Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-31
FROM ALL QUARTERS. BROADWAY IN A BLAZE. The Worst Fire In Fifteen Years. THE SOUND NOW FREE OF ICE. An Earthquake In Rhode
 Island. THE AND0VER CASE IN COURT. The Public Printer To Be
 Investigated.
THE ANDOVER CASE IN COURT,
A BIG BLAZE ON BROADWAY.

BIG BLAZE ON BROADWAY.
 Several Business Blocks Destroyed and the Total Losses Nearly a Million and FIreMaen.
 NEW YORK, Jan. 30.-Broadway was wis., l ited at 5:45 o'clock this morning by the most fierce and disastrous fire that has oc- cured in that great thoroughfare for fifteen years. In an hour and half, despite the sending out of general call for fire appara. tus, four immense business houses were de- stroyed and others seriously damaged. The total loss is estimated at $1 ,400, ,000. About half an hour after the fire was discovered an explosion occurred by which Assistant Fore man Michael Reilly of hook and ladder Nc. 8 was fatally injured and several others more or less hurt. The fire was first discovered by an officer of the Eighth precinct in the basement of the building, Nos. 547 and 551 Broadway, occupied by Henry Rogers. He immediately sent out an alarm, which was followed by a second and third, and finally the famous "three sixes," or gen. eral alarm, calling out all the engines station ed south of Four. .eenth street. The streets in the vicinity of the fire were soon sWarming with engines and trucks. Chief Shay with his assistants at once took command and directed the various fire captains and com- panies in their attack on the flames. The flames made rapid progress, eating their way to the roof within 8 few minutes and driving the fire laddies on to the adjoining buildings
 for safety. They saw that the
 turned their attention to the sur
 rounding property. At 7:15, just one
 hour and U half after the first engine ar-
 rived, the building was totally gutted and
 the flames were mounting high above the
 roof. The flames were next seen to issue
 from No. 553 Broadway. They first made
 their appearance on the fifth floor and spread
 rapidly. A few minutes after terrific ex-
 plosien occurred, followed by 8 shower of
 bricks and iron, which fell into the street.
 Assistant Fireman Reilly caught
 under under .t6 the bulk ata of this this feng higz
 Shay had narrow escape. A piece
 of iron weighing at least one hundred and
 fifty pounds fell at his feet Several chiefs
 of battalions who were standing around him
 all haT narrow escapes from falling missiles.
 A number of fremen, however, received
 sparks high in the air and they fell in show
 CTS on the adjoining property, while the flames burned fercer than before.
 Soon No. 547 Broadway began to burn. At
 o'clock this building was 8 mass of flames from cellar to roof and the upper floors of
 No. 545 were burning, but the flames had
 been checked at Mo- 553 Broadway and in the rear of the burning buildings,
 which are numbered 116,, 118, 120, 122, and 124 Mercer street, the flames were kept from spreading to the buildings on the oppo- site side of the street. The interior of the double building, 549 and 551 Broadway, was like a glowing furnace, and the iron front had bulged out so alarmingly that the fremen were ordered to stand clear of it. ASfew moments aftersthe order was given the en- tire front came down with 8 crash. Warn ing had been given, however, and no one was struck, but the plate glass windows of the restaurant across the street were smashed and the fixtures wrecked. Another exciting incident was the falling of rear wall on Mercer street, for the burned buildings all extended two hundred feet through to this street. Bremen and policemen ran for their lives, barely escaping. The ruin thundered down about engine No. 13, but left it un- harmed.
 The fire was under control by Il o'clock and then the fremen went to work to demol- ish the dangerous wall. They tried unsuc- cessfully to pry down the front Wall of 547 and a volunteer was called for to crawl out on the shaky structure and fasten a rope. Fireman Gustave Nagle of engine company No. 27 without hesitation declared himself ready to risk his life. A heavy line was tied around his waist and it's end was held by five stall wart comrades Like fly he crawled through the smoke acress the front of the unburned building No. 545 and felt his way along the oornice to the point of danger. Thousands watched him in his perilous posi- tion, but he coolly fixed the rope and then was hauled back to safety. The fire was the most disastrous that has visited the dry goods section for years. The buildings Nos. 547, 549, 551 and 553 were destroyed and 545 and 555 considerably damaged. The cause of the fire is unknown. Broadway and
 Mercer street were choked with debris and travel on them was suspended till gangs of Italians had cleared away the obstructions.
 Firms in neighbering buildings were dam- aged more or less by water and among the sufferers are the Holland Manufacturing company, spool silks, 561 and 563, whose
 mills are at Willimantic, Conn. Their loss,
 however, is believed to be light.
 The following estimate of the losses is be-
 lieYed to be as accurate as can be arrived at:
 By fire, s. Blanche, flowers and feathers,
 $200, ,00O; Henry Rogers, fancy goods, S150,-
 900; Belt, Son & Co.,, millinery ornaments,
 $1O0, 900; Charles A. Yost & Co.,. clothiers, $50, 900; J. L. Libby & Co.,, shirts, $40, 900: Malcolm, Son 6 O., clothiers, $75, ,000; Jerkowsky Ernest, clothing, $9o,000; Louis Metzger, millinery, $50, 900; Beck & Nichols, clothing, $40,O00; Mitchell & Picard, S25,- 900; by water, William Roman, braids, 5000; J. Humberg, straw hats, SIC, 900; schwab & Son. laces, s4o,ooO; Isaacs, fancy goods, 0,O0O; N. Kaempfer, s25, ,000; P. K. Wilson & Son, $25, ,000; Robertson & Kauf- man, $25, 1000. Adding $30,000 for damage to firms not specified brings the loss on stock to $1, 1,065, 900. The burned buildings can be replaced for $300,0O0 and the l damaged buildings can be repaired for 100000 This makes the loss about $1 400, 900. The insurance runs up into the mill lions, some of which is as follows: Lewis
 Netzger & Co.,, $20, 800; Mitchell & Picard | $27, 750; Belt. Son 6 Co.,, $14e,5 The \ building No. 533 Broadway owned by the es. tate of J. W. Beekman $60, ,000; Nos. 549 and | 551 owned by Hiram Sibley $135, 000.