The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-02
FIRE LICKS UP A MILLION
LEXINGTON AVENUE AND FORTY
SECOND STREET THE SCENE.

A Big Furniture Factory the Birth
Place of the Confiagration-Wor
men Rush Out in Mad Haste to Es-
cape Impending Death-The Three
Skies Sounded by Fire Chief
New YORK, March 1.-The big furniture
factory of POTTER & Stymus, at Forty-sec-
ond street and Lexington avenue, caught
fire at 12:45 o'clock to-day and was de-
strOyed, with other buildings adjoining.
The losses approach $1,O00,00O, A rough
estimate puts them as follows: POTTER &
Stymus, $175, 000; Wengman g. Smith,
$4,000 on the buildings, which are the
property of the Goelet estate, S250,000; w.
H. Ertell, furniture maker and decorator, a
tenant in the cabinet factory building, $780,
900; Armstrong Carpenter, $4,000. The
fire taxed all the resources of the depart
ment.
THREE HOURS FIRE
1t took the firemen three hours to get the
fire under control. OF the entire block
bounded by Third and Lexington avenues,
Forty-irst and Forty second streets, there
remains standing only part of row of
houses on Third avenue The POTTER &
Stymus building covered the entire frontage
on Lexington avenue between FOrty-flrst
and Forty streets, $50 feet, and ex-
tended back toward Third avenue about 300
feet on each street. 1t was a seven story
building of brick and brown stone.
1t was owned by Potter & Stymus, furni-
ture manufacturers. Recently the firm re-
tired from business, and was succeeded by
the POTTER & Stymus Company, which took
possession of the building to-day to carry
on the manufacture of furniture.
HOW IT WAS OCCUPIED.
The company occupied all of the building
on the Lexington avenue 'front.' excepting
the first floor, which was occupied by w. II.
Estell, a manufacturer of furniture and
decorations. A large wing of the building
on Forty-second street was occupied by
Powell, Weindman & Smith, cigar manu-
facturers.
The fire broke out in the northwest corner
of the POTTER & Stymus building, and ow-
ing to the infiammable nature of the ma
terials it contained the flames ran
through the building almost like
an electric flash and burst into
the cigar factory where $50 men were eat
ing their luncheon. The men dashed down
the broad stairs barely in time to escape
from the flames that almost instantly seized
the entire building.
THE THREE SKIES.
When the firemen arrived they saw what
formidable fire they had to cope with, and
Second Assistant Chief McCabe without a
moments hesitation sent out the three six.
alarm bringing to the scene twenty-one en-
gine companies, eight hook and ladder COM
panies and a water tower. Police also
haStened to the spot, and there were soon
$50 policemen stationed in the adjoining
streets keeping back the crowds that focked
to the fire.
In twenty eight minutes from the time
the fire was discovered the wall of the Pot
tier & Stymus building ON Forty second
street fell in Next fell the walls on Lex
ingtOn avenue. The houses on the opposite
sides of the streets on all sides of the square
we're badly blistered, and lost all the glass
from their doors and windows, and the en-
tire front of the Vanderbilt Hotel, corner of
Forty second street and Lexington avenue,
was on fire several times, but none of these
buildings suffered beyond external damage.
The immense Manhattan storage ware
house was cracked and blistered, but it was
kept drenched with water and saved.
A HOSPITAL IN DANGER.
On the northwest corner of Forty-second
street and Lexington avenue is the hospital
for ruptured and crippled, in which are 100
or more crippled children. Streams Of
water were poured on its walls, and in this
way only was it saved. This is the hospital
in which so many mysterious fires occurred
few weeks ago, which were started by
little girl patient
The roof cornice of st. Agnes Roman
Catholic Church, ON Forty y-third street, a
block away, caught fire, but one engine
soon extinguished it. Assistant Chief
McCabe, who to-day sent out the three
six alarm" was dismissed from the fire
department over two years ago for sending
out the same alarm at what he considered a
dangerous fire in Harlem. He was recently
reinstated by the courts, and received his
full salary for the entire time that he was
suspended.
THE LOSSES AND INSURANCE.
Following is partial list of the losses
and insurances:
The POTTER g. Stymus Company, loss on
building and stock s200, 900; insurance $780,
0O0
W. H. Estell, loss on furniture, stock,
$50, 900; insurance $1,000.
Powell Wendman 81 Smith, cigars, loss
$50, 600; insurance unknown.
Thesis e. Trueg, marble cutters " no
occupied the basement beneath the cigar
factory, loss S26, ,000 insurance unknown.
Loss on the building south of the POTTER
g. Stymus building on Forty-hrst street,
owned by Robert and Ogden GOelet, $780,
coo; covered by insurance. This building
was occupied by Sargent & Co., manufac-
turers OF folding chairs; William Arm
strong Il carpenter and builder, and John
LOckner, a designer. Their losses and in
surance are unknown.
The other losses make q formidable list,
as the block was very long and thickly peo-
pied. The greater part of it was used for
business purposes of all kinds.
HOT AT HARTFORD.
HARTFORD, March 1.-Early this morn
ing fire badly gutted the building occupied
by the Erening Post, Globe clothing store,
and Connecticut Catholic. The loss is
So, 900.