The New York herald., 1876-02-10
Sapping and Mining the
Dangerous Walls.
LOSSES AND ASSURANCES
Operations OF the Fire Depart
nent at the Ruins.
CONDITION OF THE WOUNDED

quite much they could do keep under control
and TO prevent further disaster from revival Of the
connagration later The OF the vast buildings be-
tween Nos 442 and 454 Broadway on the west side
and clear through to Crosby street the east
piled up the centre Of the block, and, strange to
late only portions OF their iron frontage laid upon
Broadway. There was scarce brick or other
fragment 'of debris outside the eastern curb
stone Al early morning the limits OF the
burned district, defined by the police, were
grand the north Howard the south Crosby
the east and Broadway the west All OF these
except the last practicable The Bleecker and
Grand street lines Of almost uninterruptedly
but between Howard and Grand streets Broadway was
In the hands of the police and lremen and trafho
thereon was suspended The space overspread by the
fire had l25 feet front Broadway nearly if not
quite as much Crosby street The flames had eaten
their way partially through the northern side Of the
block TO Grand street. whore they had fortunately
arrested, not however before they did injury
TO the stock and fixtures OF Messrs Wercham, Meyer
and others will be shown below The Of the
losses sustained by the OF several houses
destroyed had only been approximately estimated yes
terday, and the most fabulous statements in THIS
gard were current the streets.
POPULAR EXCITEMENT
Almost with the daylight the people began TO
scmble around the ruins, which they bound,
of speaking closely give the police quite
much they could do prevent the line Of FIRE being
broken. They were, most Of them working people on
their way to shop and store who had not yet heard OF
the great calamity and were much astonished by
suddenly coming upon the devastated spot were
those who had gazed upon the flames chat had con
sumed them the night before The engines still
at work SCOT begrimed and haggard fremen, from
top TO toe, aborng quietly the spot
where their comrades had been slain hour or two
hafor A of he
kept back the crowds eagerly pressing forward to
catch glimpse OF the latest sensation Nothing of the
visible for hours during the forenoon because
they were hidden by dense cloud Of white steam,
through the riffs Of which every and then tho
spectral form OF a fireman hose in hand, playing still
upon the smoulderng bricks and joists beneath his
feet With fidelity to duty and un-
Bwerving obedience TO orders, the stepped in
thoir turn upon the almost red hot debris out Of
sight the cloud Of steam All the fore part OF the
day this all that could be OF what was going
by the thousands OF spectators throngng every ap
proach TO the In the afternoon the hres had
gone down and there less arising from the
mass. Then the most interesting work OF the day
began--the removal Of totterng walls and dangerous
remnants
sAPP1Se
The walls pulled down were those on Crosby street
and belonging TO No. 452 Broadway. They in
down. So 6remen upon the roof of No. 454
Broadway, and the building in the rear %
IL facing Crosby street With ladders
horizontal and pendent they pryed out the
trembling brck work and flung II upon the ruins
beneath Safes dug out by aborers and derricks
were erected along the sidewalks to hoist them out
The efforts successful could be wished
because the workmen had to contend against steam,
smoke and the Of the engines still at work.
The greatest difficulty met by the sappers and miners,
who had the topping walls IN charge, in the en-
deavor TO pull down the iron front of 452 BI oadway
DEAD, SLEEPING
Although the flames we're got under complete con
trol by eleven O'Clock Tuesday night several
kept their work of extnguishment for hour after
ward. AT midnight the order gwen for some OF
the number 10 withdraw, and the hrenen, weared by
their long and arduous Efforts were only glad TO
obey. The chief object of the remaining force
cool the heated bricks in the burned
space extending from Nos 442 to 462 Broadway and
back to Crosby street. that the safes buried in the
ruins might be preserved with their contents All
night long the work kept up, and we'll directed
constantly told upon the enemy Shortly after
The disbandne of the engines Superintendent waling
ordered the Of the Fourth Sixth Eighth and
Fifteenth precincts back TO their stations, Keeping be-
hind the reserves OF the Fourteenth precinct only
The zeal OF the police in keeping citizens outside the
hre lines occasionally met with a rebun. Captain
Byrnc, Of the Twenty-hfth precinct happening along
in citizens clothing at about twelve O'Clock attempted
the lines. rude push backward by the
picket warned him that it useless to try TO
''But am police captain" said Byrne expostula-
tion. Then show me your sheldr said the officer.
But as Captain Byrne could not do he elected
with expression OF doubt TO veracty
In few minutes be WAS recognized, and the officer
DURING THE DAY
Davbreak found the hremeu still playing on the
runs Early in the morning Chief Bates arrived look
ing somewhat the worse Tor the falling bick thai had
n linn IA fare he iph hei md ada bfo
rangemonts Tor the day supply OF fresh e.
heyed the heroes Of the night only engines
Companies Nos and d. AT the aerial ladder
brought 10 the spot to be made available passing
ropes over walls TO be pulled down The total number
OF 6remen present throughout the day forty
superintendent OF Buildings Adams arriving began
walls Of No 452 Broadway torn down AZ four O'Clock
the hremen commenced unfolding the gigantic ladder
other until the tower was completed, more than Of
the bystanders recalled the sad day the Tweed plaza
in the Seventh ward when the treacherous invention
broke TWAIN and dashed out the lives Of three brave
hremen.
when the ladder at its height and lightly resting
upon the top Of the totterng wall Captain Allare
cleared the block. and a minute afterward little fire
man sprang upon It's rungs and nimbly upward.
As he neared the top the motion OF hrs body swayed
the ladder TO aud fro but he fearlessly continued
Soon he mad arranged his rope and was sale
TEARING powS rHE WALLS
The tucging now commenced. Fifteen hremen stood
with feet sohdy planted, pulling with all their
yond the sway no result attained for nearly
hour AT last vigorous pull proved too much for
BRICK and mortar for, with crash the immense wall
came tumbling TO the ground.
THE UNFORTUNATE KILLED
David Clute, the poor fireman who met death at his
post Of duty spoken Of by his comrades As one or
the best privates in the department. little over
forty years age Of sturdy build and genial dspos
ton he noted for fearessness in duty and KIND
ness TO his fellow workers. when the preseni
Fire Department was organized be joined she
iorcc as patroman, but afterward he was mace
driver OF steamer and assigned TO No. 80.
In the station house OF his engine on Spring street,
near Narick, all Was gloom yesterday. The comrahes
oi the dead bremen, who themselves had narrowly es
capped like fate and talked over the merits OF their
late companions. A HKRALD reporter called AZ the
house IN the afternoon, and there heard graphic de-
torpton OF the falling wall witnessed BY the men
VINO stood within It's shadow II fell 1--WE werernot
Ioered into the vacant space said they. Clute and
huidrew stood At the pipe playing on the burning
orick when u was suggested that put the stream