, 1874-06-28
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.
Investigation Of the Burning Of NJ.
D. Wells. Store.
The Committee attribute II to Greasy
Rags.
Their Views About Fires on Upper
.' Floors Of High Buildings.

tIElF H!EW8 fuUuA t.hCo VII upper
-. Floors Of High Buildings.
Recommendations Made.
On the lss Of this month fire. broke out in
the store Of II. D. Wells i Co., corner Of h1ad-
ison and Market streets, which dastroTed the
building aud it's contents. Some circumstances
connected with the fire seemed to desorve the
special inquiry Of the Board of Underwriters,
aud Messrs. George E. Ciarke. G. ". Case, and
J. C.. Montgomery were selected by that body to
investigate that subject. This they have done
with great thoroughnosb, and have prepared the
following exhaustive report for the consideration
Of the Board:
Your Committee appointed to investigate the cause
and circumstances attandilg the reuut Ire In the
building occupied by 81 D. Wells Co., herewith: re-:
port That ihcy tlras asked to sppear ba1ozs them
Chief Fise Marsdai Drenuer AfaHtAut Fire Marshal
Mushen, Assistant Frs Mlrshs sweente, the foreman
oi engine No. {1le engine TO tas hFe aud the
nrs, u the groun Capt bliwinkle, Of tha Patrol,
the forcan VI II D. W-ln Co s factory the two men
slept In tho store, and H. D. "els Esd. and h. J.
M:FAraud, Esq, E,osnucrs Of taa hrl i1self Tnese
gentlemen III resi,odel ycry Willingly to our Ittluoht
Tor tnelr appearance. They vera ectr examined sepa-
r:ltey before full COMMITTEE, and, IL answer to
very search ug que1onn gave tho fullest 1nfcrmA-
tioI, which WAS I'll Recorded aud preserved 1Gur
Committee then, to gain additional 1ght On tbs subject
they w.re investigating, and to cofroturato ctfstn
eiate1ncuts made, VISITED toyothsr several OF tie rn
cip4l snoe-f4eortea OF this city. ana r1amsard vary
crefuily t. ter olo-atlucs "@l
construction Tha desir8 of tia Cual1nittee
to ascertain the facts {cspec,ay many false sato
nlens nave been made), and aecoii, to dcdueo fron
facts such CONCLUSIONS as would serve HI valuable
Lessons III tue future 10 the Underwriters in w1oss BE-
halt Wa wera acting.
TTT,o Ara fret4 al Il
ing, June breaking odt from window Oh tie fuul III
noor OIL aarkot street tiIs little south at thu
cenp Of bui1dirg1 Tht first engine on the ground
WAS No. l. from corner Of Adams street 4nta Fl.th
avenue. This engu9 p1 1obaby reached the d1o i 1tout
three muues from tins the ala N "as g5ve' Tia
foreman attached ha rose to the 'hyiran: Oh thu
aouthc,st OF Market and MADISON s1eess ai-
rec:ly Ut the BUILDING, He should have had steam
enouth-yay 50 or ~ polnds--by ths tune hc vas
ready to ll4y, to REACH with his stearn tbs uprez
story Of the building. Al matter Of fnct however
he cok scarcely reach e third story. and there uaH
r1ohIby I'LL interval Of ra minutes before. there
sufficient hcAd OF steam to command the fourth hopt
The fire was and this dou1tie*s gave rise to the
there ,xui scarcity of wh-ttas the testimony
all agrees that there abundance Of water from
the very ti.st, which, with sndcent steam, could
have been thrown the root Of tbs building. This
lack Of power owing to two QUE that when
the engine left the eugnthcuae thrre WI. not quite
much steam IS usual OF US IL required; another
that the engine is ut pattern tha, does not make
as fast SOME OF the engnes-nos aa 1Ss as It
should.
EliG1po No. 1. A4taf Some
ket street side and in thu opinion Of your Courneee
doing but little goo, since the stream, starting from
the street, and being thrown almost perTendicuarly
aga3t the fourth and 18th story windows, could tn
tee the but very short distance. and have but
slight e'est upon the fire ~lthin} WAS ordered away
bv the Chicf through fear that the west wall wou1d
fall, aud withdrew. taking suction from the river,
which only few hundred feet distant, auf put
their stream upon the fruut Of the building
About the sane time with the arrival of Engine No.
