The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-04
yesterdays CALAMITY
MANY Lives Lost and Families
Made Homeless.
AN ENTIRE BLOCK IN FLAMES
Property Valued at Near a Mil
lion Dollars Destroyed.

Jo.eph T. HIale's piano factory in Thirty-nfth
street. between Tenth and Eleventh avenues
Almost instantly aitorward vast volume of
lrc nled the drying and vanishing room. in
which tho first darting flame had appeared. The
rry u Frel" rang through the great eight
story structure and the workmcn in the different
rooms ran to the stairways. windows. and cle-
,ator- The building. which covered seven city
Ios on both Thirty-nfh and Thriy-sixth
ttrcels WIS full " the most combustible ma
lerial,-light woods. shavngs Naini-hes. and
similar substances and the fire darted from
story &, story with astonishing rapidity. driving
the sc,rched workmon before it. The number
Of men in the building is yariously estimated
nj from $50 10 300 tie latter being the whole
number employed. large part Of these were
alpyr the place whcro the flames broke out and
the first warning they received OF their danger
WAS from the fire and smoke that burst upon
them They became dcmoralizrd 10y fright,
and ran wildly about seeking for means OF
eseap.. some let themselves down the elevator
ropes knock King on" another of in th"ir excite
ment others got away by the fire escapes.
down which they tumhled helter-skclter. with
bruised fingers. Many were So much frightened
that they ran into the worst danger. 10y spring
Ing lbf ill' NllluoNN Nll'lt my haA Aii' AN"hN
ing flames behind them. and fall of many
stories in front Many jumped from the third
and fourth stories AMI escaped with more or
iess serious contusions. One mun who leaped
fell ON the Thirty iNth street side, and died
soon after being picked up. A strong north
westerly wind was blowing when the fire broke
out 1t swept through the long rows OF win
hows. being sucked in by the heat and drove
The flames across the broad floors almost faster
than the workmen could run out Of their way
The dense smoke blinded and stupefed the
unfortunate men.
Tn. ilremen who first arrived in Thrty-sixth
street say they saw men in all the windows
above tho third story striving TO escape. yet
afraid 10 make the fearful leap to the ground
below They also heard cries for help coming
put of the thick smoke that envelOped the upper
part Of the building. Capt. Bob Williams. Of
Truck Company 4. which was one Of the first
b. reach the fire. heard men shouting for help
In the third and fourth stories when he arrived.
His men tried to raise two ladders against the
building on the west side hut there was such
maze of clothes lines stretched across in the
rear of tenement houses that the ladders could
not be placed. and before the lines could be cut
the smoke and flames burst out OF the windows
above 50 that no ono could approach them.
Then tour men leaped from the third story.
Allwrre injured seriously. The nremen car
riod them out and ons died in few minutes.
Capt Williams says he Is certain that twenty or
moro men must haze pcrshed. Those that he
Baw hanging in the windows and heard shout
Ing in the smoke he thinks could not have es-
rapsd. Several of the hremen Of Truck cor
roborated this. They declare that men dropped
from tho windows who never emerged from the
r.,,, Sn,, ~ ,h., ava ,,i,re esses NJ tho carly
na'n'9' oV"'o VI '''0
~ Otlnlp
STRETCHING oui tiCr arms iur ihcip that coulu
NOV rtach thein. ~" nrenlRh u,riarnn @ tIlht az M ne
paw against ~" ia"kErounl ot ire two or 'hrre
nrai@ III c'cIS "'nu0" I'll '"V io"i'' aH" III"
bt22rlt'. ,.,.l,.s,o,,,., ,ieror, e,ors
nre Almost @ totally ignorant Of what occurred in
Dt or uOns b"s q ttt;r own, Ihty can hardy
trll ue" NY so' IN Y inse..ns, OF wilv @ .ii.lr
couir" - w're. I'rir MnhK WHO Was az ~oik
u N srNh1h Story, says re tuihDleI uoNh
tne IN T. a. s'Hi' - .lr siIc"i priai 70 P9sr
men r'nr iIn got away; hut ait'r ms escape n
Hils' l - brp'ie N'cenWs Mohk, HnH could
lnd d 'ra'.s u HIM. Another man VINO was
Wari = "shin1hS. ~ tuou2ht WAT hl mo
mn ~ n- room e.HNl"1' hu' KNOWS h''hinR
M HA"iil" ~ rf" dflN'n - tne VIM, whi n
blew % -al" IN ttr vicinity OF tne burning tu,lt-
Ing. -rraai lnto the tenement houses on the
same tiosk and lrapel a. ross Tie streets On the
norla .nl south. feli an hour after the first
The water began 10 run low IL The uSdrantr.
The streams tAat were being played on the
ftn~- weakened. iut the twelve tircmer lai !
leu.ir nif~r i-n. rh oi h.,c To- bring wairr from
Suis '' IL .@s Vision ani iim -peteI SIa1m. ~
ioloa5 % ' II. h@ a.. s'inTn dlmand 9SaHH oa hc war
tnrIY. ANT hut for tne arrival OF the IRE boat
navrin' yrr the irsu,t might have bern de-
n7irpue. The Ha>rmeycr WIS stationed at tAe
lo,pt lhiry-h't ti s,r~' l. AMI ihrougA 5000 ieet
three cnans-. The nremrn wDrNed until
tin' \ them almost dropped from fatigue,
in n Ia" n,h"1 syteGH IA .helI a., or ,,.. ,',