The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-02-01

Among the occupants of the burned
building, were the Scientific American,
the Scotch american Journal, the
Turf, Field and Farm, and Thompson's
Bank Note and Commercial Reporter.
The following are the advertising
l agents: s. NJ. Pettingill & Co., J. F.
Phillips & Co., e. Meyer & Co., j.
( w. Thompson, N. Monachesi, A. r.
Thompson, L. A. Desbrow & Leander,
! and Ii. Grail. The top floors of the
burned buildings were occupied by
various manufacturers, and by weekly
newspapers which employed women as
compositors. A oma and two men
are said to have been seen at the win
dows of Nassau street, and then to dis
appear in the flames.
The following statement regarding
the origin of the fire was made by one
of the occupants of the building:
L was passing down the rear Tor
Mason s~treet) stairs Of No. 81 Park
Row, aud when near the foot of the
stairs the flames burst up through the
new elevator shaft from the basement.
Nothing had occurred indicating al
explosion up to that moment. The
flames rushed up the shaft like a flash
of lightning, and almost as quickly up
the stairway in terrible torrents of fire
with a dense black smoke which al
most instantly cut off all possibility of
aUrpga pasaipu back thrpuUh the
building calling the alarm, l came out
on the Park Row side. The engine
room adjoins the bottom of the ele-
vator shaft, and the fire must have be-
gun there and gained its impetus BE-
fore any alarm IA given. l e a the
rapidly with which the flames and
smoke filled the narrow stairway, cut
off escape for many occupants of the
upper stories. When the flames did
break out they ragged with extraordin-
AIRY fury. They leaped from the bot
tom to the top of the building like a
flash, and rolled upward in great
sheets.
An occupant said: 81 was In the
office this morning when l smelled
smoke. L went out into the hall and
saw a heavy volume OF smoke coming
up the hoistway. went back into the
Office and said to two men who were in
the office, the building is on fire, and
you had better get out just as quick AS
you can, and grabbed my hat and over
coat and ran out into the hall, and
then the flames were rushing up the
elevator shaft, and also up the well
hole in the center of the building. l
ran down the stairway on the Park
Row side of the building. for the flames
were all about the stairs on the Mas
to escape in that way. L am certain l
WAS the last man down stairs, for l
turned about As L reached the doorway
and looked upstairs, and the whole en-
trance of the building apparently was
in flames. The two men whom 1 left
in the office were named Steel and
Brown, who, l supposed, lost their
lives. A. J. Todd, a patent lawyer,
and his clerk, j. II. Hunter, burned.
The building on the corner of Park
Row and Beekman street was occupied
by the New York World from 1850
until its removal to new quarters a few
months since. 1t is known as the Pot
ter building, and was valued by its
owner at $500 900. But it was old,
and the total loss in its destruction is
not over 500, 600. 1t was insured for
SIG, 900 among its tenants. The New
York betting and packing company
will probably be the heaviest loser.
Their stock is valued at about $3.50, 600,
, the insurance exceeds $l00, 600. Willy
, Wallack's imported a large amount OF
stationery. $4,000 will not probably
cover the loss on his store. His stock
:. like the property of the Scientific amer
A lean was insured, but the latter in
stitution's heavy loss is sustained by
private persons, ~patentees, and inven'
, tors, whose models were in the keeping
of the firm. The Scientific American i,
q the property of Mum & Co., patented
u agents. The destruction Of accumulated
patents, models, drawings, etc.
q owned by this concern, swell the
amount of its loss to over 800, 600
Competent judges srm up the tota
. loss on all properiy, including the build
s ing, to be over s 900, 0O0. The mum
q Der of losers is prodigious. 1t is esti
q mated that the innumerablc offices ii
N the building, fully 800 men, womel
and boys found employment. A mum
a Der of girls we're employed in the tive
upper stories of the building, in which
N there were many small printing office
and book binderies.
IN The fire burned through into th
Ia Times building, but did not damag
l. the editorial rooms. The composing
al room was flooded with water, and tw
10 large holes were made in the walls an
ceiling by the fremen. Some of th
NJ offices south of the Times editoria
Nv rooms on the floor above and below
" were damaged by smoke and water
Id The walls of the postofice were 80 he
as that the Offices on Park Row side wer
Mt closed and heavy iron shutters closed
IN The Turf, Field and Farm occupie
or a portion of the burned building, an
haa Tho fnest sportInp library Ii tn