New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-03
THE FIRE MARsHAL's INVESTIGATION

Several Witnesses UI inc lIc NNAN
yesterday in the headquarters OF the Fir" | ,a
Mercer-st The examination was conducted by flfe
Marshal sheldon. who wrote down all the leS''"".. ~
ceved. Alfred Z. Beach, member Of 'he hIn " 81
&C., who lives al No. so Unicnplace' 'eS''H'o Is W.
lows: .,.s ,,..,,on.
81 am one Of The prOpretors oil me "c'e'''y'o
,,y,ors 10 ,ast Tuesday our rooms in The ho'fd
Huilairg We occupied the entire third hcof son'h
OF the dvidbg wall 1 was not IN tho ou'i'S
nj the time OF the fire. On Monday afternoon last !
fornd thai our office was growing cold ana a''erw"u
finding MI Potter, inquired the reason Of IT, nc OK
planned that they had been uslns
new hue, and had discovered tha'
beam projecting into it on the hIth moor uau
taken fire. aud orde red the ue to be s'olpeu up
and the old one to he used "h'ch
vas an the Nassaust. side We were In
tins hall on the third Goor when TINS CONVEX
sstion TOOK place. tnen felt of the wall Oy tps new
aue and found 4: very hot and could smell tne our "
roasting wood At hali-past was aboui gong Ho''''
felt of the wall again and found 1t very oot anu tn'
smell of burning wood stronger than before we
had occupied the building for over twenty
years, and 1 noticed such smch
Of burning wood before. went down to MI PotefN VI
fee on tne second fOor and saw Frederick Potter
called his attention the matter and we were ehah
ing the wall together when Mr. Potter came up STAIRS
! had conversation with him about H. We eAah'no"
the wall second, third, fourth ana hltn noors
opposite the new fue, and found 1t very hot M fOIer
phowed me where they the burned beam out OF
the chimney. l expressed to him my apprehension o,
Gre and urged him send for the Fire Department ana
have the place watched all night with hose ready 10
use but he insisted there no danger.
got 10 the office about a. III. Tuesday and re-
manned there about half then left the ONCE
and iu the hall noticed the Cdor OF burning Wooa WIS
mpch strong GER than on the previous evening then
went to the the Nassaust wall by the ele'
vator and found that the wooden waihscotins over Al
was very hot then went to the door Deio" ana loun
n still hotter At the door Of Mr. POtterS once met
l. Nd i'm abb
neither Mr. Potter his had arrived yet but that
they had men at work and he thought there was no
danger. On the second AoOr observed very sfOhg
smell of burning wood coming up the elevator shaft
felt Of the wanscong in the hall On the second MOOR ~
the old fue which they begun using the previous
evening found that very hot indeed, much hotter
than on floor above then left the building man
work the stairs cutting away the plasterIhs
from the new fue when left the place went INTO
Nash Crooks restaurant, and had been there probably
about fifteen minutes when the alarm of fire was given
John ii. Chetver, OF No. 50 Ffth-ave who Is con-
nected with the New-York Betting and Packing Com
p-ny, testified;
ave occupied the first floor basement aad part of the
sncear at Nos 81 and IS Parkrow the first floor and
ossement extending through Nassau-st On Saturday
last III, attention called to the paron wall aooul
thirty eet from the Nsssaust wall examined IL Oh
the first floor. The pasering was so hot that coul1
not hold my hand it, INSTRUCTED our bookkeeper to
inform the Home Insurance Company about it, He dld
so and someone from the company came up on Monday
10 examine did not examine it on Monday nor on
Tuesday. Ny first knowledge Of the fire was re" MN
ues after 10 D. m-frOm three TO eight minutes aiter
one Of boys opened the door al the head OF tue base
Inent stairs and a body of smoke came up Our porter
seized pRil and going down stairs t0ld m 10 drop
the pail and shut the door. None OF our people were
