Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-02-01

New YORK, January 31.-A fire broke out
at ten o'clock this morning in the building
corner Park Row and Beekman street, re-
Gently occupied by the New York World
The flames spread rapidly and involved the
entire block as far as the Times office. The
latter suffered some damage, but the fire
was extinguished before doing serious harm
to the Times All the other buildings in the
block were practically destroyed.
1t is known that one woman was killed in
trying to escape by the window. She broke
| through a canvas stretched to save her, and
ber head was crushed. 1t is supposed that
other lives were lost. The pecuniary loss
| is very heavy.
In the block were a large number of Off
ces of weekly and class newspapers and pc
riOdicals, among which were the Scientific
| american, New York Observer, Turf Field
and Farm, Scottish american Journal, ThOmp
sons Bunk Note and Commercial Reporter,
Forest and Stream and Italian, Spanish,
Swedish, German and Portuguese weekly
| journals and number of advertising agen-
cies.
The buildings involved are Nos. 35, 81
and SO Park Row. Among the occupants
! OF the ground floor are an extensive rubber
firm and wholesale machinery and hard
ware house. The list of losers is very large,
and the amounts are heavy. Rumors are
sfoat that fifteen lives have been lost, but
| only one corpse has been found so far.
The building destroyed or damaged by to-
days fire comprised the entire triangular
block bounded by Park Row, Beekman and
Nassau streets, and was one OF the most
crowded blocks In the city considering the
space 1t covered. The upper floors were
occupied by various manufacturing indus
tries and as composing rooms OF many
weekly newspapers, the maj ority of which
employed women compositors. The
fire began in the old building,
recently occupied by the World. 1t was the
| property of ex Congressman Orlando B
| Potter and was very large, extending from
| Park Row to Nassau along Beekman street,
with entrances only on Park Row and Mas
ssu street. 1t was full of wooden partitions,
corridors and crooked stairwavs, aud had
been for years regarded by the tiremen with
apprehension. Recently all elevator had
been put in on the Nassau street side. and
in this elevator shafts the fire originated.
It began In the basement fue, ran up the
shaft and filed the halls and stairways so
quickly with flame and smoke that escape
by that means was cut off before the occu
pants Of the upper floor suspected their dan
ger. Many people were seen by those in
the streets below to appear at the windows
ments ablsZe, but soon disappeared. O1e
man, who gained the roof and escaped by
waV Of the Times building, shouted TO the res
cuers that scores OF people were cut off from
escape. Some Jumped from windows and
were killed or terribly injured on the pave
ments below One or two BOYS who jumped
had their falls broken by striking telegraph
wires and escaped serious injury; but one
large, heavy man, who leaped from third
story window on Nassau street, struck a
| network of wires, which nearly cut him 10
pieces as he crashed through them.
The fire stopped at the Tunes building.
The heaviest losers in money are o. B Pot
ter, owner OF the World building, and the
New York Betting and Packing Com
| pany, the latter tenant. They
lose sl7O 600 on stock; insured for
100000. Nothing approaching an accurate
statement of the casualties can vet be given,
as the bodies of the dead were quickly car
ried away to different places, and the
wounded hurried to the hospitals, where
some afterwards died. Many deeds of
| heroism were performed by the tiremen and
citizens, and two colored boys excited
enthusiasm in two different localities by
their presence of mind and bravery, which
resulted In one case In saving five and in
another three workmen, whose escape
seemed hopeless.
Four men who worked in the burned
| DululDg nau not put IN an appearance at
their respective homes up to nine o'clock
this evening, and their names were reported
at the police station These are additional
to those identified as killed and injured.
Police officials think now that not more than
half a dozen lives were lost by to-day's fire.
Many OF the missing are turning up, and the
people are becoming cooler. Minor casu-
alities among people who were able to go
| home are numerous.
The police render the following as their
estimate of the losses: The New York
Betting and Packing COMPANY, 500 600;
Pet eDgill & Co., $1,000; the New
York Observer, $1OOGO; TART, Field and
Farm, $1,000; Scottish american, $40 O00;
Wiley Wallach, stationer, $50 0O0;
Marks. tailor, $4,000; Roderiquez Ponds,
cigars, 50 600; Orlando B. Potter, on the
building, $500, 900; Eugeue Kelly, building,
$1,000; the Eaening Mail building, 50 000;
the Morse building, $5 600; Nash & Crook,
restaurant, S. 600; the TmaeS building
$1,000. But this list does not embrace half
the losses. In the cases of some the men
toned amounts are much below the
acknowledged losses.