The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-23
ALL THE DOORS LOCKED.
Total Destruction Of West, Bradley 6 Carys
Factory in Twenty ninth Street.
THREE ADJOINING TENEMENTS CONSUMED.
The Loss About One Hundred and Fifty
Thousand Dollars.


the metallic suspender factory of West. Bradley
Cary at Nos. 227 229 231 and 2s3 West Twenty-ninth
street. The building In which the IRE broke out
stood In the ceptre OF the block. between Seventh
aud Eighth avenues. and extended about half way
through to Thrtieth street. In the basement OF the
factory Runkle h Co. kept chocolate mandatory.
and from there the flames started last night. In
almost incredibly short time they spread across the
front basement catching the open elevator on the
Eighth avenue of the structure. swept up through
the seven stores Owing to the of business
In the factory many Of the hands were working
overtime and when the re broke out 1t is supposed
there forty persons in the house. The neigh
borhood was suddenly aroused by the cry Of "Fire"
and following just the alarm the shrieks of
women from the upper floors. People rushed to
their assistance and those hrst ON the spot found
that all the doors were locked. Ropes were pro-
cured from the grocery store the opposite side Of
the street and dashed to the roofs of the houses
adjoining to render what assistance they
could 1t the moment. The frightened women ran
from window to window in great terror and the
crowd in the street below became excited that it
was almost helpless. A few of the poor girls had
jumped on to the roofs OF tenement houses beside
and behind the factory and others were helped out
or the windows by men from the street who had
gone up there. Willie Roach and another lad, who
were working on the second Aoor jumped to the
sidewalk. and In few minutes after tho IRE broke
out all signs of life In the burning building
had died away. IS far as could be judged from the
street. The excitement In the vicinity spread so
rapidly and became intense that the residents Of
the tenement houses in the noighborood began to
move their furniture and families out. Both side
walks In the balance OF the street encountered
with goods. and women and children. hastily hur-
ried out Of their homes stood crying beside their
property. Colored and white people were mixed up
unfortunately. and the surgtnR mass that filled
the street only added to the CONSERVATION.
THE YIREMEN AT WORK.
Before the hremen arrived almost the entire front
Of the structure was in flames The place seemed to
be like finder box and the flames shot through
the blinds and doors with fury but seldom wit
messed. There was delay Of some seconds and
probably more in obtaining supply Of water, but
whom the hremen got really ct work they performed
wonders. Without looking at where they were
going taking any note of the consequences they
ran mp the ladders that were rapidly shot up
the sides of the houses and cut away
doors aud tore down window shutters. Three
with hatchets In THAR hands cutting furiousy
at the office door. whom It fell in sucked from them
by huge volume OF fsme that in an instant
turned back again with return and nearly
caught them up. 1t was all they could do to get
ground. and then the street between Seventh
and Eighth avenues was crammed close with
siehtseers. There considerable delay ON the
part OF the police in getting to the OF action
and when they got there 1t too late to the
fifteen minutes had elapsed from the time the IRE
was noticed until 1t appeared as II the whole
structure and every hoor In It were in flames
mere shell as the great tongues OF flames swept
out and in and intertwined ana dashed upward and
d<.xuv and t<,pa In. a
intense that the persons the opposite side
OF the street were compelled to leave the windows
the progress OF the confagration. One by one the
young women who had been taken out of
the burning factory were carried arr, to convenient
its sympathy by ordinations and cries OF pity.
One stalwart young fellow named Frank Steele
brought u woman from the roof OF the tenement
next the factory his shoulders. She horribly
burned the face and hands, and moanod painfully
ton House. Fannie Perry. Of Forty-fourth street
aud Tenth avenue. was lifted from the roof Of
another house suffering with q broken leg. She
and was taken care OF In the tsiior's shop ON the
corner Of Seventh avenue.
DID rHRsE GIRLS PERIsH7
It was impossible to ascertain how many had es-
capped or how many were In the factory at the time
locality Of the fire insisted that there were many
more In the building than got out ana people who
saw some escape were OF opinion that the entire
reached the street. The progress OF the hre made
1t impossible to reach the upper floor
which the women were confined, and IL had made
such headway when the authorities got to tho
spot that II there were any girls remaining they
were past relief. Three or them who were removed
from drug store OH Seventh avenue to their homes
were 80 nervous and In such q shattered con-
count Of their companions. Several were removed
by the hremeu by ropes and down ladders,
but where they disappeared to Immediately after
their deliverance nobody knew. One Of the girls
Bure there were twenty on the top floor where she
worked These underworld to get out Of the factory
who had come from down below. and wsrncd
Them not to go In that direction. as
smoke. That announcement drove them back.
and they had further hope of than through
the windows and by the roofs hard by To add to
the difficulties in the way OF the hremen. hose
burst just at critical moment. and what with the
crowd the absence OF the police. the terribie ccndi
they had all they could do to get into position to
attack the flames.
rHHrLLrso EXPERIENCE.
Massed together IN u dense crowd, and kept back
with difIiculty from the immediate neghborhood or
The burning building. were thousands of excited peo-
pie. Above the roar OF the fierce flames, which scat
tered spray OF red sparks for blocks around
the cries Of women and children driven out Of the
adjoining tenement houses through fear. Tall tenc-
ments abound In that vicinity and the population il
dense and correspondingly excitable. The aAmos
their glare was reflected against tho murky back
ground fur and wide. Tho hremen sprang to
their perilous work with their accustomed heroism.
Among the many scenes of excitement that followed
I'll kalcidoscopc order In front OF the doomed fac
tory the most thrilling tho experience Engine
Company No. l. The hose attached to their engine
was screwed the hydrant close to NO. 23i, ut tho
central point OF tho factory. Foreman Mandy, fol-
lowed by nremen Bennett. betour. Davis Gould and
Mccarthy, OF his company. wont to work with axes
at one OF the various doors OF the building. Hold
ing the hose in their hands they rushed Into tho
breach and reached the foot OF the stairway. inst
then y duh announced tho fall OF floor
within and there came nerce pun OF fame aud
smoke right in their faces. Three of tho men were
knocked down by this fcry breath and wcro dragged
out by their comrades Detcurs hat was knocked OF
by burning rattcr and Bennetts face was consider
ably scorchcd. Rallyng HE mon more Fore
man Mainly led another charge ON tho flames. aud
held his men to their post although floor after floor
fell with adcatening crash and tho glare the re
was terrible. All at once there ominous
shivcr of the great story wall In front. and
there was loud cry OF warning. The men OF Engine
Company No. out OF the building in Hu
instant appearing like many salamandcrs as they
emerged from the cloud Of smoke. They had not
to detach tho hose froiu the hydrant; but they
naniully went to work to save their ongine with
almost suporhuman exertions thoy pulled Il out OF
MID and nm down ioSxn Ei,aLi