The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-10-23
TIE NEW YORK FIRE CASES.
rhs Best Description Of the Great Confis-
grafton OF 1855.
VERDICT OF THE JURY.
FRIDAY-SEyENTH DAY.

FRIDAY-SEyENTH DAY.
nrsRrAST ACTION ON TRIAL AT NEWARK, BEFORE
JUDGE POTTS AND A SPECIAL JURY, ARISING our
or THE DESTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS BY GUN
YowBRR, DURING THE GREAT FIRE OF DECEMBER,
lSS5.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Court sat at half past two O'Clock.
Mr.. Charles Haswell, examined by MIR. Van Wage
Der Il was foreman of an engine company. O.
What conversation had you with Mr.. Guhck, the
Chief Of the Fire Department.
Objected to by Mr.. Davies, on the part Of the
defendant.
The Court did not consider the question adj
missile.
Mr. Van WAGNER explained Question admitted.
Witness-Tne progress of the fire to wards Nos.
4S and 81 Exchange place was slower. Was 1T
progressing slower and slower! 1t was. O.
What was the condition of the fire before No 43
Was blown up as TO the probability of its being ar
rested earlier? Abe fire was progressing slowly
from William street; the houses on FIRE were on the
north and east Of Wall street: the river had brought
In the fire up as for as Old slip; it then crossed
Water street, and was communicating to the houses
on the lower end Of William street, and was burn
ing to Coenties slip and Old slip; the IRE was pro
gressiDg slowly to Broad street, to wndw ard Will
ham street at Hanover square, where the fye
crossed. is about twenty-five feet wide; the walk
WAS about five feet wide on each side OF William
street; thought that the fire should stop at Broad
street, as it was natural barrier first went to
The Exchange in Wall street, and then crossed to
Wilhsm street; do not know how No. 90 was built;
think the fire would have been stopped a. No. 81
the citizens had worked as hard then as they did
after daylight. Q-What was the effect of blowing
mn Nos. AS and so on the fire! A 1t hurried
the FIRE very rapidly; the effect of blowing up
wss to cause the walls to fall down in the
court, and to leave the flooring and rafsers free
from the wall; the bre caught them Immediately; if
astIeam of water had followed the explosion it would
have stopped the fire, but there was no stream of
the exclamation IF there was only stream of
water now" was used twenty times; there no
FIRE in No so when No 4S was blown up; | think
it was a great mistake to blow up No. 4S; thought
the feet would have been better than it turned out:
if No. 4S had not been blown up, l think there
would have been abundance of time to remove the
goods before the fire would have reached the stores
. natural way; was In No So before the explosion;
there was nothing like Ere in No So at the time of
the explosion; the explosion Of No As took away
mart Of No so; il threw down nearly the whole Of
No. 80; no part Of No 81 was Injured by the con.
eusson; il was more exposed to the fire. the destru,
ton Of No. 4S presented the gable end of No. 90 to
the FIRE; the bricks would be sufficient to stop the
fire if it continued on the walls but it crept round
the eonces; if the wind is contrary TO the flames,
in that way it progresses slowly; the fire was
fined aloeethe to that locality; after Nos AZ and
80 were blown up, the fire could communicate to the
coping Of No 52 should think it went fifteen or
twenty feet high; the fire communicated with No.
81 under the roof on the rafers; fire ticks round the
corner of building: it would have been easy to
have fought the fire out of No % when it re ached
it; mean by fighting out. people going and scrap
ing it with sticks and cloths; they would have
prevented it from burning; saw q house in Beaver
street saved In that way, during that ro in Beaver
street, they carried powder into house to blow it
MP: thought it could be saved without destroying
iI; went to the naval officer and said that could
save the building; be said he did not like the in
terfl renee of citizens: told him would save it in
twenty minutes, and if not would help him to blow
it.up; he consented; then went and got help; We
vent into the house and saved it by fighting the
Ere ont OF it with sticks and cloths: this vas on the
same block with No 81; saw buildings saved after
the couplings were on fire
To q juror have never seen house saved
aftor the roof was on FIRE, without water.
