The Portland daily press., 1882-02-01
by TELEGRAPH.
ANOTHER HORROR.
Disastrous Fire in New York
City.
A NUMBER OF NEWSPAPER
OFFICES BURNED OUT.
Imprisoned Men and Women
Leaping for their Lives.
Many Persons Supposed to be
Burned in the Ruins.
THRILLING SCENES AND INCIDENTS
OF THE CALAMITY.
The Losses Aggregating Over
$H,O0O,O00.
THRILLING SCENES AND INCIDENTS
OF THE CALAMITY.
The Losses AggFegating Over
$A,O0O,O0O.

of the building No. 50 Park row, corner of
Beekman street, once occupied by the New
York World, now occupied by the New York
Rubber Company, and a variety of offices and
stores, among the former of which were the
Scientific American, The Scottish American
Journal the Takigrapher, the Turf, Field and
Farm, and the Thompson Bank Note and
Commercial Reporter. The following adver-
Pettengill & Co., John f. Phillips. u Co.,
Charles Meyers & Co., j. Walter Thompson,
Nicola Morachesi, A. r. Thompson, Levi A.
Desbrow and Leander H. Grail.
In the same block were the offices of the
Forest and Stream, Baptist Examiner The
Manufacturer and Builder, and the New
Yorker Belletrisches Journal. The Office of
New York Times was at the further end of the
block. A light snow was falling at the tim 9
the fire broke out and the air was dry and
crisp with light breeze from the north which
increased the difficulty of controlling the
flames. The following statement regarding
the origin of the fire is made by e. O.. Ball:
was passing down the rear stairs of No. 81
Park Row, and when near the foot OF the stairs
flames burst up through the new elevatorlshaft
from the basement Nothing mad occurred III, IN
dicating an explosion up to that moment. The
flames rushed up the shaft like lightning, and
almost as quickly up the stairways in terri
BILE torrent of fire, with dense black smoke
which almost instantly cut off all possibility OF
escape. Passing back through the building
Row side. The engine room adjoins the bot
tom of the elevated shaft, and the fire must
have begun there and gained its impetus be-
fore any alarm was given.
The fire burned SO rapidly that before any
progress had been made in subduing it the
whole Beekman street face was involved.
Three alarms we're sounded and four general
calls sent out, but the engines and ladders were
slow in reaching the scene because the light
snow and frosted ground rendered going diff
cult The fire burned fiercely, even after large
volumes of water were directed upon it, and
at II o'clock, after burning one hour the sou tn
ern walls fell with crash, filling the who le
lower part of the city with black smoke and
cinders. The roof of the Times building was
on fire several times. A building on the south
side of Beekman street. corner of Park Row,
until lately occupied by the Evening Mail and
now vacant, was badly damaged by fire and
water. Several people descended from the
building on the Nassau street side by means OF
a telegraph pole. One boy leaped from the
fifth story and would have been killed but for
the wires breaking his fall. He was hurt but
not dangerously.
The cornor Of Nassau and Beekman streets
was occupied by Rodriguez Brothers, import
ers of Havana cigars. Their stock, as every
thing else that was in the building, was en-
tirely destroyed. The stock in the tailoring
establishments of Grumbin, corner of Park
Row and Beekman, valued at So 900, was lost.
The Scotsman Journal, The New York OBJ
server, the editorial rooms of the Turf, Field
Farmer, Jacob j. Stone, solicitor, s. M. Pet
tengill's advertising agency, A. s. Clark, deal
er in second hand books, the Poland Spring
water agents, the Scientific American, The
Press, r. II. Mumm & Co., patent solicitors,
j. G. Todd, patent lamp, the New York Belt
ing and Packing Company occupying two
large stories on Park Row, and many lawyers
and others occupied offices in the burned build
ing. Fully 5000 persons assembled In City
hall park, and the neighboring streets were
The fire worked into the Times building but
did not damage the editorial rooms. The
composing room was flooded and two large
holes made in the. walls and ceilings by the
firemen, Some of the Offices south of the
Times editorial rooms on the floors above and
below were damaged by smoke and water. All
of the offices on Park Row side were closed and
the heavy iron shutters fastened as precau-
ton Everybody was kept out of the rooms
and corridors on that side except on the lower
floor, where there was crowd of spectators.
