Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-06
THE GREAT NEW YORK FIRE.
A Statement by the OtCncr of the Building
Where 1t Originated
my Sun, Feb. 81

Mr.. Potter's attention was called to a
published statement by Alfred Beach,
one of the proprietors of the Scientific
american, who said he had warned Mr.
Potter of the unsafe condition of the
building the night before, and had
specially suggested the ACCESSIBILITY OF
notifying the fire department to have a
line of hose ready. In reply to this Mr..
Potter said: "On the morning before
the fire l went down to the building.
My son sent tor me to 60 up
stairs, where they were making
some repairs of the upper story,
and were about to begin other re-
pairs. Last fall the boiler was reset and
fitted with new tubes. After that,
although it was connected with the same
fue or chimney that had been used for
twenty years, the fire would not draw as
we'll as before. The boiler maker advised
me, after he had examined the building
to use another flue that had been formerly
used, and which stood about twenty feet
inside the one we had been using, and
which could be made available by enlarg-
ing the lower part / had this
carefully done, and began to use
the flue thus repaired. had been
using it up to Monday morning. AS
have said, my son called me up stairs,
and said that some wood near the flue was
charred We had been doing some re-
pairs there, and the workmen found that
the wood was charred or burned near the
wall of the flue. Immediately sent word
to the engineer to draw his fires and stop
using the fue, and to change to the old flue
that we had been using for twenty years.
We did not stop using the old one because
it was dangerous, but because it would not
draw. Subsequently we learned that the
obstruction occurred at the back of the
boiler where 1t was reset. 1t will be OBJ
served that at the time of the fire we were
not using the flue that charred the wood,
and there the fire did not break out at
that place where the burned wood was
noticed, or anywhere near it, but IN the
basement.
81 went down to the basement myself,
and not only told them to cut off the flue
that charred the wood, but sent for a
mason, and saw that he made the
change, and that the use of the f1ue that
he had proved safe for twenty years
was resumed. stayed there and saw the
change made before l left. l then went
all through the building from top to bot
tom, and stayed there long after Mr..
Beach went away. 1 went into his rooms,
and, in fact, into nearly all the rooms in
the building. remained until the flue
we had abandoned was perceptibly cooled
down, and we could hardly notice that
there was any heat in it, then left MIR.
NJ, Al mn oorpopfor N rornoin on1 COO
that everything was right, and
safe. As near as I can learn, the fire be-
gan in the basement right over the boiler
or between the boiler and the fue--the
same boiler and the same flue that had
been used twenty or twenty-five years. l
do not remember that Mr.. Beach said
anything about notifying the firemen or
having length of hose stretched. He
may have spoken about Waterman.
certainly had more confidence in my own
men than in strangers
Referring to the engineer of the prem
Uses, Dempsey, Mr.. Potter said: "The en-
gineer came to me with first-rate recon-
mendations from the Morgan Iron works
and other large concerns, where he had
been employed eighteen years and had
given satisfaction. Dempsey went to the
police department, was examined and got
his license. He was competent, sober
man. He had nothing to do but attend
to his duties as engineer. When we
found it was necessary to keep up the fire
all night in cold weather, he had q COM
petent assistant in his place.
After all that have heard l am not
able to tell the cause of the fire. As
for the rapid destruction of the building,
suppose that was due to the fact that
the interior was so largely composed of
wood and plaster partitions, and these
had become very dry from steam heating
for twenty-five years. do not think the
building was as likely to be destroyed by
fire as nine-tenths of the edifces con-
structed about the same time that was. !
am astonished that the building was con-
sumed go quickly"