To Mr. Van Wagner If the roof was all on fire,
Il would require good deal of water to put it out
Ethe roof OF No 81 took IRE, II would require n
great quantity of water 10 put 1t out; pipes would
Be required to reach the coping of No 81; eff No.
- had not cen blown up, it would have taken m
hour and half before the fire would reach No 81
the lower part of Ne 46 was not untenable when
Ne. ~ was blown up the top OF No 40 was on ire
Mill street Is next to Beaver; did not notice the
vxoSyess of the fire to wards Broad my atten
tisn Was not directed to the south side
Orees examined by Mr.. Cutting Il was twenty.
six years Of ago in 1895 believe No 4S was not
On fire vixen it was blown up; it might have been
On Gre in the rear when ! was twenty-six years
old | was an auctioneef, in the furniture line l
WAs suctiOleer d few months; was few months
out of employ meps q short time before that was
N the commission business | Was III that business
for about fifteen months: was agent for Howell
d Co.'S works, ] was their agent eighteen
months, went rs clerk aQu tinie Keeper 10 James
p Affair; was his clerk eighteen months; ! was
then about nineteen, ! think before that went
Is clerk 20 David Rogers & Sons, West India
sugar dealers before that went to school /: can't
describe ON the map the house that saved; II was
somewhere about, Nos ~ and 45 there were
NO stores between it and No 80 the house saved
Eas dwelling house. this is the only house knew
70 have been saved in that way; the otticer ap-
pfied to WAS Captain Mix he was in charge, and
suppose all the operations were drectso by him; he
was a tell. stout man: | saw officer there, he
aided; small building alongside of it, towards
Beaver street. was OF fire, and communicated the h!e
20 the one saved: am CHIEF Engineer in the Fife
Department OF the navy neither Mr.. Wenman nor
took charge particularly; every one was doing the
best they could; Mr Wenman and | acted princi-
paliy In lay ing the tr6ins the powder was covered
with q tsrpauiin; think it tarpaulin; it was
not too dark to tHrpaulin; knew nothing more
than that the powder was In cask: there was head
sa il; knocked the head in with the heel OF book
IL is difficult TO say what sort of cssk the powder
was in; tied the train outside the building, on the
steps leading 10 she cellar; il were three or four
minutes before the explosion; II hung hfe; hr.
Wepxan aud Mr.. Cox went back to see At; the
match was formed OF paper sud pieces OF o cham
pagne basket which found in the street; this VAS
as much ss was concerned in it, do not know WOO
broaght the powder or where Il came fron ! saw
il nj The corDer of Broad street; do not recoect
The NJ an who had it; do DOT recollect Mr.. WeDnau
and Mr. Eek having IL; saw No 10 Exchange place
FIRE; 10 not rec1llect how long ~ took TO spread
over all tbs buI,dng; the FIRE III NO. - had e&-
tended to moderate extent II would take
twenty minutes, FROM It's tskiag Gre, till the Gee
would envelope the entire building; that
Ut frtt ] DO lot kno~ what goeds were III M.
b1; | 60 not know TIE quantities / climbed
svsr Of goods q When saying that there
was time 10 remove the goods what do you speak
FROM A Il did not turn uv attention 10 ~; goods
were throw out 40 not think there we're carts Ia
thc street there were band cars Broat street, At
ESchsnge place, vas be, Feen eighty and one nua.
drec ~ vide the goods were on the s'de o. broad
street; they scre piled to different heights; goods
we're o. the street; those goods were inhtm msbis.
Q.-wast vas the space from the houses oa the east
TO tines goods Oh the street. Different distances;
there we're very few goods in Beaver street. q
What was the building or the corner OF Broad and
Beaver streets A 1t was a store; there was
voulc not have been much danger Of the fire spread
iSg into oil street, | suppose there we're cotton
warehouses the west OF Broad street; knew
Ae.ks cabinet warehouse; if it had taken hfe the