New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-04-30
A DRY GOODS DISTRICT FIRE.
HARD WORK FOR FIREMEN IN THOMAS.ST.

/ of the fireman quivcring. IL was the
signal that gave notice Of the $25OO,O 600 blaze OF
1879. Chief Shay, who took command of the
twelve engines that promptly answered the call,
saw that the flames were coming out of the fifth
story windows of Nos. 81 and 33 Thomas st.
! YanvOlkenburgh & Lcavtt occupy the building.
Chief Shay saw at a glance the imminent danger
and sent ont special alarms until seventeen
steamers were on hand. Every one of them was
needed The water tower was run up and in few
minutes was pouring steady stream directly into
! the window whence the flames and smoke were
issuing. Lines of hose were dragged
mp the starways and the floors
beneath tho burning were flooded. The
engines were stationed in Thomas, Worth and
Church ste. and TTimble- place, short street which
faces the building.
The building reaches through the entire block,
and the main entrance is at Nos G2 and "a Worth
ST. Tho axes Of the iremen beat in an entrance for
for their hose and the flames were fought from the
front
streams were directed upon the fire from the roofs
of adjoining buildings, and beside the seventeen
nozzcs playing upon it from every vantage ground,
private stream, run by the engine in the basement
of the building directly opposite, occupied by
Wright Bliss d Fabyan, discharged its contents
through window upon the blazing contents within.
80 LACK or WATER.
There was no lack Of water, which came from
4-inch main in Church-st. and from tho three large
mains from Broadway. Tho delsge which ran from
the burning store was nearly foot deep on the
surface OF the street. For two hours
and half the flames ragged in
the top floor, and bursting through the roof
threw red glare upon the neighboring tall build
ngs. The flames towering up in the air and the
black cloud of smoke from the fire and the engines
made many people think that fire had broken out
in that dangerous district which was beyond con-
troll, and brought great crowd OF spectators
The fire stubborn aud despite the no0d or
water poured upon 1t, It vas after 10 o'clock be-
fore il became assured fact that would not eX-
tend beyond the top floor On that floor were rows
of shelving upon which were piled domestics prints,
Jerseys and dress goods through winch the tlanes
would be smothcrcd and apparently drowned out,
but few minutes later the hames
SEVERAL ACCIDENTS.
About IL O'clock an attempt was made to raise
ladder, but it fell across Thomas-st. A crowd Of
reporters lookers-On and fremen were standing in
The doorway of tine Manhattan Real Es-
tate Association Building, at Trimhle
Place. A shout was raised, and the
crowd started to run. The end of
the ladder struck Samuel +. Donnelly,
reporter of The sun. carrying him down beneath
il. Joseph Hart, also of Tie $R was struck
severe glaucing blow on the left shoulder and arm.
MIR. DOnueiy was taken from under the ladder by
the frclncn in an unconscious condition aud bleed
ing severely from cash on the llght side OF his
head. He was also cut on tine side. lie was car
RED to building in Duane-st., and taken thence to
the Chambers Street Hospital
AT late hour the surgeon said that the injured
mans condition was serious as he was snilerng INF
whether or not his spine was fractured IL II was
not here wa n fair chance of his recovery pro-
yidcd that Mr. DOnney had strong constitution.
Mr.. DOnncy is the son OF BAPTIST clergyman,
of One0mta, y. y. He went to Omaha several
years ago and for some tine was City Edlioro
Ihc OmobG Hcdd lie afterwards established me
OhGhd ErHiBJ telegram, which lie owned ana
edited until about two years ago, when he sold ont
and coming 10 this city became a reporter on he
>Ua. leis an efficient reporter and popular among
fhcrc were some other accidents. Thomrs Goss,
Of Engine No. 81 fell nom the tender while going
to tn. fire and broke three Of his ribs. He was
taken 10 the hambers Street Hospital His III
jurlcs are serious. William Martin, Of HOOK
and Ladder No. ., while cutting mole mole
in the roof cut his thumb severely.
THE LOSSES.
The Gre was out at midnight and some Of the en-
gincs had been sent back 10 their quarters. 1t was
impossible to form a correct estimate Of the damage
10y fire and wafer at that time, but it is thought
that the loss on the stock Of Van N0lkcnburgh
leavi;t will be $2j0,G00. The ccllars Of Nos. 81,
33, 80 aud 81 IhomaN-st. were hall full 0l water
after the fire. The latter building IS occupied by
Brown, Wood u Kngman, dealers III hosiery,
aces and imported goods Their loss VIII be @1,OUO
The hole cut in the roof OF No. ~ let III water
which damaged the stock OF Pratt u Farmer,
dealers in buttons, - 900, and the wafer In the
cellar OF the same building damaged the STOCK OF
domestics of Upham, Tucaer ~ co. $4,000. The
loss to the building Nos. 81 aud 33, IN winch the
fire ragged viii be about $4,000.
BLOCK WITH A BAD RECORD
The block in which the fre occurred has an uucn-
yIable history in the records of the Fire Depart
mcnt. On January II, 1879, the same building,
together with two others, was consumed by fire
witha los, of $2.5O0O00 Then the fire began
on the third floor OF Nos 80 and "a Worth-St.;
which was occupied by firm dealing in taiIors'
trimmings. 1t ate it, way through to the buildings
on each side of it, and finally reached the building
in Thomas-st., which connected in the rear. The
buildings were of iron and were regarded nearly
rc-pTOOf. They were i'm the heart OF the dlN-EoOds
district. and their destruction first started the
demand that additional water storage should Ice
provided. The buildings in Ihonas-.t; were occl,
pied 10y NanN olhenbuTgh y Lcavltt, who sustained
a loss OF "6OO,OOO; while i. H.. SLIith EO,
who occupied Nos. - and 90 ThomaS-St., lost
100000. NauNolkenburgh 4 Leayitt were credit
ed with carrying a stock valued at - 100000, but
at the breaking out of The flames not more than nall
of the stock was ~ the bulidiHg. Ihe cause of the
fire was never discovered. although the most search
ing inycstlgat. ON was made by Fire Marshal Shel-
don and the Underwriters. II led, however, to
partial reorganization of the Fire Department. aud
To- a marked Discrimination on the part of the msur-
anoc companies To take rIsks'belOw Canal-st. .
The block bounded 10y broadway, Worth,
Thomas and Church sts., covers the ground ior-
mcrly occupied by the Ncw-lork Hospital When
the Hospital was removed to Fiitccntl-st, a SSh-
dicac oi Boston capitalists formed i'r tl" cree
tion oi bdlldhgs for business purposes ON us sc;
These buildings were completed III lSN.O, ana
were sold 70 various persons. The value oi the
three buildings which were burned in 1870 was
estimated at SGO0uOO. The property was too
valuable to allow it to remain ilie 80 in the summer
Of 1919 work was begun on the burned property.
The general structure of III. old buildings was
repeated on concrete Ioundat ons. They were all
dOuhc build.uls which arose in place 81 the de-
,..I.
but without cont rctc partitions, they were re-
caIdcd as fairly SAFE from ire, and th" insurance
companies were to ~clcpt extent sat>hed \
court cAtenHrd along the rear Ol the buildings ~
Thomas aud Worth s,s., and scga atcd ti'm by a
space oI about ten feet: we'll calculated IN clsr OF
ire 10 act rs a iluc 10 increase the laines. me
IL l.. = -. l..AILL IL L.