New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-12-27
LESSONS FROM FIRES.
mir ppryTNa. HOUSE. DISASTER,

TIYs Nor YET FoUND--TUE ORIGIN OF TIE !
FIRE AsCEErAINED'
. The ice-cOvered ruins of the Centre-st' IRE
we're stn smcderiug yesterday, although reserve on
ues and aremou have been constantly employed stthe
eoo OF the disaster since the destruction OF the 6md-
ing on Chrstmasesc saX girls and one ooy are SIM
missing, and It IS generally conceded that
,heir bodies are buried beneath the ehapeless
mass Of bricks, machinery, ana burning
timber Capt Kennedy, with platoon OF officers OF
tbe sixth Precinct attempted search cong the ruins
Yesterday morning, but finding tSe bricks too hot Tor
removal the officers soon compelled to dseon-
npe their work. Tho hTemen, being nearly exhausted
nv their erduous duties during the past two or tree
DAYS were unable to Join in the search superintendent
Kelso has teleCraphed 20 the owner OF the premises
Robert head Yonkers urgng him 70 make prompt
ARRANGEMENTS for the removal OF the rubbish Ia OrueT
that the bodies may be recovered Neither the ponce
nor the Fire Department spare an adequate nunoeF
men for the work. which Is noS considered as WITHIN
tbetr legitimate sphere Of duty, and which therefore,
one nv them could only ne accomplished by the Voiun-
tarv efforts OF their men. The poles continue to co
operate with the hremen Stationed at the runs anu
several officers have been continuously on du0'
The precise manner in which the unfortun~te Victims
met their death is Of course unknown, and different
theories are entertained the subject BY some they
are thought been saOcated by the dense smoke
that quickly filed the building which, remaTEaDe "a IL
NAV SEEM fen about minutes after the sounding OF
mo alarm Others think that the victims crushed
by the falling walls while attempting 10 escape ana stl
another view is that they entrapped by the haaes
while trying to descend the inhamma0le wooden starr
ways
II Is feared that only fragments Of the bodies will be
,oupd although it is considered possible that some OF
them least are so surrounded with bricks mortar ana
other materials as TO DO protected against extensive
Disagreement by FIRE. Those who were injured by Inc
falling walls are all reported convalescent
sUPERINTRNDEET M'GREGoRs VIEWS
TRIBuNE reporter called upon Superintendent Mac
regor of tho Department of Buildings yesterday 10 re
latou to Caxton Building and received In substance
the following information:
The building was officially inspected. on 1An. j.
1s7l and is entered in the books the Department as
sixtory brick buldiDg 7Ss feet in hight, covering an
area Of ca feet mont. by 49i feet in the rear
and 81 feet Deep At that time Il was occupied
by the New-YOrk Printing Company, aud IN 1t
were employed about 300 persons of both sexes
The only mode OF escape, case OF fire, vas oJ
an iron bridge, leading from rear window o. tn'
nth story 10 roof of adjacent fourstory structure
This the Superintendent considered nsuihelenI io ~
safety OF the inmates and he asked the owner u lo
vide iron balconies with fre-proof ladders leauhe U
the roof Of the adjoining two-story building occupied y
Howe & Hummel, at Centre aud Leonsrd-sts' "
Feb l. 1874, another inspection showed thaS u
additional hre-escapes had been proViseu' tii
guperntendent then considered the bnhdn4
reasonably wen provided with fire escapes out o.
account Of its wooden stairwsys never deeneh IN
structure safe Having power to order any iurtns
alterations additions by tho owners he considered Ms
official duty discharged The termination oil the iadae
Of the hreescape upon the rOcf OF the ADJOINING ouu
inc ne considered no detrinent on reaching
Gle roof could escape through ts yghta or through
the windows Of adjoining houses. or by means o. No
mems ladders. He thinks that those VINO were los
became bswildered and delayed rssortng TO me me-
escape till 10 was too late.
ORIGIN OF TIE FIRE.
Fire Marshal McSpedon questioned. yester-
day. several Of the woIkmen employed in the ruined
prntnchouse in Cenrre-st and learned the true origin
Of the fire. the great efforts made to stamp out the ha
and finally the frantic fight Of every one from the
building by the only to the street, wooden
stairway and q broken hreescape. All the witnesses
affirmed that, as they washing with benzine the
presses in the printing Office of Dun Barlow K Co.. the
vapor from the fluid ignited by spark or by the
name OF gas-iet OF the presses In a
moment sheets of paper that were hanging
over the pressesl fire. The foreman
and several wOrkmen tore down lmasseioi the'buring
paper smother the flames with their
overcOats. soaked with ben1ine' how
ever lighted by the burning paper blazed hercey
Az elevator by seemed to draw the flames along the
ceiling toward It other sheets OF paper caught IRE and
TO the amazement OF the printers large section OF the
room was soon on fire. All the work1nen at once hed
from the building down the wooden starways One
workman. however, more thoughtful than the rest.
on reaching the street and seeing that the entire
building not yet IN flames, reenteTed the
printinehouse and. ascending the stairway to the
fourth floor shouted Fire p at the doorway leading
into the offices Of Anderson, Archer Co. bookbipders
Tho bookbinders occupied the fourth, hfh and sixth
foors 10 which IS women and % men were at work at
the moment, few men and one woman succeeded In
escaping by the wooden stairway, but the rest were IN
able 70 do 50 on account Of the heat Of the flames below
The women were at work on the fifth floor, which had
no hre-eseape They down 70 the fourth noof now
ever gained the freescape, which Was OUT OF ORDER
T brd Ia ~ te root Of The adjoining bud5g
distance o. Is feet ana, IN DONG lDis .neie VIZ EeaI
danger of falling through large sA1Agl' IL 'Ae roOi
me foreman Of Messrs. Anderson, Archer Co. testi
fed that the building had been on fire twice before within
three weeks IL was suggested that the hre escapes
Should be put iD order but owing 10 tne press OF ens
nes the precautOn had been overlooked Three Of the
ipesses tes tifed that they standing AZ the
windows on the fifth floor asking for help; that the fire
front of the building intending TO rescue the women
but ladder found to be TOO short 70 reach me
mfr floor: that ladder taken do Sn and an effort
made lenghen II by tying snort ladder 20 rs upper
and that while the aIemen Were al wQrk On the
ladders the flames mastered me buldlug anu e women
disappeqfed from The window. The testimony VIII %
found below IN detail = e.
TIE FLOOR SOAKED VIM BENzrNE
lanes Brown testified live at No q Catlarine-sl.'
and am printer; worked fOr Dun, Barlow q Co. at
Nos 81 So and Centre-st worked 10 the ptess.room
on the third the time Of the hre had flushed
work ana was waiting the boys 10 wash the presses
there were six presses and used about gallon OF
benzne IN cleaning them; the gas was hghte9 ~ the
presses Of my sight; the first saw Of the re was
fash the moor and the flames spreading very
rapidly: there were about thirty persons on
tbe floor; think there eight ia the pressrooln
70 smother he IRE with their coats Gnd other articles
over presses were lines hung full Of the sheets
printed during day these sheets being over six feet
RON the floor: the DANES communicated to them
soon DO not think II was over two minutes ater the
IRE started before these sheets were IN a blaze al
over the room; when found we could not put
out the FIRE, started 70 90 down stairs got part
of the way down and hearing no str ana seolnR
no one coming down from there back to the top
OF leading TO the floor above us occupied by
Anderson Archer CO., and gave the alarm they heard
me and started down; think about % persons