Morning journal and courier., 1881-10-12
FIRE RECORD.


 Millions-scenes During the FIre-Its
 Origin Unknown.
 NEW YORK, Oct. 1.-The scene of the
 great fire last night, between Thirty second
 and Thirty-third streets, Lexington and
 Fourth avenues, was visited by thousands to-
 day. Thirty-second street, between the two
 avenues named, was covered with piles of
 bricks, charred timbers, tangle of fallen
 telegraph wires and pieces of tin roofing. A
 gang of workmen were busy with shovels in
 clearing the car track through this street. A number of other workmen were engaged in strengthening out and putting up on the poles the telegraph wires which came down last night by scores The site of the Fourth ave- nue railroad stables was a broad expanse of smouldering ruins, lying almost flat, and framed by fragments of blackened brick
 walls. Car wheels and other pieces of iron work could be seen amid burning refuse the
 original character of which could no longer
 be distinguished. Thirty third street was lined on the south side with heaps of bricks, and on the other side with 8 row of horse cars, which were saved last night from the stables Nothing remained of the rear part of Morrells warehouse in Thirty-seeond street. except irregular fragments of walls and piers, overlooking huge piles of brick, twisted iron work and smouldering timbers. Clouds of smoke rose from the ruins, beneath which bright tongues of flame shot up now and then as the veil was lifted by the wind. In Morrell's front building, on the corner of Fourth avenue, many of the windows on the Thirtysecond street side were broken, and the woodwork about them was charred to finder. From an engine at the corner of Thirty first street and Fourth avenue, two lines of hose direct ed streams of water upon the rulns of the rear structure. The men of three hook and ladder companies-Nos, ?. Il and 16-were busily at work in demolishing such parts of the walls as seemed especially dangerous Some of these tottering walls were pushed inward by heavy ladders used as batter1ng rams, and others were pulled outward by means of ropes. There was one tall pier on the Thirty second street side which looked as if it might topple over at any minute, and the spectators felt nervous as they saw two fremen plant ladder against 1t and climb to the top, where they fastened the end of rope securely. At twenty minutes of II this pier was pulled over into the street, the ruins falling with tremendous crash and an i'm mense cloud of dust
 An occupant of building adjoining gives the following account Of the ire
 s'The fire seemed to begin at about the middle of the car stables and we admired from our windows the sight of the flames leapng twice the height of the surrounding buildings AS the wind blew strorg
 y west at o'clock, it not thought that the fire i'd rage with any violence at end of the bui ding But as the flames crept steadily west ward notwithstanding the wind, began to admire | the sight less enthusiastically and the timid Of the families who live here gan to pack their most valuable arti ,les-silveEware jewelry laces etc. in trunks ready removal. As the flight of airs to the street is it was not thought worth while to try to get out any furniture. About half past there sh from the stable roof and the mass of flames seemed to be driven from one end Of the block to the other at the same instant The fire men jumped back from Fourth avenue, only taking | time to pull few scorched cars from the front of the stables at the moment the whole stable roof | took fire at once, and it became so hot in our win dows that WE were driven away from them I shut them down, holding blanket in | front of my face. and in less than minute ali the glass began crack and break and with out windows in two minutes. whils the outside trim mings began to smoke oninously Things began to look very serious We hastily wrapped up our vaua- bles in blankets, and with the assistance of some friends who came to our help we began to move out everything that could be carried taking especial care of our pictures We had made about ten trips with full to the other side of Fourth avenue when the warehouse adjoining our building on Thir street seemed to take fire all at ran selection thinking that that trip o1ld be the last that could make The noise of the flames was like and as hot as furnace. People choose quee things 10 carry at such moments, and not surprised to see carry carefully to the roof when the warehouse next door took fire we thought that building was doomed and we could not get | of fire which cane down tLick'r than hail. After the two trips that made were to the roof by o'clock the firemen told that the over, although the fire seemed te be as violent as ever. our building saved us Everything in our building was so hot that spark would have gained headway Through our broken windows the hremen poured l water for hours, equently our carpets and bed order as you see After midnight began mos ing | things back again, and working at it sti1l
 On all the floors of the apartment house the confusion is complete; broken gla-s and furniture, everything blackened with smoke and soaked with water Some of the Fourth avenue cars were running to day, and the passage of freight cars from the Centre | street depot to Forty-second street went on this morning, no freight having been moved in the night Mr Henry Clair, of the Park Avenue Hotel, said that there was no fear-of fire at any time during the evening, although about one out of every three windows in front of the hotel was broken by the heat
 The greatest losses will fall on persons who had goods stored in Morrelrs warehouse, many of the articles housed there being val uable furniture and pictures, the owners in surfing not at their own risk. Among other losses was $100, 900 worth of furs be- longing to different parties. Diamonds, iewelry, paintings, books, plate and number less articles of value were stored here, and 1t is believed that little or nothing is saved A afg6 nuD1Der or sulall prlVGte SHIeSI contaln- ing highly prized jewelry, etc, were packed away on the different floors. They were all with the exception of few, which were near the Fourth avenue front Two clerks were busy in Mir. MorrelFs office at | noon making out a list of his patrons and the probable fate of their property, as nearly complete as possible.
 Among the companies having risks upon he stables axe the following: Citizens, Re- public, Irving, Empire, Hamilton, Norwich Union, National. Manhattan, Commercial Union, Hartford, Manufacturers of Provi- fence.
 The total amount of insurance on the burn sd stables cars, horses, hay. feed. etc, is s150, ,o0e, divided as follows; On barn, ESQ., 100; on7cars, $50, 900; on horses, $30. 1000; on hay, feed, etc, $1000O. It is probable he insurance companies will not be called on Q pay the full amount of insurance as many ,f the horses and cars were out on their trips when this building was burned, and others were removed by the workmen before they