The Republican journal., 1877-09-06
Terrible Fire in New York.

y
stroying the entire block between 10th
and 18th avenues, Connolly's barrel facto-
ry, Graham 4 Co. S silk factory and sew
cral houses adjoining the same; also
Walkers charcoal factory north of ;}5th
street and block oftrame houses between
}5th and Both streets. A steam fire en-
CINE was burned.
FURTHER DErAILS-A HUNDRED LIVES
LOST.
The Evening kilograms report of the
fire at Halls piano factory, says all hands
were at work when the fire started and
large number must be more orless injured.
TWO bodies have been recovered and it
Is feared that a hundred lives are lost.
Wives and families of wOrkmen are Sob
blng and Walllng about the ruins. There
Is now no hope that a single vestige of
the block bounded by }5th and 36 streets
and 10th and 18th avenues will be left.
1t was painfully evident as the fire spread
that there was little chance Of the work
men ever getting out alive. About 5000
persons We're gathered about the fire.
Sparks fired the Gospel tent on 34th
street and was consumed.
The Post says the factory was an eight
story building and the flames spread
with extraordinary rapidity. The firemen
could probably have prevented the flames
spreading but for the inadequate water
supply. The tenants of houses were una
bic To obtain water except from cutters.
The lowest estimate of the loss is one
million of dollars The rumors of the
loss of life are conflicting. 1t is proba-
Die that some OF the workmen in the
ward Packmastcr was fatally injured by
Jumping from window Two others
We're seriously hurt. A Woman died dur
ing the fire, but whether in attempting
10 escape from the building or from eX-
element, is not stated. Twenty five or
thirty girls employed in the upper stories
of the factory persisted. Ambulances
have removed IL or 20 wounded who
Jumped from the burning factory. The
lire is under control, but requires watch
ing to prevent fresh contlagrations.
TERRIBLE SCENES DESCRIBED.
The Posts third edition says Halls fac
tory is the same one that fell when built
siN years ago, killing a number of per
sons. The cause of the fire to-day is I'M
known. A workman from the top floor
said the alarm was first given by man
who looked out of the window and said
TIE smoke issued from windows below.
There We're "a wOrkmen on that floor.
The fire and smoke drove them back from
the stairway, but there were fire ladders
and chain escapes at the end of the build
ing. Lewis Smiths house was burned
While he was at work. He was unable to
find his four Years old daughter. and
fears she was burned to death. The oc-
cupants of houses in 34th street assert
that they could see the factory workmen
making efforts to escape from the roof
and upper stories and hear shrieks for as
sistance. The Commercial reports $50
families rendered pennless.
The fire originated in the sounding
board of the drying-room on the third
moor where a stove was used for heating,
the steam apparatus not having yet been
put ill., \ spark from the stove is sup
posed to have ignited some of the dry
material close at hand, and almost in
stantly that part of the building was in
flames. The factory was eight stories
high, and although it is said the means
OF escape were sufficient, yet a number of
lives have been lost perhaps 20. There
were l65 men in the building at the
time. The flames spread so rapidly that
the employees. who We're above the dry
lng-rO0m, were cut off from the stair
cases. They ran to the roof and to
the windows and some dropped to the
ground There was Il scarcity of water
III the ncighborhood, consequently ,here
was some delay before the engines played
on the fire. Several alarms We're sent and
in haste. Finally the water was obtained
from the Sth avenue and the river Mean
While the fire extended and the piano fac
tory was Il mass OF flames and the walls
began falling. Some tiremen say that at
this time on Both street at least fourteen
men were cllnging to the windows of the
upper stories and were buried in the fall
ing debris. They could not be reached
10y ladders and the flames drove back the
llremen. one man dropped before the
walls fell and was picked up dead. Others
were only injured and taken to the Belle
Nue Hospital. The inmates of tenements
800, 507 and 500, west Both street, gen
trallv escaped. one woman died from
fright and Il little girl, Annie Smith, was
Suttocatcd. The wife and three other
children Of Louis Smith, the father, are
missing. The flames spread to adjacent
buildings in the block, and with Halls
establishment, Grahams silk factory,
Watkins charcoal factory and Connellv's
barrel factory and number Of tenement
houses and saloons were destroyed. The
buildings Of this block fronting on 10th
avenue We're Quilted and the rear portion,
Il saloon and a small store, We're burned.
also three tenemcnts in the middle OF that
block. No lives were lost there
ma IHrIA ,f,,
S:}o0,00o. BY IL O'Clock the fire was en-
tirely under control and the streams Of
water We're turned on the Both street
side. 1t is feared that number of bod
les will he found on the spot The fire
Commissioners are of the opinion that
none except the employees were burned,
and say the reports of the loss of life
have been exaggerated.
NEW YORK, Sept. A. The morning pa
pcrs devote much space to the report of
yesterdays fire. No reliable list of the
lost can be given. Theodore Staetzel,
aged Is, employed on the top floor of the
piano factory, says the men ran to the
stairs to escape, but found them on fire.
The ladder escape was too near the fire
to be available and the men tried the
chain escape, but the wheel would not
turn and the men had to go down hand
over hand. The staircase in the corner
of the building was locked and could not
be opened.
\ workman on the second floor saws
probably ten or twelve on the top floor
were burned in the ruins as he saw sew
eral fall back from the windows overcome
by the heat and smoke. Foreman Hartell
has nearly complete list of workmen
seen since the fire, and is positive only
four or five were unable to escape.
A man living opposite the factory says
the workmen had time to pass from the
old building where the fire broke out in
to the new building through connection
doors on each floor. He says the flames
swept through the old building in min
ute, but did not extend to the new build
in.r ,Lntil Oh bod tinln LI,l,a