The New York herald., 1878-02-20
THE TwENlY-THIRD STREET FIRE.

FIRE MARSHAL sHELDoN's INvBsTIGATIoN-
TESTIMONY OF MR. ALEXANDER BOILER
Fire Marshal Sheldon yesterday commenced AN in
vesigaon into the Twsntyth street fire by exam.
lining Mr.. Alexander Boiler, OF No. 162 West Thirty
fifth street. who was Interested In tho manufac
OF furniture IN The burned Excelsior Building
Mr. Boiler being sworn testified as foliows,-I am
In the employ Of Mr. George Davis; attended 10 out
side work. and had charge Of the factory; our Office
the etreet floor oil Nos 216 and 2lS: thcre
was a entrance at No. 229 West Twenly-second
street into Nos 2i6 and 2Is; | wont in by
that entrance on Sunday last about nine O'Clock:
found the street door and the factory door both un-
fastened; the ueer. q. Meyerhon, OF No 2l4 Sew
enth avenue, was in there oing his machinery, ana
somo Of Roux's men were there; l know oil no
others being there at that time; Dir.
Doeuch there Tor about i've minutes Mr. Roux
there while was IN tue building; lott ut half
past twelve; went down in the boiler room before
leaving; saw tho engineer there; he went up stars
TO do some work as l was going away; when 1
went out the Twenty second street door was locked
aud 4 went oat through Doeuch's house; Roux's
were stil there when lett some of the hatcnes
were brokeu. and the carpenters, Jennings & Brown
No 5lS East Eighteenth street, order ed about
two weeks ago, TO fix them, but had done so;
Joseph Hart was employed partly by DAVIS
and parity by WIhiam II. Ogilvie. the owner
oil the building; he helped the engineer 10
make nres aud carried coa night 1t was his bus.
that the matches cIosed the engineer
locked the pace; there was stairway al each end
OF the building; the workmen entered the building
1ro twenty second street auc used only the stairway
Ia the southeast corner Of tne building; this
was an open stairway, with u wooden partition on
each floor separAtng the stairway from the shops; in
vi fire duriug WORKING hours the had access
10 the STAIRS at tue west end 0f tho building;
Roux and Doseucn navo keys TO the Twenty.
second street entrance and Rippe Key
10 the outer Twenty y-secoud street door; tho
engineer also mas key; none of DAVIS people have
Keys, ana we were employing about thirty or thirty
at the time: Tie w M fuI uf
lumber belonging 10 different partes but principally 10
Davis; koux's drying room was ui that they could
get no more IN this room was heated Jy steau tto
entire building was heated by steam; all the work was
done by steam heat; there iu the laundry
anG suppose tho jantor had cooking Stove;
! know OF no other stoves In the Duid-
ing; tho fires were drawn Saturday night
anu there was steam the buildings
on sunday; the dry room aud boiler woro In u
separate building at tue rear; there was space Of
ABOUT SIX ect between the buildings the pas sageway
be,weon was rooicd With gass there an iron
partition IN the basement shutting or tho man
building from tho boiler room; the brick sIooI
enpuod INTO tho passayeway In front Of the boilers;
the engineer usod the WOOL aud shavings for his nrc
the oily rags were carried down TO the engine room
every afternoon and burned; ROux ana Ripple were
the only ones using oily rags, and they had person
20 attend 10 this.
Davis loss on stock and machinery, continued wit
meas, wiil be from $50 700 " $4,000; usked Hart
about the matches and he every thing was all
when he lett Saturday night