Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-01-02
NEW YORK.
The Fifth Avenue Theatre Burned.
Narrow Escape Of the Hotel.
Slow FIremen and Fast Policemen
RiOt Invited.

Narrow Escape Of the Hotel.
| Slow Flremen and Fast Policemen-A
| RiOt Invited.
NEW YORK, Jan. 1.-About 4 O'Clock
| this evening the Fifth Avenue Theatre ad-
Joining the Fifth Avenue Hotel was COM
pletely burned. Loss heavy. The fire
commenced shortly after 4 O'Clock in the
| afternoon. It was about 4:25 when the
smoke was first discovered ascending from
| near the roof in the rear of the theatre, al
though the fire must have started long be-
| fore that time somewhere in the lower por-
tons of the building.
The matinee audience which had attend
ed to witness the play of False Shame had
scarcely more than dispersed. The passers
! by witnessed the smoke and gave the
alarm upon the streets, and crowd of
several thousand persons were soon gather
| ed, nearly filling up Twenty-fourth street
| from Broadway west to Sixth avenue. The
theatre adioins the Fifth Avenue Hotel on
| the Twenty fourth street side, and is the
| first building west on that street towards
| Sixth avenue. On the Broadway side the
hotel shuts it out from the river, and hence
! the flames were not TO be seen from that
direction.
In scarcely fifteen minutes after the dis
covery of the fire the whole structure was
ablaze in all quarters, burningl like so much
| straw. The flames assembled with great
| feoeness and lit up the surrounding squares
as though they emanated from well-ar-
ranged bonfire. The crowd, which by 4:45
had assembled to the number of four or
five thousand, had almost wholly blockaded
Twenty-fourth street, and took possession
of the doorsteps and piazzas of private
dwellings on the north side of the street to
witness the confagration. The streets at
that hour were well filled with men making
| their New Years calls, who, as they nesred
the vicinity, added to the throng.
There seemed to be considerable delay
in the arrival of The fire department, as ful-
| IL fifteen minutes elapsed from the time
the fire was well under way before any en-
CINE neared the spot. Even upon their ar
rival the usual slaerity seemed to be want
| ing in getting the hose on. There was
great excitement at this time in the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, as it was feared the FIRE
would spread to that editice. Nothing but
the strongest exertiens saved the hotel from
ruin. Had the high winds lately prevalent
existed, the whole block would doubtless
have been burned. As it was, there wss
not breath of air stirring, and hence the
firemen were more easily enabled TO check
the deyouring element
After the arrival of the fremen, the po-
lice drove the crowds on Path street, clear
back to 9Th avenue, and even prevented
many who were residents on the street
from getting to their homes. They acted at
times as though quelled riot. The crowd,
however, were very orderly, and retreated
quietly. The engines at 7 o'clock were
still playing upon the ruins of the build
ing.
Another Account
says Mr.. Appleton at a quarter to five
this o. m, treasurer of the Fifth Avenue
| Theatre, saw the fire come up the register,
but before he reached the street to give the
alarm the flames had run through the
whole building and enveloped it in mass
of fire, which III less than an hour COM
pleteIy destroyed the entire building.
| The servants in the 9Th Avenue Hotel
who almost simultaneously with Mr.. Ap-
pletOn saw the fire break out, were fright
ened and rushed wildly intOI the corridors,
but the chief clerk, Mr.. Chafee, at once res
tored order and directed thirteen sire ans
from the hotel to play on the fire. This
was the means Of saving the hotel.
About 20 minutes after the first outbreak
the south wall of the theatre fell in, carry
ing with it the east wall, which struck the
west wall of the hotel aud caused q break
some 20 feet wide by 70 feet high, destroy
ing the frying and baking kitchen. SOoT
after the west wall of the stage fe.l, and
u striking the roofs Of two private stables be-
longing 10 Phillips, Pbenix & Arnold ant
Constable u O., alu.-ss dsTpoli shed tl5sr1
The horses were, however, saved. Tht
freuien who were called to the fire were as
sisted by the hotel fire brigade, and thu!
were able 10 corfEe The fire to the tLeatr,
building.
The building was owned by a. P. Emo
who estimates his loss at $4,000, while the
lessee, Augustus DAILY, loses S150,000 il
scenery, wardrobes and Improvements. Al
The private wardrObes Of the actors wert
destroyed. The fire was caused By de
fective fue.
Several persons, among Others Mr.. Darl
ing, one of the proprietors of the Fifth Ave.
nue. Hotel, were slightly injured while at
tempting to save property.
Mesdames, Gilbert & Davenport are re
ported to have lost their diamond je6elrI
valued at several thousand dollars, wbit
Miss Rockwell Devere, Lady Ringgold anC
Clark are also heavy losers. All the musica
instruments of the orchestra, the librar.
and music are destroyed. MIR. DAILY has IL
insurance on his property.
Five Burnt Bodies Found in Centr,
Street.
This morning the men engaged in eXcava
ting the ruins Of the Centre street fire dis
covered five bodies which were identified a
those Of Margaret DOnaGue, Mary Donshue
Charlotte Bell, Margaret Bell and Bridge
MCGrath. Two more girls, Mary MCCarly
of 9G3 Greenwich street, and Eliza Hartford
of Williamsburg, were reported missing b,
their relatives. They are presumed to haY
paTished in the flames.
Sudden Death.
f Capt. John Cameron, of the eighteenth
Precinct police, while attempting to stei
on a Third avenue railroad Car, dropped
down and expired almost instantly. The
deceased was one of the police force for up
wards Of twenty years.
Rev Year Calls.
The custom OF making New Years call
was generally observed in tie city an
neighbOrho0d, tie callers mostly maxim
their rounds in sleigbs. The Gay passe
over very quietly.
4. T. Stewart has presented $1,000 t
: the fund for disabled fremen.
The New Mayor Installed.
b Mayor HaVemeyer arrived at City Hal
shortly before noon, and was received b,
!. thesretiring Mayor, A. Oakley Hall, who in
troduced the members Of the new Commol
Council, and they were sworn into Office
Mayor Havemyer subsequently held a re
ceptiOn in the Governors room, and wa
called upon by large number of prom
uent citizens and officials.
26 Miners Fall down a Shalt.
By the falling of scaffoldipg at the Lit
erJy Copper Mines, Frederick county, Md
yesterday, 26 miners were precipitate
several hundred feet into the pit and Sc