!, within four or tvs minutes from the aarn r.
rived the Babcock engine from West Lake street. The
bose from this taken up tie front stairway into
the third story, where fire, the re beng con-
fined to tie two upper hoors. Assistant Marshal
Sweenie weut at the time by the same Stairway
into the third story, He Raw stairway nor means
Of access tic fourth story {the SAME betng partt
toned OF 1t tlu south end Of tle building, aA viii
appear hernafer} and was told BY tho Captain Of the
goods, that thers ACCESS 10 the upper toors
from this story and that be woa]d tafe to so down
outae r. tbg size of t1s building. Ho dia So xf:h
building, but found no entrance nor stairway 70 tho
upper roors ,the sumo oeing unknown 70 him, in tho
Assistant raal slusacru went with hose Of No.
10, and with hok aild Ladder force up through Keith
Bros building ue second building cAsD on the rnf
and theme to the roof Of tho burning building. Tao
ruof being Of iron, very thick and very soiilr put
down. thcra was great difficulty In cutting holes suf-
a:,euptk We're raale and small holes cut hut open.
ing Of sufficient size could be mrde. BESIDES. the tire
WIS burning fercey below that tho fire smoke,
coming through the ruof where the hplss were cut,
made almost impossible for the to work 1t
and smoke appearing On the roof the next building
east, the men were Ses to work to cut nrongh this
roof and saws it from burning. IN which they were
successful.
At an early period during the IRE Assfs.aut-ar.hnl
6weenie attempted to raAe tEs Sauner escape On the
Market street ke to get horizontal stream into
The fourth aud nth story windows The attempt docs
not EN- to hare been made early enough and there
perhaps considerable time spent in RAISING the ma
chine {9ossibly Eeceesariy} b, before tha men wsre
ready for action. the weat wall giving sgns Of oeing
about to fall the machine ordered from Market
x.ra IN t1,ef of theb
rtaly for use, bu. the hose Of Nc. which Was ele
waited upon it, bu1t and before this could bo reeded
the roof and floors fell that tha Skinner escape
could render no service. There smother machine
for similar serysc" located 1t No. 1Eng:ne-Hous. icor
Fifth avenue and Adams strceI>, which might, and
probably would, have proved moro available than the
Skinner had 1t been brought into reuisi:loo but tho
Chisf s14rshal did not huk Of 1t till too late
Two alarms had been given, the sa<ond BY Assistant
Marshal auslleru at once on his arrival fire.
probably in five minutes 50 after the first alarm was
gi7en, that there were plenty Of: engines on the
winkc, Of the Patrol, on hand with his forco =
moment two after ths hrst elarn was struck The
been aroused tbeIng fret awakened by hearing glass
dropped from upper etorics aud, unlocking tie front
door, let in Capt Bullwtnke, who with bis M n, pro
ceede by the front stairway st once to tic third Moor
no fire smoke could be secn then-it vas full day
lght), and commenced covering the goods
He had covered successfully three foors, and
waa working in thu basement lat which tms
the burning sparks and GOALS wers dropping down the
elevator into this basement), when warning was gyeu
them that tbs building Was a0out TO ia anu h6 wild.
drcw his men, just the roof with the floors and part
Of the wall crashing down, the fall being prcp-
tatrd If caused by e-<e iron water-tank in tho
fifth door, holding perhaps 800 b1rrals Of water, DO,
meath which :he support. mad befa burned ewaE and
which falling, carried with 1t the Intervening toor.
Thus the building hecame n total wreck, aud al its
contents incnding forttsix covers Of tbs Iaro to
tally destroyed In Less than forty minutes from tno
time tia first alarm was given aad during this time
uot one single stream had been put upon tue rs tn
way any purpose. The entrance to the stair
way on the alley, which gaEs Aceesa 70 tha upper
stories, Ind not been opened.
SO much for the fire itself.
THg CONSTRUCTION or THE BrI1DTsd.
The building constructed by II. D. Wells Co..
to Le used In this The first floor and bat e.
cnt for their own ealesrooms ths second md third
oors for their factory. stairway ran from the front
Of tile building to the third story, where ended
Another starway from tia rear OF the building
feutruce in the alcy the Eth 1oor for the OF
tho factory worken. This starwoy below the fourth
a.ex. ncIosad with toatched aud he1led rn1t-