The New York herald., 1872-12-27

doing; believe all our employees escaped ] was
the last person out on that lioor; it was about
covered the fre there were about three or four
gas burners Int in our place; believe the burner
at the large press, which they were cleaning, was
lighted
Burning of Barnum's.
The following testimony was taken before Fire
Marshal McSpedon, yesterday. In the case Of the
burning Of Barnum's Museum
TESTIMONY or LUCIUs FOSTER.
Witness, who was the first examined yesterday,
testified as follows:-i am employed at Barnum's
Museum as as usher; ] slept In the building on the
got into the building smelt something peculiar; It
our sleeping place, which was on the east side,
noticed this smell all along the west side to the
| giraffe cage, which was near the boiler room;
passed it on our way to bed Ulmsted and went
down to see how the boiler worked; Nelson had
lett s s a
peculiar and replied that / did, that it smelled
couldn't be any fire as he had been all about the
place and everything was safe when we got across
sled that l couldn't smen it 80 plainly
as on the other side; we went to
noise like scnflng on the other side Of the build
ing 1--WE slept about midway ofthe building, on the
east side) when got to the rear Of the building
see the light OF the fire beyond it,; thought the
fire seemed more over the coal room than over the
boiler room; then went back and woke up the
tried to get around to the other side, but finding
the fire gaining too fast we went to save the ele
plants; there was gas jet in the boiler room and
wire screen over IT, but the beam overhead was
not protected; think the light was twelve to ff.
TESTIMONY or ANbREw NELSON.
Andrew Nelson said-I have heard the evidence
niu hu Gpvat ctnns tInpA Inv
smell ia the place at the time Foster came In;
don't remember who came in with him; let him
liar M smell; he SAID nothing to me about an anything
scorching; don't recollect his being IN the boiler
e s to
Foster came IN somewhere between one and two
O'Clock.
TESTIMONY OF JAMES N. MACaREeoR.
James M. Macgregor said Il am Superin-
tendent Of Buildings. for the city and county
10 81 buildings are Submitted te
department for examination and approval; the
building Lately Occupied BY T. Barnum r. 1soa as "a
James Cooke, TO be used as hippodrome; the
architect was Lawrence 3. Walk; the walls were OF
four inside;. the entire roof was covered
with twenty-four corrugated iron; the
and without, OF twenty-four iron, and the ribs OF
| the roof were also OF iron; the existing laws-re-
ative to the construction OF u building, passed In
1862 did not prohibit the construction Of a building
! OF this character; on the contrary, much more
insecure building could have, been erected with .
roof entirely OF wood, covered on the outside with
freproof material on the 1lth ofSeptember. an
application was made to alter the building and the
! customary plans and specifications were submitted
| it was referred to Sergeant Inspector owens for
examination, and on the 18th of September he re-
! ported favOrably thereon and recommended the
application Tor approval; the alterations provided
| for were ws-'ln ternally the level OF the
new wing win be sunk five feet below present
level, the first tier OF seats lowered and gallery
put in all around, and cellar for horses TO De put
In on northwest corner, portion Of the front wall
IN hn lNniI tun ffyh
partly Of corrugated OF iron on timber rrame; the
horses were not stabbed in the cellar only kept
was was approved Of by Mr. Wadoner, the Deputy su.
| perintendent on September l3, 1872. and was re-
| while the alterations we're being made; on Decem-
ber 2, 1872, he reported that the alterations had
been completed in accordance with the speclica.
tOns and without any violation Of the laws relating
thereto on November l3, 1872 committee from
Grace church called at my office and entered q
complaint against this building believing that u
! endangered their church while adjoined to It on
the east; this complaint was Immediately referred
to Inspector Salmon, who, in company with the
chairman OF the committee, examined the
| premises, and on November IA reported that
OF this department .0 One e0 OF the company went
with the superintendent OF the work and myself
into the examination, and the alterations as made
and proposed were after explanation, satisfactory
to him, the chairman of the committee;" my de-
partment has no control over the manner OF light
ing or heating buildings, nor OF the CombuStibe
material which may be stored therein.
ANDREW B. MONEYS TESTIMONY.
Il
and detailed to the ONCE OF the Fire Marshal; by
order OF the Fire Marshal visited Barnum's mu-
the purpose or Examining the same relative to its
! safety from fire; ! told Mr.. Hurd that came
he he went Within with me about the ' building, n.y. saying
| II wish you would point out all the steam pipes
that are in dangerous condition, SO that we can
| OF them out to him, whereupon, he said II
don't believe that steam pipes will set fire to wood
seemed annoyed at my visit, and. alter ACCOMPANY
Ing me short distance left me to complete my
examination alone; found the pipes in the same
condition in which they were on my first visit
tNovember 24), with the exception OF q pipe OF tin
in three or iour places; returned 70 the Office and
reported the facts to the Fire Marshal, who there
upon said 1t was his duty 20 report the case to the
underwriters, that they might know how danger.
GUS the risk, and possibly, the managers OF the
establishment would remedy the matter rather
than have their policies cancelled.
WILLIAM ii. BULL
being sworn, testifed-l reside at SO Jane street;
am carpenter and builder; after Mr.. Barnum
bought the building in Fourteenth street, which
was in the latter part OF August last, was en-
poyed 10 overhaul the building and put It in thor
ough condition; had a carte plumber to do what
ever thought. was necessary Mr.. Barnum gave
me the general outlines OF such alterations as he
required, aud told me he hardly knew himself what
he wanted, but would leave 1t all to me, as he
was going away; that he hada big show and there
was not half room enough there; that would
have TO arrange 1t so as to get as much
room as possible; | employed Baker 4 Smith
to do the, gasdtting and plumbing work;
they put up the steam pipes under my supervision
| and direction; Mr.. Barnum spoke OF the heating
arrangements and wanted the place heated as high
as sixty-fve degrees Fahrcnhet; that was the
maximum amount Of heat that would be required
at any time; some ofhis animals were from warm
climate and needed this heat; the boiler was To-
Gated In the cellar and was enclosed with twelve
| inch brick wall; boiler room ana coal room were
paved with brick; there was O trap door I'm the
| moor OF the building with stairs leading down to
the cellar alongside the boiler; there was wooden
shaft or box, four feet square, leading nom the
boiler room up through the roof OF the building
and used as a ycntilator to carry or the hot air;
the boiler room was eight by ten feet In size and
about nine feet high; the distance between
THE BRICK WORK OVER THE BOILER
and the beams OF the loOr above was about fifteen
inches, and the beams were eight inches thick
making distance OF twenty three inches rom the
brickwork to the under side Of the noor; the man
steam pipe was about two and q half inches in
diameter ana tapped the brickw0rk at the bottom