The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-16
THE GREAT FIRE.
Guarding the Ruins and Count
ing the Losses.
BROADWAY IMPEDED
About TWO Million Dollars
Swept Away.

The ruins of the Brooks Brothers building. at
Broadway and Grand street, destroyed by fire on
Tuesday evening attracted a vast throng OF people
all yesterday. large force of police had to main
tain strict ire line, more especially there
imminent danger OF the falling OF the end of
the wall on the Grand street side. and which partially
crumbled the night before. Three engines and
about thirty fremen We're on the up till mid
night, and the streams of water which We're played
upon the smoking ruins and the still blazing rem
nans-of the valuable stock engulfed by the flames.
Were kept up necessarily. During the night the
water. which had been steadily directed at the
northern end of the Broadway front, froze. and
yesterday it presented picturesque appearance of
silver spray encrusting the blackened and Quilted
ruins. From the statements of the turned-out ten
ants Of the building it now appears that the eiice
has for many years been considered unsafe one.
particularly for the storage of $15000oU worth of
highly inAammable wares. member of the firm of
Howard. Sanger Il Co., said that the greatest diff
Guilty had been experienced in placing their In
surances for the building thoroughly tabooed by
the insurance companies. 1t covered four lots and
was constructed that il fire broke out in the mid
die the whole "trap"-and that, he said, all it
really was-must 60 down. At one time there was
wall in the centre, which Afforded protection
but it pulled down and iron posts were put
up instead
BROADWAY TRAFFIC INTERRUPTED.
| Broadway traffic was considerably interrupted by
the still continuing fire. While the conhagration Of
the building proper had reached it's limit jets of fire
were blazing in the interior amid smoking embers
from the gas supply pipes, dry timber.'and from
piles Of dry goods and fancy goods. At the same
time the steam from the putting engines completely
filed the air. The Broadway stages their way up
town had to pass up Mercer street far Broome,
and could only then turn back into Broadway, and
their way down they crowded of Broadway at
Howard street and had to pass down Mercer street.
The Grand street had to stop at Broadway or
at Crosby street, and the passengers, provided with
transfer tickets forced to scufio through the
multitude of spectators in order to obtain their
fer Mercer street thus for the distance between
Howard and Canal, turned into a narrow Broadway,
and the crush Of vehicles great that the
stages very much delayed i'll passing through.
The Fire Department displayed great energy and Wig
lance in coping with the remnant of the Are. and
! Commissioners King and German. Chiefs Bates and
Shea. the Fire Marshal Superintendent Wilson of the
| Fire Patrol and others duty during the
greater portion of the day. None of these officials
had to offer any reliable theory to the of tn
conagraton except the general impression that the
building, with its vast quantity OF infammable ma
teria had been ready years blaze up into de-
cial investigation OF the immediate cause will be
| probably opened to-day by the Fire Marshal who
| has already summoned before him all the persons
| liable TO shod any light upon it.
| FIREMAN.
The gallant fireman, John Reilly, who crushed
under tho falling ruins. had been nearly years
the service of the department and his sad death in
the performance OF his duty caused great sorrow and
profound sympathy amid the ranks of his comrades.
| Reilly leaves widow and five children. He was
one of the most courageous and unfinching members
of the Fire Department On occasions like that of
| Tuesday night. and was known among many of his
! comrades in his battalion "l3ack Jack" Com
| missioner King said yesterday, that Dennis Doran
(who was also given up fatally injured, but who,
according to the physicians Of Bellevue Hospital,
| will now surely recovery, and the two other fire.
men fortunately saved because at the
! first sound Of the crumbling wall they precipi-
lately fled But Reilly, who with them. in
nentary forgetfulness Of the peril of his position,
looked to see If 1t was really to be something scri-
Gus, land that, Commissioner King added. "killed
him." horrible sensation was produced yesterday
morning by the discovery OF some portions of the
lungs and heart of the dead fireman among the smo-
| ing ruins. Reilly was in the prime OF life, about
forty years DID, and resided in Delaney street whence
he will probably be buried tomorrow OF Saturday.
| THE INsURANCEs--$l ,34S. 459.
The assurances foot up S1,34S, 459, while the net
| loss and above the insurance is stated to he
nearly $500000. The following the assurances of
Howard Sanger Co.. fancy goods dealers who place
49,. Aefn np1s