then the conflagration had be-
come too fierce to be checked.
The alarm of fire, of course, created the greatest con-
sternation among the operatives. Those in the greatest
peril were the girls in the folding room, in the story above
the one on which the fire had taken. Most of them rushed
to the stairway, which was their usual place of egress, and
escaped without difficulty. Others were too much bewil-
dered to avail themselves of this, until it was too late, and
were rescued from the windows by the firemen's ladders.
Captain Rosenquest, the foreman of the bindery, was very
efficient in forcing many of them to go down the stairway,
and, by his coolness and courage, aided in saving valuable
account and other books. Most of the men employed in
the pressroom were compelled to rush out for their lives,
being unable to sieze even their hats and coats. All the
presses were at work, but not one of them, not even one of
the stereotype plates upon them, could be saved. As soon
as the alarm was given Lin the business office, Colonel John
Harper, the financial partner, took $3,000 which was lying
in his desk, called the bank clerk, gave him the book of a
bank where he knew his account had been slightly over-
drawn, and sent him to deposit the amount—fearing lest
the bank officers should be uneasy after the fire. He then
went to the head of the stairs leading to the pressroom,--
and seeing the hoplessness of attempting to save anything—
directed the engineer to make his way to the boiler and let
off the steam. The other members of the firm, gathered
together all the books of accounts, subscriptions, receipts,
&c., &c„ and put them in the large safe, which was dragged
out and left on the side walk 'in Pearl-street, where it still
remains. The desks, with their contents, ware also saved.
During all this time, the bells of the city had been ringing
the alarm for the seventh district, and engines, hose carts,
hook-and-ladder carts, &c., had gathered in great numbers.
Vast volumes of flame poured out from both fronts, and
overtopped the lofty buildings; and a black column of smoke
rose heavily, but rapidly, from the centre of the block. The
engine companies poured streams of water upon the flames,
upon either side, but with no apparent effect, and their at-
tention was soon turned to the task of saving the adjoining
buildings. The police were present in large force, under
the immediate direction of the chief, and were efficient in
preserving order, and in facilitating the operations of the
firemen. Not less than twenty thousand people had ga-
thered as spectators—filling Franklin-square and all the
adjoining streets, and gazing with astonishment upon the
impressive spectacle. The proprietors of the establishment,
having done all they could to secure the safety of the persons
in the building, and seeing the hopelessness of any effort to
save the property, took up their stand in Firth and Hall's
music establishment, from ,which they had a view of the
blaze, which was sweeping away, in a single hour, the fruits
of their labor and enterprise for thirty years.
By 4 o'clock, the walls of all the buildings had fallen
down—the vast stores of books and other property had been
consumed—and immense heaps of brick and mortar, over
which the flames and smoke continued to hover as if with
grim and but half-satiated fury, were all that remained of
this great and renowned establishment.
The amount of property destroyed by this conflagration
is very heavy—larger, prolpably, than any single establish-
ment in this city has ever before been called to sustain—and
larger, it is not improper to add, than many others could
sustain. The Harpers, as an invariable rule, stereotype
every book they publish, being able thus to work off new
editions as they may be required. These plates, therefore,
are invaluable, as enabling them to. resume business as soon
as presses and other required facilities can be obtained. It
is believed that they are all saved.
The whole of the property in the buildings of the Harpers
was estimated at $1,655,000, of which about $450,000
value was saved, the loss being thus not less than $1,205,000.
Upon this immense amount the insurance was not over
$250,060; so that the nett loss to the Harpers will not be
much short of a million of dollars. The insurance was
effected in a great number of companies, only one company
having over $5,000. That one is an English company,
which has an agency in Boston.
Enormous as is the loss they have sustained, and over-
whelming as it would seem to be, the fire had not completed
its ravages before the Harpers had taken measures to repair
them. We understand that the amount of their insurance
is far more than enough to discharge all their indebted-
ness, while they have very heavy outstanding accounts,
and private resources more than adequate to replace the
establishment in the position it held on Saturday morning
last. Probably there is not another firm in the United States
which combines within itself more business energy, enter -
prise, and efficiency, than of these four brothers ; and severe
as is the disaster, which has fallen upon them, the lapse of a
year, we are confident, will see them again in the full tide
of an enormous business.
The magazine will, of course, receive their first attention.
The enormous edition which they print,—over 135,000
copies,—renders it necessary, as a matter of course, that it
should be put to press a month in advance.
The magazine, which for the last year or two has consider-
ably interfered with the other publications of the Harpers,
will, of course, suffer a temporary interruption. The Janu-
ary number of this periodical, which has a circulation of
136,000 copies, was nearly ready for the public when the
fire took place. Nothing, not even a line of copy, remains
of it, and the whole will have be done over, but a delay of a
few days only is expected in its issue.
Among many new books which were consumed is Dr.
Kane's History of his Arctic Explorations,—a large octavo,
profusely illustrated with engravings.
The establishment of the Harpers was founded by James
Harper, the eldest of the four brothers who now constitute
the firm. He came to the city in 1810, a lad fifteen years
old, and served an apprenticeship of six years to Paul and
Thomas, the leading printers of that day. His brother John
soon followed him, and learned the trade of Mr. Seymour,
a printer, in John-street. In 1817, with the small capital
James had saved, the brothers opened a small book and job-
office in Dover-street. The first book they printed was Sene-
ca's Morals ;—the second was an edition of the Methodist
Catechism. The first book they published on their own ac-
count was Locke's Essay on the Human Understanding.
They toiled with unremitting industry, and maintained the
highest character for enterprise and integrity. In 1820 the
third brother, Joseph Wesley, joined them, and six years
later Fletcher became a member of the firm. From that
time until now they have carried on the publishing business
with a degree of well-directed energy, which has few
parallels. They removed to Cliff-street about 1820, and
have added one building after another to their establishment
as the demands of their business required. The amount of
books they have issued is almost incalculable. For the last
few years they have published, on an average, twenty-five
volumes a minute for ten hours a day; and from three to
four thousand persons have obtained a livelihood from their
employment.
From the Messrs. Harpers' premises the fire extended to
many others in Cliff-street, and the consequence was the
destruction of property to the extent of one million and a
half of dollars, and the burning of fifteen houses. The
New York Times of the 12th recounts four other fires in
different quarters.
The only person seriously injured 'was Ellen Totten, one
of the girls in the employment of the Harpers. She jumped
from a two-story window, and was caught in the arms of
Mr. G. C. Hebbard. The fall, however, produced a dis-
location of the hip and internal injuries, which, it is hoped,
will not be fatal.
We understand that the heavy losses of the Messrs. Har-
pers will not prevent them from resuming their business
immediately and prosecuting it with characteristic vigor,
i.e., provided the insurance offices are as prompt and ener-
getic in thtir movements, which we have no doubt they will
be. There are so many laboring people dependent upon the
enterprise of these gentlemen, that it becomes a matter of
great moment for them to resume their works as speedily as
possible. We hope to see them in fall operation ih a few days.