National Republican., 1877-09-04
NEW YORK'S BIG FIRE
OrER FIFTY PERSONS SUPPOSED TO
HAVE PERiSHED.

HAVE PERfSHED.
THIRTY SEVEN DEAD BODIES REcovERE1
PROM THE RUINS FIVE PAcToiIIr2s AM
TWENTY-FIVE TENEMENT HOUSES Du
sTRoYED. ASD MANY OTHER RuILDiSa
DASta0ED-A MANS MIRACULOUS DESCENT
From THE EIGHTH STORY To TIE SIDE
WALK.
By Telegraph IN THE RErunItcAx.
NEw YoRK. Sept. J.
At halfpast 0 o'clock this morning farnos
were seen Issuing from the second story d
John p. Halc's largo piano factory, wesa
Thiriy-sixth street, near Tcnih avenue. The
alarm was Immediately given. and three
minutes later flames shot from the third,
fourth and ffth stories Of the buildings. and
Immediately afterwards the air was filled with
volumes Of black smoke aud cries Of hundred,
of operatives, who could be seen at open win,
dows wildly gesticulating. The frc depart
ment quickly responded, and streams Of wata
were poured on tho burning structure, butl
fierce wind blowing frum tho west la fled an
their efforts. the flames flying from floor h
floor with lightning rapidity aud icnitinl the
whole establishment Tho operatives driyeu
by smoke and heat from the lower floors
sought refuge in the seventh and eighth
stories. from which many jumped to the pave
| mcnt below. and were either killed outright
or were fearfully maimcd. One man. stationed
near window on tho top floor. was seen to pull
of, his coat and take his POSITION on window.
sill.
People in the streets below thinking he in
tended jumping shouted, TO the roof! to the
roof. don't jump" Hcedlcss Of their warning
he got down on hands and knees, and thea
securing good hold on the window-fscina
cast one glance below aud swung of. He
alighted on a projecting window. facing
Balancing himself for q mcnsnt he jumped
with the agility Of cat aud rested on the
casing Of a window al the ffth floor. The
| flames and smoke poured on, IN torrents, and
quick As q fash he jumped to the fourth story
window, aud so on until . small balcony %
| the first floor was reached. Hero he paused
for moment, then jumped to tho pavement
and was saved. Others, despite warnings
jumped to the roofs Of buildings far below,
and w,re carried away. 1t now became sp.
| parent that the fsrtory was doomed, and the
| fireinen turned their attention TO Grahami
silk establishment, on Thirty-sixth street, jusl
in The shadow of the great burning building.
The roof WAS deluged with water, hut ths
heat was 50 intense that tho fremen could not
remain at their posts, and 1t was soon n mas
uf flames.
Tenement houses 5oi. 500, 5O7, eos, 5ii. i'm
mrdiat,ly below on Thirty sixth street. caught
fire from burning c!ndcrs, and q scene Of ooa-
fusion followed that almost bailled description.
Men, women and children rushed rcll-mcu
through the Railways from different doom.
screaming aud crying; some Of them carrying
tables and chairs, others crockcrywarc, anA
not few were seen hearing children on their
backs through the blinding smoke. Tho wind
had by this time had Increased to gale, snA
grcat sparks foll In sll directions, firing tie
dry roofs OF the buildings in the block bounded
by Tenth and Eleventh avenues and Thirty
fifth and Thirty sixth streets, aud in half n
hour after the breaking out Of the eonfsgrs-
I II a Il l.
the block Wa burning. aud others iacine Tenth
avenue wore fairly blazing The fire-alarm
was again sounded, aud additional stcamco
and hook and ladder companies came to the
rescue. At 1910 o'clock the walls Of iialoS
factory facing Thirty -sixth street fell In with
: a terrible crash. and il Is said several persons
wers buried beneath the debris. This fail
gave the wind free access to the other exposed
buildings on Thirty y-fith street, and they, too,
I were soon la flames. The tenants lu the strsee
above barely escaped with their lives, creates
/, art Of them being unable to z.re ANYTHING.
+ The burnt district covers splcu Of 100 feeA
on th. south and north sides Of Thirty I'm
=. street, 175 feet on the west side Of Tenth
= avenue, 800 feet on the south side OF Thirty
1 sixth street. The buildings destroyed in addi.
I, ton TO Hales factory are Grahams silk
fsctory, Connolly's barrel yard and three brick
p tcnemrnis on Thirty fifth street, two brick
+ aud four wooden teliements GU TeuIh a,cnue.
three brick tencments and coal yard On
I'hirty-siNth street and several small build
inSs, making thirty eight In all. About 80
families are rendered homeless. and most of
E their furniture Il destroyed. The latest esti-
= mate of loss Is from $so0.OO0 to Ss0nO.O00.
The loss Of life is vsrously cstimaieSl al from
5 9 to 200. Rut though the loss may not he 81,
large as 2O0, II seems from present indications
not lrSs than 100 people were killed or Injured
| by falls Of walls and pcrished In the asmesl
II is known that 800 operatives were in th~
he
$ and as the flames and smoke spres,
: rapidly and there were no frc-escapSS
/, II Is thought great number have lost thei-
e lives. Some escaped by u rope that had heel,
n arrangsl for the purpose at one OF the loft
buildings. Accounts Of loss Of life thus far al,
wild, as 10 much confusion prevails The
i freinen as yet have been unable to exeayatr
the bodies from the ruins, hut will do so nt tha
earliest moment practicable. One report ssyS
r. there is no doubt that some twenty five I.
d thirty girls employed in the nplrr stories ol
: Hale's factory have pcrishcd. The genera
X impression Of those who live in the neighbcr
< hood of the fire is that at least any livc, hav,
ii been lost. At $50 p H. thirty five dead bodie,
~ are reported to be lying IN Thirty-sccond
Y street police station. The tire commissioner
"a are OF the opinion that no persons except MOI
To employed were burned, and say the reports q
re the los Of life have been GREATLY exaggerated
ne The fre originated IN the sounding hoari dry
n n ing room, OH the third floor Of Hale's factory
~ where u stove uscd for heating. A splIi
nd from the stove is supposed TO have ignite<
:. some of the dry material close at hand.
The greatest difficulty encountered WAS tn
scAnty supply Of water, and tho fire plug
al stood wide open without giving = single drop
IA The IRE boat Fuller was brought to the no
OH Of Thity-6 filth street and gave supply q
&C water to two engines. The cutters wer
~ damned, and the dirty water which IN
an been once used was again utilized and throw
he back upon the fire. Every conceivable mean
Of outstanding the short supply was rcsorto
TO. Engine u was abandoned owing To II
IS intense heat aud became total wreck. n,
70 force of the wind was 81 great that large peo<
ia of burning wood were carried as far as Sixt
IT, avenue Gospel tent on Thirty fourth strec'
III near Sixth avenue, caught fire and was d
-, stroyed. Dcckcrs billiard establishment, full
O"i half mile away, was in imminent danger Z
one time, and was saved only through copies
drenchiog Of water.
LATER DISPATCH
New YoEE, Sept. 3.--1he only two bodi
ad- recovered from the ruins Of the fire up 10
Ice o'clock tonight are Otto Paekminster. ,