Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-02-01
FIRE In new YORK.
A Valuable Block of Buildings
Burned,
Including Several Well Known
Newspaper Offices.
Loss Of L ife and Narrow Escapes
from Death.

NEW YORK, January ol.-A -hre
broke out at 10 o'clock this morning
in building, corner of Park Row
and Beekman street, recently occu-
pied by the New York World. The
flames spread rapidly AMI involved
the entire block as far So the Times
Office. The latter suffered some
damage, but the fire was extingulshed
before doing serious harm to the
Times. Ali other buildings in the
block were practically destroy, d. l. is
known that one woman was killed by
trying to escape by a window. She
broke through canvass stretched to
save her, and her head was crushed
1t is supposed other lives were lost.
The loss is very heavy. On the block
we're a large number of
offices of weekly and class
newspapers and periodicals.
among which were the Scientific
American, New York Observer, Turf,
Field and Farm, Scottish American
Journal, Thompson's Bank Note and
Commercial Reporter, Forest and
Stream, and the italian, Spanish,
Swedish, German and Portuguese
weekly journals, and a number of
advertising agencies. The buildings
involved are Nos. 35, 81 and SO Park
Row. Among the occupants of the
ground floor are an extensive rubber
| firm ard wholesale machinery aud
hardware house. The list of losses
is very large, and the amounts heavy.
Rumors are afoat that. fifteen lives
have been lost, but only one corpse
has been found so far.
The buildings destroyed or dam
aged in to-day's 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, consider
ing the space it covered. The upper
floors were. occupied by various
manufacturing industries and as
composing rooms of many
weekly newspapers, majority
of which employed women compos-
itors. The fire began in an old
building recently occupied by the
World newspaper. 1t was the prop
erty of ex- Congressman Orlando B.
Potter. 1t was very large, extending
from Park Row to Nassau streets,
and along to Beekman, with ems
frances only on Park Row and
Nassau streets. 1t was full of
wooden partitions, corridors, and
crooked stair "ays, and has been
for years regarded by fremen with
apprehension. Recently an elevator
had been put in the Nassau street
side, and in this elevator shaft the
fire originated in the basement, flew
up the shaft and filed the halls and
stairway SO thickly with fame and
sm Ike that e. cape by that means was
cut off bef, re rhe occupants Of the
upper foUrs suspected danger. Many
peoples we're seen by thuse in the
streets below to appear at the win
dows of the burning building
with their hair an, garments ablaze
but soon dlsappe AIRED. One man wht
obtained the roof and escaped 10y
way Of the Times building, shouted
20 the rescuer- that scores of people
we're cut off from escape. Some
, jumped from the windows aid were
, killed, or erribly' injured on the
, pavemepts below. One or two boy!
who jumped had their ia | broken by
striking the te egraph wires. and es
capped serious injury. But one large
heavy man, who ieaped from tn'
third story window, on Nassau
street, struck the net work wire S
which nearly cut him tC
pieces as he crashed through
them. The fire stopped ii
Times building. The heaviest loser
in money are o. B Potter, owne
; of the World building, and the New
York Canning and Packing Company
the latter a tenant. They los
$l5O,O00 on their stock, which wa
; insured for 100000 Nothing ap
preaching an accurate statement c
= the casualties, bon yet be given, q
:, the bodies of the dead wer
quickly carried away to differen
places, and the wounded hurried t
hospitals, where some afterward
= died. Many deeds of heroism wer
performed by the fremen and citi
zens, and two colored boys excite
much enthusiasm by their presenc
of mind and bravery, which resulte
in one case in saving five and
- another three workmen whose escar
u oeopaJ bono1oco