The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-18
VOL. XLv.--N0. III.
FIRES WORK LAST EVENING.
ocrIrJY"s INCELSTOR BtILDIN" AND
y,rO cIIfR,IiIs DESTROYED.

, nroot the most beautiful spcctacles oi iro
,,or presented in this city was made last even
i,nchy the burning Of Ogilyic's Excelsior build
i;n, in Vcs, Twcnty-third street between
seventh and Eighth avenues, numper'u
oie 10 o2i inclusive, and the aUolnlhs
.Wcs, Tweniy-third Street Presbyterian anu
the Third Reformed Presbyterian churches / ne
advance of the flames was siartlinsy rapid
'Tbov were discovered at 7.oI o'clock issuing
ftror, tho sixth story windows OF the Excelsior
luudinr. and almost simultaneously my uutS'
ltroro ,hoso of the ground story. Nlthlh iNc
minutes an immense column oi IRE rose hlsh
ohovo thc doomed building. lighting the
~, f,r miles. At the same time mass
"a of fame and dense black smoke
,our,d from tho windows OF the first
anI sixth storcs. The spread OF de-
e,ruc,ion through the building was so fast
that within fifteen minutes the whole immense
structure was mass cf flrc. In the two upper
stories the burning was without check. ms no
stream OF water could be made to reach them.
AT - great burst Of flame from the front OF
the building drove everybody IRON It's imme-
diate vicinity. and n rafting round rs of
uuskctry was heard from the midst OF the
blazing pile The alarm spread among the
dense multitude that there was ammunition
stored in the part of the building occupied rs
m armory by the Eighth Regiment and that
terrible explosion was imminent. This caused
nil but the iltcmen to fail back. and the res ult
WAS awaited with anxiety. The fusilade con-
,nued. and the sharp reports were
hcnrl through the roar Of the flames
until nine hundred rounds Of fixed
ammunition had been exploded. During
This there were several slislt l'tonations. hut
4
h0n. d. VI "'i' 81 az Iu'"''' ~ '""N''' iiN"
the hot and drcn'he surfaces of houses near
iv aro-. binding clouds of sinau Whom thr
~, v..n - ~, Iuni,,,, f.ii v.,u, m l.,f,ri,,,
east wall "l '"e 'ull"'h- l''. WAN uealchihs
oo,r.l with n low snir.. VS. crushed like nm
."iI "'.' ~" 80 W. nv an
.s-7h' ''''.' i-'",'lS ",S "..''i i,' u, "t'',,S'
liuIld.ns f.l' crushing h.n.atu it the roof If
thr cIur /, on that side
N H. mr M IN n,E6iT EEiGsoT gn lRs NJ ,hs & hia ai
N,yin- D. lm.s Thr interior. as soon through
ihe ar'h,d windows and great rents in Ito
niisi ~ which 'ir1n rirdrrs nnl rods wriih.l
md twisted a. though in agony On either
tdg stood TIE llgne, ehurchgs. Opposite rose,
of water PLAYED uron the hot hrick block. Above
all hum. a 1cu-n cloud Of black smoke. Tho
air was nilel with flashes of fire and the Intense
hnni was f.ft f,r two hioeks rifhrr way 4 lit,io
ia,nr ,he vnrv anex ~ tho tai et"enio - tIa
~, Iw.n,vs,h strc.t prs shv,ri,.n Ci,,e.i,
,vns crown"i Win n rfn,, Of tinv n,mos irbnsn
sloVly I'm, sureiy WORKED their way d0,vniynr1
iene9th ths cov,ring Of s!atS. anl i'm "a low w
minutes the sen Ter stru .iure. towering high
hboyo ali surrounding Objects. was COW
Irci with tongues OF fire lap,ins about
It. As the zinc Joints II the spire
melted they emitted a coruscation Of grcen
in a elittering shower Then as the covering
pi slate and zinc was stripped Off, the whole
hich c'ae ,hn ayip, lns'g 9i dd names
crossing each other. stood in bold relief against
the inky background OF smoke For fifteen
leen minutes the spire stood perfect in all it,
Proportions. n glowing mass Of incandes 1onco
1hcn il Tell into the body OF the blazing church
II was precisely Mt 1;O7 that Roundsman
Golden Of the Twentieth street police saw tn,
names az they burst from the roof. They
had reached the top story ot the furniture ware.
house. and probably the IRE had burned IRON
Tho fret story up TO that point before the alarm
was given; but II was then supposed tnat II hac
broken out in the sixth story Of Theodor,
Doench's andof W. Gross furniture establish.
ments; but it was aitorwari learned that
before the alarm was given persons III
Twenty-third street had seen the names
IN the lower stories. The building was
tlllcd with furniture. AMI there was great
deal OF yarnish, especially IN the top story
IIhere can be little dpuut mat lhe stirt was IN
me rrst story. IN lhct' IRE was Sech by Dr'
~ sstuds2n, several minus brlorr ,the alarm. IN
'thc pihnlng room IN ule Ernuhi :. 'ry AZ the
I.at I oi Doeh,h siore mar thr iarSe chlmhey'
~ ~ c9ulu ioI l".s p,,,h nv i.ihut.1 altr Pr
IiulSoN UNtt lllr iiSfbN"IN lltt tllf rounds