New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-02

TEL BARELY SAVED WITH
MUCH DAMAGE-PEoPLE
MORE OR LESS
INJURED
New.Yorkers have seldom witnessed such swift
destruction by fire that of yesterday, when all
the big factory buildings In the block east OF
Lexington-ave. and between Forty-frst and Forty
| second SITS. were wiped out OF sight In less than
| on hour. The buildings occupied plot Of
ground goo feet square, and most Of thcm were
six stories high yet they melted away like wax
IN the furious fire. Despite tho combined efforts
of over thirty companies OF the Fire Departments
the greedy flames damaged number OF othep
buildings In the block and several more on the
north side of Forty -second-st, including the Van-
derbilt Hotel Part Of the elevated railroad IN
Eorty-secondst, was wrecked
There WAS great excitement In the nefghbor
hood, particularly In the Hospital for Ruptured
and Crippled Children, which was for time ia
danger. The fire made q splendid but terflDis
spectacle and ATTRACTED thousands of persons. The
losses amounted to about 100000 few per-
sons We're injured, and for time there was a De-
Lief that some lives had been lost
WHERE THE FLAMES WE'RE FIRST SEEN.
| The flames started IN the six-stOry factory of
| Potter & Stymus and were first seen at 1920
| o. M In the second story Of the building at tho
southeast corner Of Forty -secondst. and Lexing'
ton-ave. Most Of the employees had left the place
to get their dinners. The rest got out quickly
as the fire began to spread through the factory,
but the special building signal IL the once MAS
| rung TO call the iremen.
| Battalion Chief Fisher was at the fire five min
| utes later, and he sent second aihrh' he
rapdty Of the flames fairy s,arled faan h sn% no
| MES of frenen. Then he saw that the flames
were likely TO sweep the entire block and he seng
| out the three siXes," which called fifteen more
| companies and a water tower that answered the
| third alarm on Tuesday at the Union Squar
Theatre fire. Before all the extra companies Ie nS
arrived the factory buildings from Forty second
st. to Forty-iirst-st In Lexlngtonave were pia1'
ing from top to bottom. The heat quickly drove
burning structures and the tall Manhattan Stor-
age Warehouse. few minutes later they were
unable to stand In Forty secondst Ia iront oil tns
factory.
LEAPING ACROSS FoRTY-sEcoND-'r.
wind from the south sent the flames across
the elevated railroad tracks In Forty second-st.
ind set fire to the wooden ties and sieepers. Inc
torrent of fame then beat against the wall OF tbs
Vanderbilt Hotel and the adjoining tenenent
| houses on the north side OF the street. lhe coz
nices and window-casngs of those bulidlnsi weEs
blazing Fifty guests tew from TIE nov.- ,vas. ana
| about 90 occupants of the tenementho1ses "erS
| obliged to get out by way OF the yards IN tho
rear shower Of burning Goals was oio"1
across the roofs to Fortythird-st., and the root
of St Agnes's Church, Oh the north side oi foi'J'
third-st., was ignlted. A., .or.
Policemen liirtz and Hewitt entered the tens'
nt-nO y
and children " escape. They found one oid
| woman locked in q room on the top moor OF onS
| house and carried her out after she baa pecyniYY
| half smothered by the smoke. a woihah Yi.o aao
left her baby In the house made On appeal 10 Inc
Gremen and they rescued the child. A. e,,.or,
Atl24O p. N. the fire had spread 20 she i"fa%fs op
| distance Of 200 feet east OF Lexington ave, ana
also to the six-story cigar factory OK PoweIS
the Potter & Stymus building. lalf city block
| Of buildings was blazing away. Great columns
of fame shot up to the height OF one hundred tSeV
I'm the air over the entire area. The heat OF thQ
fire almost blistercd tho faces OF the fremen, and
persons standing half blocl! away put up tbei;
hands to shield their faces hundreds o. persons
were fleeing panic stricken, from houses In Forty.
third st. and lexington ave., as it looked as II ths
block north Of Forty-sscondst would not Do
saved.
READY TO SAVE TIE CHILDREN.
The walls Of the hospital for crippled children,
ON the northwest corner OF Forty-second-st ana
Lexingtonavc were smoking There have been
several incendary fres IN the hospital recently
and tho inmates were not slow III becoming
alarmed. Captain Yulc, of the Kingsbridge police,
happened to reach the Grand Central Station eoous
the time the fire started. Ilo went into tho
hospital and helped 70 subdue the eNctement iAo
children were carried downstairs TO the basement,
within easy reach Of the exits, and kepC tnefs
while the nrcmen poured streams on the walls 70
keep the flames OuC OF the hospital
Chief SHAY sent several companies ol biehcB S
make "A stand against the flames on the noftn
side of Forty -secOnd-st. They carried hOsc tLroueh
the Forty tnlrd-st. houses and thrOdSh Tic y"H1N
Then they poured streams OF water mo tAV I"iy'
srcond-st houses in the face Of the binding smoke
and shower of cinders. The Nanderpll li"1tl ""S
saved from destruction by hfemen VINO IoNeht iAe
flames from tne inside. Hail an hour aIIer 'ho
fire started the walls of the factory pu,iuI"es
began to fall The front wall oil iiie fotticr y
Stymus building. IN Forty second ST. leli outN"la
and nearly knocked down the elevated n'lir'"t
ON The south SIDE Of the street. Between NV" ot
the pillars the heavy iron framework NhS o3i.
dawn and twisted out of shape by the m Naltnche
of bricks Wall after wall fell with lCuu repous
until ia "a few minutes, only le" chImh'Js aid
corner pieces OF Jhe buildings IN LsAlh 'ol-aNo.
were left standing For quarter OF an h?ar .hs
walls Of the cigar factory remained qnNerihA
under the force Of the flames, but they roo fru
In shapelcss ruin at 30 p. IA; In torty-hrs,-'I.,
AZ Lexington ave. a wall of the factory renamed
in n .oftcrng condition until long after the lire
was under control. and the four story building
further east In Forty-irst-st was III ruins oeiore
the cigar factory went down.
MEN WHO wERE SLIGHTLY INJURED.
While the walls were falling a few men were
hurt Assistenl Foreman Samuel Red oi Engine
No 2 was struck on the head by fragment OK
wood from the burning Elevated Railroad, ana
received a severe cut over the eye fis shou"'r
was bruised also Policeman Thomas Malone was
hurt slightly in similar way An unknown man
was hit by brick from II falling wall, hut WAS
not seriously injured. Before the fire was under
control 200 policemen under Inspector Williams
drove the crowds back out of danger, and probably
prevented more accidents james McC,y, bar
lender In the Vanderbilt Hotel was hurt seriously
by falling plaster in the barroom.
After the ruin of the cigar factory, a row of
adjoining four->tory tenement-houses On the south
side of Forty second ST.. near Ihrdaye., took nre,
and were saved from destruction only by heroic
work on the part Of the firemen. foreman Wray,
OF Engine No. 90 WAS caught and nearly suto-
Gated ON the top floor Of one Of the houses. He
managed TO get 70 a front window and rescued
bv means Of a scaling ladder.
At D. IN. the fire was under control, but the
frmen were kept busy about the ruins until night