The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-09

Chief Eli Bates, the father Of the
Fire Department, was told Of the dire
prophecies crlled forth from the pres OF
the country. The gist Of those is that
every city Don or later falls a victim
to 3 fire that devastates a whole section
Of it, as has been the case with Port
land. Boston, and Chicago. and that
the startling growth of fires in the met
ropoli. show that New York is prepar-
ing TO take her place in the line fer the
third tim- in her history.
"Well,' the Chief replied, 81 don't
want to say anything to create alarm.
but | won't say that it IS impossible.
Twenty or even ten year. ago the
department considered itself doing
well if it conquered 4 fire in a building
five stories high aud sixty feet deep
after battling all night long, and now
we have buildings 200 or more feet an
depth and rising ten stOries-sometimes
a distance of over 100 feet in ar. We
have made great strides toward the
perfection Of our system n appara-
tus, and our appurtenances mbrace
everything that has been found useful
is9othcr cities, but [ cannc saw that
this progress has been proportion,l to
the growth either of the city Or the
buildings that compose it. Under the
volunteer department the city was di
vided into only eight districts, and the
fremen lost much time chasing hither
and thither to find a fire. Now we
have 600 stations, and the engines are
sent very close to the spot. Again. We
have got the time for reaching a FIRE
down to the minimum, We have thro ugh
discipline, we have got a water tower
fer lofty buildings, improved tools for
breaking through iron, and perhaps
more than all else, the four way joint
bv which We can eembins the streams
Of four engines and sena a two-inch
stream to the heart of a 1re. That has
only been in use a very short time.
"But," said the Chief. "a fire is dan
ger.us according to its area. The TWEEN
ty hvs-foot-two- story and attic dwell
ling is giving way to towering tehe-
ments and apartment bouses, and the
| feur- story business houses are being
elbowed cut by gigantic structures, in
sone cases a block III length. This
explains the heavy losses by recent fires
These great buildings are stored with
hundreds Of thousand OF dollars, per
haps a million dollars worth of stock,
and a fire need not burn ever much
ground in order to Pile up the losses.
Across the street, where that enormous
new building has been put up by the
Astors, there were eight houses a few
months ago. A are in that block would
have attacked but one of those at a
time. But now a Are ia one Of those
great lofts, especially if it were a loft
packed with infamnabls goods, would
not be restrained within an end or a
corner. In a few minutes we might
have four hundred feet of fame belch-
ing out on all es.'-New York
Sma.
NoTE.-Ws clipped the above, and
condensed it, to go in the Fdrme, and
Mechanics miscellaneous reading last
week; but it happened that the fcre-
man had other articles in hand so the
clipping from the San was left on file
for this week.
And now we are called upon to
chronicle q fearful realization of Capt.
Bates apprehensions as follows =
TERRIFIC FIRE IN A FIVE STORY NEST
OF NEWSPAPERS.
Smoke began to rise thick and black
from the roof of the Potter building at
10 o'clock yesterday morning. About
five minutes afterward flames shot up
from the basement through an elevator
spreading in every one of the five stor-
les, reaching the top in an instant, bla-
right through the roof, and ming
ling luridly with the colum of smoke.
To most Of the $50 to IT'S persons IL
the many offices which occupied the
structure, the fire itself gave the only
warning. Few heard any outcry.
Flames cracking at the doors were in
instances the first sound of the
danger; and instant, deadly danger it
was, for the Railways and stairwass
we're filed with fire before t%wo-thirds
Of the inmates could escape through
The rest get out by the win
lows, or no at all. Those who escaped
so in the wild rush down the small
row Of stair ways into Park row. They
men, women, and boys. Many of
hem were bareheaded and without
O~v.rcoats - hasty war their flight.
There were similar stairs, but egiess was
impossible by them within two minutes.
Fifty persons were still inside when no
luther hope of escaping by doors and
remained. They were chiefly
he editors, and printers of the Scien-
tic Amc, ,can, the Observer, the Scot
ash american, the Retailer, the Turf,
t,eid aad Farm and Ihompson's Bank
Reporter. s.. Nj. Pettingill s. Co.,
Paine Brothers, and several patent sol
After the frst outpouI o fpanic strick-
N persons from the doorway on Park
came several stagglers, signed by
he flames which had touched them as
hey stumbled down the stairs, choked
~ the smoke and wild with terror.
Then a big blaze burst out, and the
pectatorS knew that no more could
out alive at that point. A gener-
cry of sympathy and alarm arose AS
he figures of men and women appeared
It the windows of the fourth and fifth
Firemen had arrived but their
ongest ladders only reached to the
bird story. A girl tainted at sight Of
hese seemingly doomed prisoners, and
of pity wsre eOuched ! n the
trongest terms. From the third story
t was easy to climb down the ladders,
md many did SO, with the assistance
# the fremen. But there were not
addsrs enough for all who were on that
loor even, because the fire was already
q the rooms, catching in the piles Of
paper with which nearly all the news
paper offices were epcunbered, and the
ltmest haste was requisite to escape