St. Landry democrat., 1882-02-11
A TERRIFIC CONFEDERATION.
The Newspaper Quarter of New York City
Devastated by Fire-Large Loss of Life
and Property-Interesting Incidents.

| The Newspaper Quarter of New York City
Devastated by Fire-Large Loss of Life
and Property-InterestingI Incidents.
A little after nine o'clock on the morning
of the 3lst ult. fire broke out in the building
formerly occupied by the World newspaper at
the corner of Nassau street and Park Row in
New York City. The block in which the fire
occurred is an irregulary shaped gore with
the building formerly occupied by the World
on its southeast corner, and the Times build
ing occupying the entire northern angle Of
| the gore. The Tribune Office is diagonally
across Nassau street from the Times build
| ing, and the Sun office is on the upper
corner of the same block with the Tribune.
| There was slight snow falling, but the air
was dry and crisp, with light breeze from the
north, which increased the difficulty of con-
| trolling the fire. The fire originated in a Gel
lar on the Nassau street side occupied by the
New York Betting and Packing Company. In
less than five minutes it had spread to the top
of the building. The structure was old and
the woodwork was as dry as finder. This,
! however, while it facilitated the rapid spread
Of the fire, is not enough alone to account for
the fact that the whole interior was on fire
almost before an alarm could be sent out, and
| it was owing to this fact that the loss
of life must be attributed. The Belt
ing and Packing Company had stored
| i'll their cellar quantity of rubber cement.
This is composed of pure rubber dissolved in
naphtha, ands exceedingly infammabe. Two
/ stories are told about the accident which ig-
/ nited this-one that, during an experiment
with an electric current, the vapor took fire
| from a spark, and the other that it kindled
from match or candle. Whichever story is
/ true, the naphtha caught A dull explosion
was heard as the case containing the cement
burst. The heat Of the burning fluid turned
the naphtha in the cases into gas, and, as case
after case exploded, new volumes Of
the intensely inf1ammable gas were
driven out into the" building. On
the south side there was an ele-
| vator well, and up this the gas and air
| rushed with roaring sound. As it reached
| the different floors it filled them and turned
| the atmosphere itself into fame, kindling the
| dry woodwork, until the whole side of the
building was one mass of fire. The thing was
| SO sudden SO instantaneous, that the occu-
| pants Of the rooms had no time to get out.
Colonel Bruce, of the Turf, Field and Farm,
was standing in his office with his hat and
coat on and his umbrella in his hand,
ready to go out. He had got as far as
| the door when the explosion came,
but before he reached the sidewalk his
beard was burned off, and his face badly
scorched from passing through the sea of
flames When the first fire engine arrived it
| was evident that the building was doomed.
| Within ten minutes three alarms were sound
ed, and about thirty engines were soon on the
spot. The heat was SO great that men could
not bear their hands on the windows of the
Post-ofice building, and it, was beginning to
scorch and ignite the woodwork in the old
Mail building, and that in the new Kelly
building, which is in process of erection at
the corner of Nassau and Beekman streets.
1t was also expected that the Times
building next to the one destroyed, could
not be saved. Fortunately, when it was built
fire-wall had been constructed between the
two, and this saved it. To protect the threat
ened property more water was necessary, and
call was sent out for increased pressure,
The character of the con1agration was such
that from the first the structure was doomed,
and the efforts of the Fire Department were
confined to erdeayors to keep the flames with
in their original limits. In this the firemen
were measurably successful.
The World building was occupied by large
number of tenants, most of whom lost every
thing. Among the periodicals and newspa-
pers located there were: The Euening Press;
the Scientific 4merican; N. Y. Observer; Am
erican Ham, acturer and Builder; Thompson's
Bank Note Reporter: Scottish 4nerican: Turf,
Field and Farm, and the Retailer. The loss
on the building was $500, 900, and the other
losses were in the neighborhood of 100000
more. Up to two O'Clock ON the morning of
the LIST four persons were known to have per-
ished in the flames, and about dozen more
who worked in the building were reported to
be missing.
INCIDENTS.
The scenes at the time when the occupants
OF the upper floors were making their escape
were often exciting and touching. Men could
be seen holding the hands of women, evidently
encouraging them to calmness
Three women ran on a roof and fell through
the skylight, of one of the northern buildings,
receiving serious injuries
Several people descended from the burning
building on the Nassau street side by reach
ing the telegraph pole. One boy leaped from
the fifth story, and would doubtless have been
killed but for the wires breaking his fall He
was hurt, but not dangerously.
An express wagon with heavy canvass
covering drew up under the windows and
several men, who were about to leap to the
ground, were told by the driver to jump on
the wagon, which they did, and escaped any
hurt. 80
One young woman stood upon the window
sill OF the fourth story until the firemen ar
ranged large piece of canvass which they
held at ends and side. When all was ready
she threw her hands straight over her head
and jumped. She fell upon the outstretched
canvass and escaped injury 5' 50
AN Old gentleman with white hair got out
OF the fourth story window on the Beekman
street side. He stood on the sill for fully five
minutes, holding on to the narrow top-piece
with his hands The flames were approaching
him, but he saw no chance OF escape. The fire.
men raised ladder, but it only reached to the
story below him. A crowd in the street got
tarpaulin and score of willing hands
brayed the dangers of falling debris
and cinaers, and a shout went I'D which was