Much excitement prevailed in the post office
building.
The vet unfinished Kelley building fronting
in Beekman street, was blackened and scorch-
ed the whole extent of its facade. From the
old Evening Mail building at Beekman street
and Park Row the tenants fled in dismay
when the windows caught the fire and were
broken. The building was damaged with
water from Park Row and was saved, but IN
damaged condition.
At noon the front of the building fell in. On
mained, upon which fourteen engines and the
water tower were pouring great streams of
water.
HORRORS OF THE SCENE.
Among the horrors of the fire were the fol-
lowing: On-lookers in Beekman street below
Nassau, saw half dozen spring to the win
dows in different stories and endeavor to swing
themselves over the sill. One man flinging
himself from third story window, struck and
tore asunder telegraph wire in the fall, and
was dragged from the sidewalk a bleeding,
helpless mass. He was found to be SO badly
cut and crushed that his death was only
question of hours. Other forms, gesticulating
wildly, appeared at the windows nearest Beck
man with hair and garments ablaze. Ladders
were hastily thrown up and three or four per-
sons were taken down. Then the rescuers
were driven back and their ladders burned.
the pavements swung the body Of colored
woman. She grasped the sill fist with one
hand and then with the other. Her wild, de-
spairing shrek rent the air. From the window
q burst of flame swept over her and she fell.
before she reached the hospital she waswdaad.
A woman and man were seen c1utching the
sills of fourth story with desperate effort to
cross it, but fell back in the flames. No more
appeared in their places.
On the Beekman street side and on the
Park Row side of the building similar scenes
were enacted. A man who gained the roof
and escaped by the way OF the Times building,
shouted to his rescuers that scores of human
beings were perishing there in the narrow hall
ways darkened by the smoke. They lost their
way and being bewildered were caught by the
fire Three men appeared in fourth story
window imploring aid. None was possible
from without, but negro boot black climbed
pole and cut a wire that fell across
their window, and the three men slid down in
safety. Another negro lad, aged sixteen,
Jumped from the fourth story window on
sign below the third story. A lad
der was put up, and standing upon the top he
shouted to two white men to leap like him to
the sign. The first one upset the sign and
was falling headlong when the negro seized
and held him until the firemen rescued him.
Five men, with the terror of death in their
faces and every attitude, clamored for help
from the fourth story window on the Nassau
street side. From the roof above them man
sprang to the sign in their sight, but they
shrank from following. The firemen brought
ladders but these were too short A number
of citizens came to the aid of the fremen, and
the ladders, raised on their shoulders just
reached the window. The flames had long
ago seized the wooden frames, but stream OF
water was thrown around and upon them and
kept them safe. Upon the ladders thus held
no they crept down, escaping with their lives.
One of them said that quite number of pee
pie were left in the room.
The scenes when the occupants of the upper
floors we're making their escape, were often
exciting and touching. Men could be seen
holding the hands of women. evidently en-
couraging them to calmness. Three men ran
On the roof and fell through the skylight of
one of the northern buildings, receiving serious
injuries. A bootblack at the corner of Beck
man street and Park Row seeing some men
in the telegraph wires adjoining the
burning premises, climbed pole and cut the
wires, clearing them from their critical posi-
ton. An express wagon with heavy canvass
covering drew up under the windows, and
several men about to leap to the ground were
told by the driver to jump on the wagon,
which they did, escaping any serious hurt.
1t is stated that four bodies were recovered
in Nassau street of persons killed by jumping
from the windows. The building was crowded
with employees and very few could have es-
capped by the stairways. From distance spec
tators beheld men and women spring from the
windows of the upper stories into the street
and others, vainly endeavoring to follow their
example, hanging on to the window sills with
despairing and agonizing cries, and then with
their clothes ablaze tumble back into the burn