The New York herald., 1872-12-09
QHE EXPRESS BURNED OUT.
Destruction of the EdiA A,rial, Com
posing and Press Roo ms.
Exoitemeut in the Newspaper Offices >cnN Nari
Row-Thc Loss SAC, -Reminis.N :
cences Of the Paper

At forty-Hve minutes past ten O'Clock last night
lre broke out at Is Park row. IN tho building oc-
cupied by the Eyentng Express. The fire origi-
mated on the fourth floor. near the top OF the
stairs, and before 1t was extlngnished the edi-
toria, reportorial and composing rooms were COM
pletcIy gutted. Five minutes after the alarm was
sounded stream OF water was playing upon the
building, and the fremen, under the command OF
Assistant Engineer Monroe, actively at work.
large police force, under the command Of
Captain Cafrrey. or tho Second precinct.
were upon the ground, and a line was formed en-
closing the entire block. The fire, which at first
was supposed to be . slight one, rapidly gained
headway, and at ten minutes past eleven flames,
accompanied by dense masses Of smoke, were
bursting from the windows OF the fourth door.
SECOND ALARM
was then sounded but. Notwithstanding the efforts
OF q large number Of fremen the flames
continued to spread The ground floor,
which is occupied by Bundt A. ODonnell as
an oyster, liquor and billiard saloon, was deuged
with water ana everything the saloon contained
was irretrievably ruined From the fourth noor
the fire extended to the fifth, and penetrated
through the roof The building was an old and fran
one, and offered but little resistance to the llamcs
which looked at one time rs If they would spread to
the adjoining building. Freesc's Hotel. The wall
separating the hotel from the Express Office is
very fra one, and the agents at the former
place were at the first seriously alarmed
for their safety. In less than half an hour after
the fire broke out the fourth floor, In which were
| the Offices OF James and Erastus Brooks and the
rooms of the dramatic and art reporters, and Of
some OF the editors,
! WE'RE TOTALLY RUINED.
The library OF Mr.. Brooks was one Of the FIRST In
| the COuntrv containing manv rare and valua ho
books. In statistical works 1t was particularly
| rich and the loss to its owner-whO is man OF
well known literary tastes-is very severe. The IL
brary was situated between the rooms OF the two
brothers, and from Its situation 1t could not be
saved. The composing rooms, the fourth floor,
| withstOOd the fre for some time but they had to
stroyed In the corner Or the budi4R ADJOINING
the hotel was an elevator, used for lowering the
type when set up, and through this the fire burned
OF the building rendered the work of the 1remen
extremely difficult, as the water, to be serviccaOlo
| nad to be brought to bear from
| THE INSIDE OF THE BUILDING.
The second, third and part OF the fourth floors
Sy IL dealer
O'Brlen Co.'s "Our House" Ale Vaults. The
damage caused by water on these doors was very
| great, as . constant stream was kept up for moro
mem found their eorss g cxt!nssah the are ' from rom
l sion ladders were brought into requisition
and two or three streams brought TO
hsa the Checking the smes a tS
direction OF the hotel When the Gre was almost
snbdued In the 'front.' part Of the building 1t sud
! denly burst out IN the rear, and
Showers OF SPARKS
Issued from the rear walls, extending to the rear
Of an establishments on Ann street. In about
twenty minutes this fresh outbreak was extin-
guished and BY half-past twelve O'Clock the flames
pas o the eme o
| General Smaller arrived little after twelve
and took charge Of the
which patiently waited until the excitement was
completely over. The night clerk at tho hotel
! conservation but everybody quietly returned to
| bed when the danger had passed. The Express
'""'" -" FREQUENTLY coNprmNKD
as a regular trap and the wonder Is that 1t has not
| long since disappeared.
The loss OF the proprietors OF the billiard
and oyster saloon. $4,000; no Insurance. II. L.
tanned. Loss OF James Brooks, $4,000. The in
surance OF Mr.. Brooks could not be ascertained
last night.
"Reminiscences OF tho Express.
| The Express is one OF the oldest papers In the
city In 1886 1t was founded bv Mr.. James Brooks,
| who has ever continued Its chief editor and pro-
| prietor. Eighteen or twenty years ago t was the
| champion OF the American or Know Nothing party
of this state, and such had many tilt with the
late Archbishop Hughes, OF the diocese OF New
hs
! citizens to place and power In the nation as
stoutly In his own paperas the Express contended
that Americans only should flll the 0fices In the
proprictorshp OF the paper Mr. Erastus Brooks be-
| came partner soon after Its establishment. The
| two brothers are natives Of Portland, Me. Mr..
and before he to this city to reside had been
elected to the Legislature Of his native State. New
seat In in the halls OF Congress as we'll as In her
| State Legislature. Mr.. Erastus Brooks studied In
eus @e
previous 70 1890 to give him the edtossnip Or the
wtn his brother in the conduct,or on the Ssss lie
| became washington correspondent Tor several
| New England and Ney York Journals at the same
/ time and attracted such attention to give him
seat in the state Senate In 1858. Both brothers
| have travelled in Europe and on this Continent.
very distant times were very much less than they
are to-day. News OF three or four months old nom
Europe was relished in way that we hardly
lack OF facilities and the great cost OF gathering the
news and presenting it fresh rom day to day, led
papers to combine in what is now so well known
as the Associated Press 80 that the burden Of ex-
In 1858 or thereabOut the Express moved into the
quarters which 1t has occupied until to-day. Its
favorite % with the I iire lend For in 1891, the old
Park Theatre, which stood there, was burned out !;
and after 1t had been rebuilt and was IN sue
duced, and now the names have again
i licked up the type and paper and the
valuable library which the editors had in their
| department soon after the breaking out OF the
| late war Mr.. James Brooks took decided stand in
his paper in favor OF the South, which so enraged
the 1oyalsts OF the city that they gathered around
his Office and threatened to gut the place unless
he flung the stars and Stripes to the breeze The
| policy OF the paper, too, at that time and
subsequently involved 1t In 9 lawsuit with
owned an interest In 1t, and who saw that money
was being lost every year by adherence to the
''lost causer and who sought thereby through the
courts TO prevent the ruinous policy. The suit con-
tnued over three or four years from 1858 to 1867.
Mr. Clark retired from 1t, and the Express has been
run ever since by the Messrs. Brooks as . thor
oughly democratic journal. And as such It's tenn
| porary loss will be felt