The Portland daily press., 1877-09-04
GREAT FIRE In NEW YORK.
Whole Square Burn
ed Down.
The Dead Estimated
at from 20 to 100.
100000 Worth of Prop
erty Destroyed.

New YORK, Sept ga fire on West Thirty
fifth street this forenoon extended from Hale's
piano factory to the south side of the street,
destroying the entire block between Tenth and
Eleventh avenues. ConDaly's barrel factory,
Graham & Co. silk factory and several houses
adjoining-also Walkers charcoal factory north
Of Thirty-fifth street, and a block of frame
houses between Thirty-ffth and Thirty-sixth
sire cts. A Stepam fire engine was burned. 1t
is rumored that ten persons persisted in the
piano factory.
SECOND DESPATCH
The Herald Bulletin says hundred lives
were lost in this mornings fire.
THIRD DESPATCH.
The Evening kilograms report of the fire at
Halls piano factory, says all the hands were at
work when the fire started. and large number
must be more or less injured. Two bodies re-
covered. 1t is feared an hundred lives are lost.
The wives AMI families of the workmeR are
sobbing and wailing about the ruins. There is
now no hope that single vestige of the block
bounded by 35th and Both streets and 10th and
18th avenues will be left. Il was painfully ev-
ident as the fire spread that there was little
chance of those within the factory ever getting
out alive. AT noon $4,000 persons were gather
ed about the fire. Sparks fired the Gospel tent
on 34th street and it was consumed.
The Post says the factory was an eight story
building, and the flames spread with extraor-
binary rapidity. Firemen could probably have
prevented the flames spreading but for made
quate water supply. Tenants of the houses
were unable to obtain water except from gut-
tiers. The lowest estimate Of the loss is mill
lion dollars. Rumors of loss Of life are con-
flicting. 1t is probable that some workmen in
the piano factory were unable to escape. Ed
ward Parkmaster was fatally injured by jump
ing from window. Two others were seriously
hurt woman died during the fire, but wheth-
er in attempting to escape from the building or
from excitement is not stated. Twenty-Five to
thirty girls employed in the upper story perish
ed. Ambulances have moved eighteen or TWEEN
ty wounded who jumped from the burning fac
tory. The fire is under control but requires
watching to prevent fresh confagratons.
Hales factory is the same one that fell when
built six years ago, killing number of persons.
Cause of the fire today unknown. A work.
man from the top floor said the alarm was first
given by man who looked out of window
and saw smoke issuing from windows below.
There were twenty-fOur wOrkmen on that floor.
Fire and smoke drove them back from the stair
way, but there were fire ladders and chain es-
capes at the ends OF the building. Louis Smiths
house burned while he was at work. He is un
able to find his four year old daughter, and
fears she was burned to death. Occupants of
houses in 36th street assert that they could see
factory workmen making efforts to escape from
the roof and upper stories, and hear shrieks for
resistance.
The Commercial reports $50 families penni-
less.
The fire originated in the sounding board of
the drying room on the third floor, where
stove was used for heating, steam apparatus not
having been put in. A spark from the stove is
supposed to have ignited some of the dry mate
rial close at hand. Almost instantly that part
OF the building was in flames. The factory was
eight. stories in height and although it is said
the means of escape were sufficient, yet num-
Der OF lives have been lost, perhaps twenty.
There were 165 men in the building at the time.
The flames spread SO rapidly that the employees
who were in the drying room above were cut off
from the stairs. They ran to the roof and to
the windows, and some dropped to the ground
There was scarcity of water in the neighbor-
hood, consequently there was some delay before
the engines could play on the fire. Finally the
water was obtained from 9Th avenue and the
river. Meanwhile the fire extended and the
piano factory was mass of flames The walls
began Is ling. Some of the firemen say that
at this time on Both street at least fourteen
men were cinging to the windows of the up
per stories, and were buried in the falling de-
bris. They could not be reached by ladders
and the flames drove back tue iremen. One
man dropped before the walls fell and was pick
ed up deai. Others were only injured aud TAX
en- to Bellevue Hospital. The luna of the
tenements Nos 500, 5O7 and 500 west Both street
generally escaped Que woman died from
fright and a little girl named Abnie Smith was
sutfocated. The wife and three children of
Louis Smith are missing. The flames spread
Graham's silk factory, Watkins charcoal fac
tory and Conneity's barrel factory and num-
Der OF tenement houses and saloons were de-
stroyed. The building of this block ironing
on 10th avenue were Quilted, and the rear por-
tons, comprising a saloon and small store
were burned; also three tenements in the mid
die of that block. No lives were lost there.
Whole loss of property will reach $780, 900.
By IL o'clock the fire was entirely under con-
troll and streams of water were turned on the
Thirty-sxth street side. 1t is feared that
number OF dead will be found at this spot. The
fire commissioners are of the opinion that none
exceOt employees were burned, and say the re-
ports of loss of life have been exaggerated
1t is supposed that about 200 men were enc
ployed in the building at the time. 1t cannot
yet be ascertained how many have been burned
in the building In each corner the hatcnways
were open and the flames rushed to the upper
stories as if through flue. Several fremen
and members of the Hook and Ladder Co.,
No. a, say that from the windows of the upper
story of the factory men were calling for help
''for Gods sake" but the ladders were not long
enough to reach them and even if they were
they could not be placed in position owing to
the intense heat Some fell to the pavement
and others after wildly moving their arms fell
back in the burning mass behind them, The
great eight story wall on Seth street fell almost
without notice, and who are buried under it
will not be known until the debris is moved
The widest excitement prevailed as the flames
leapeo TO the adjoining buildings, mainly tene-
ment houses, and men, women and children
fled for their lives They saved nothing and
were lucky to even escape with their lives.
To late hour tonight the report was killed
2, injured 4, missing 5. Over fifty buildings in
all were destroyed, and the losses are large
with the insurance probably covering half the
amount. Some of the most terrible scenes of
the fire occurred in tenoment houses One
foreman rescued an infant and its helpless
father from the fourth floor, and then wept
back at the peril Of his life and found another
child just expiring from suffocation on the top
floor. When the walls fell it became easier for
the firemen to work, and the intense heat SUBJ
sided somewhat, enabling them to approach
and play on the burning masses. During the
day no employees were to be found and there
fore persons believed they all persisted in the
flames; but few inquiries were made at the sta
tion house or in the vicinity of the fire for the
missing during the day. 1t is said that many
of the employees live in Hobeken, and on es-
Gaping, if they did, went home at once.