down IN t!lc basement at tue time. called one OF our
pcler 70 20 give the alarm Iordered the men 10 get
an, hooks ont | sent a man 20 the basement to l0ck
cur vaut We had rubber cement in vault IN the SUD
cellar underneath where safes were on the 'IrK-o"
side. We kept rubber cement in any quantity else
where After getting the books ont superintendent the
getting out of the drawers Of the desks and papers
While We were doing this fire broke through thc
class al the top OF tHe elevator shaft Alter that went
TO the to If the vaults were locked @no
then lett the building. The fac was opened ana eu
larged about month ago. We watchedt and criticised
it, because was thin think there was thickness
of only one brick Oh our side. We did not occupy the
Nas-a-st end Of the subceliar That was occupied Dy
AI6eri Nj Hauson Of no 30 vandsm--t. carpenter,
VINO was en- loytd the building when 'he IRE started
W. al worE on Tie stairway leading nom the Mas
ssu-st. entrance and was tearing a~a5 rl'7Sfins oh
tie partition wall about twenty ieei from ht entrance
s0a;-stOnc aaiasier To make u secure rom IRE Whie
workiLs, At about 40 a. A. shrleu sloNe wtI
see nothing IT. went partly uP stalIs, again ana,
iooang behind the door, found little smoke coming
went Immediately down and told ne engineer l. re- |
turned again to the nail, ana he &c '"tG ne Ihe
door an the doors al the root OF tGe stars some
q
floor where smoke coming through tod he
who gave me me pan OF water 70 sCne oI an
the elevator smart IL was getting 50 NOT tba colG
stand 1t ran up stairs closing the d9of Debihd
III -tcoDu uodf l tueu went
out the IarB-rON side. The huildhs was III pi@o
mp the rooI wnen the hrenen got itnDh Ii.t
first the s1oke nntli the iehen Sot
there about minutes Tie slGOhc thai shleleu
was OF wood burning 90.
Bel,ihg and Packing Company, WAC hFes az No 1oz
West Forty siNinSt made statement as IOilO"s h
fire l smclied something IKE burning wood looked
around 10 see # there was ANY lire ana could none
Arg ,ha / went up stains, and directly ateI got ~
they d-cOy erred nre on tue nrst u0OI. went u"Wh
ssIrs again ParkrOw eno and went back 20 the
extreme rear past elevator 10 the vault nnter Mas
sau-st get clothing. There was smoke coming
out OF the ei yaOr shaft carried an dIiHu OF ciOu-
i,g to the front basement aud went oack 20 get
the re-. Before reached tie rear hrt burst oui
wen back L. he trst floor ,ud found ca1nan and
other men holding a tirpanim iol woman 10 |
jump from the third hoor. the Ire was 'hah Jul
wording INTO Our pace ~,
employ OF the NcW-HOrk Beluug ana Packing Company, |
" was getting QUE an oIOer az tIc rear % 80
nrot huOr when saw smoke coming ron llie ul'e III,
Icpeued the door AMI went part way doWh S'ds' saw
that the floor fire foot Oh tno stairs and
between stairway and the elevator sait Iheie was
passage"ay about Two ana nan ieo' Mhe anu VIC
hOOT passagcWay was Oh IRE. went up 10 ger !
pan wafer TO Inrcw on the he' ana was iou u iooA
TostimOny las been given ty john Dempsey, the eng
the sub-cear under the sidewalk and under the Nassau
side the building Tine boiler asrcpalI ed last ian
CRATE bars had Dcch placed
Tue Hue tne D0iet wac USED AT hrst Oui
the draft was not gooc Two hHcS were hdIe mo one
and used for the furnace aOOut December l. The con
Guiding testimony Of the engineer tented 10 show mat
N ntf ,aJ 81 r. ed 10 he due Testimony To che same
edeeI Was iven Dy John heed OF No 81 Faudewaterst
and samuel Weir No. 13l est HOUSE INST, VINO were
in the building gnen tie names discovered.
Mr. Pc ter che Own,I building, was not exam-
yesterday by the FIRE Marshal anu ne ud 3t MAKE
his appearance at FIRE headquarters mr. Sneldon sal
he would examine Potter III the course OF tnc mYcst
cation but probably ~ Tor day or Two; ihe eAai
witnesses will o. resilLed al To-
day Mr.. Sheldon sand yesterday mat ali INC tcsupOy