New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-01
nnncnrsS OF rHE ELAMES.


PROGRESS OF THE FLAMES.
II. ,,,d;no which was burned was occupied
d.;Iy nv from 200 TO 500 men, women and children
'rho,- ,yere cmnloved in the various Offices which
,.oro scattered through the five floors. some oil
,bo,, beoan 70 arrive as early as Z o'clock, ana
within the next three hours every person had started
on the work of the day. 1t was about lV'Io ciooN
when the alarm was given. When the cry ol me-
was FIRST heard it was not needed by all those IN the
bniIding. For minute or two there was no cNF
donce as to where the flames were NOT was there
apparen. cause for haste. 4 fire had occurred rom
\ defective fuc in the building on the day previous
which was extinguished without the ald Oh tuc rii'
Department. ,
The first cry of alarm, which was given III a husky
voice by someone probably too excited to speak dls
tinctlv was soon followed by general shouting.
Then men were seen rushing down stairs, and were
heard scrambling from one place 10 another
all Giving the alarm and urging
tbose near them to make haste. 1t required
only few seconds for anyone to learn that MS es-
cane depended on speed. Minutes were precious
Persons who reached the stairs found the halls hled
with binding smoke. The elevator smart seelheo as
= fine which carried the flames from the lowest hoor
where the fire is thought to have started to the rooi
Paper and in1ammabe material in the Railways leu
the flames and aided in producing dense biacN
smoke which crept through crevlces ana hiled every
room The stairways adjoining the elevator were
soon attacked by the Games, and then all means OF
escope were cut off. few men more
daring than others dashed through the fiery furnace
made by the burning stairs, and While
some reached the street in safety, others have not
since been seen When the stairs caught the entire
destruction of the building was inevitable. The
flames quickly communicated to the offices on both
sides of the stairway, and spread in every direction
AgOnzng cries for help then heard by those out
side but it was beyond human skill to reach those
Within All those who were on the first and second
floors ara known TO have escaped, and il is believed
that almost every the third floor reached the
street in safety The loss of life was confined almost
entirely TO the. fourth and fifth floors The iourth
floor had many tenants. but most of them are ac-
counted for. The division OF the fifth floor fronting
ON Beekman-st., formerly occupied as The Horld
composing and editorial rooms, was vacant. The
other part was divided up into smaller rooms some
Of which were used as composing rooms, but the
number of occupants was not large. 1t is certain
that some of these did not escape, but how many
cannot yet be determined exactly
WHAT 10 rKERs-ON SAW.
Persons who passed the building few minutes
after the fire started beheld sight which chilled
their blood Flames that were only dimmed by the
thick smoke which enveloped them were seen leap
inc ont of every opening in the building In nearly
every window was man or woman, shouting TO
the people In the street for help. They had rushed
from their work as soon as possible, and, all other
means of escape having been cut of, they sought
The windows All were without hats; some had no
coats; many had their sleeves rolled up to the
shoulder. Each window presented a distressing
nicture. the background of which was fire and
smoke The victims became wild with fright and
desnair. The crowd which had collected in the
street formed in part of those who had escaped
from the building stood mutey gazing on, unable
10 afford any relief to those in danger. Some per-
sons rushed franticaly around, looking for ladders
or endeavOrng to learn some way in which TO assist
the people, There was no time for delay, as the fire
was rapidly eating its way to the windows IN which
the persons stood.
The alarm had been sent to the Fire Department
and the engines responded as quickly as possible
But the interval was too long for some Of these.
who in trying to avoid the dreadful heat at their
backs cung to the little ledge Of the window slls
TO linger in their position long meant death by
burning; to jump distance of sixty feet would be
instant destruction. The crowd, by cheers and
signs to wait until the engines arrived, tried to en-
courage the people but their sympathy did little TO
allay the distress Of those in peril
One man on the fourth floor on the Park Row side
was finally making ready to do something des-
perate. Carefully stepping from the sill on which
he stood to the window further north, he lowered
himself to sign projecting between the window OF
the fourth story aud the Intel of the third. The
crowd breathlessly watched him, with bare head
and shirt sleeves creep slowly along the sign until
he reached The Times Building. Once there he was
quickly pulled into a window by willing hands.
Mrs Ellen Bull, colOred woman, janitress OF sew
eTa Offices was next at a window on the third
floor on the Park Row side. The smoke had become
too dense for her to stay at the window any longer
so wrapping her clothes around her and gcsticulat-
ing to the crowd TO move away from beneath
abe jumped into the air. She made two
revolutions before she reached the ground, and
then struck head foremost. Blood covered the
spot instantly The woman was then carried into
an adjoining Office and died within an hour.
Mrs. Allen was hemmed In on the second story.
She walked around The caves, and being only
short distanceaboye the ground descended safely.
Many other persons escaDed from perious positions
whose names were not known. bootblack
climbed telegraph pole ana united wire which
connected with the roof and had been used to swing
a political banner. By this act communication
was established between the building and the
ground. Three men in the windows who had
almost given up hope caught the wire and slowly
descended to the ground.
ARRIVAL OF THE FIREMEN.
AL these incidents occurred before the arrival of