The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-20
A FIRE In NEW YORK.
Elevators and Lard Refineries
are Burned.
A LAND SLIDE IN BLACK CANYON.
The Salt Lake Express Goes Down an Embark.
Notwithstanding Election Frauds in
Arkansas-The CharlestOn's Speed.

L
fiercest fire witnessed here for years swept
the east bank of North river to-day from
Fifty ninth street to what would be Sixty
fifth street, if that street ran to the river
1t destroyed more than S1,5OO,O0O of prop,
erty belonging to the New York Central
railroad company, and at least $780, DOC
worth of lard and flour and the like be.
longing to other persons, notably F. X.
Fairbank, the great Chicago lard merchant.
THE FLAMES DESTROYED
two big elevators of the Vanderbilt system
big brick building stretching from Fifty
ninth to SiXtieth streets, and occupied
jointly by the Fairbanks lard refining and
the Rossiter stores, and wiped out the dock
property of the New York Central railroad
from Fifty ninth to past Sixty fifth street.
Henry Benning, workman employed in
the Fairbanks refinery, was killed by jump
ing from third story window. Many
others We're injured by jumping, but in the
great confusion attending the conhagration
the names and extent of the injuries of but
very few were obtained. Rumors were
rife all the evening that a number of work
men had been caught and burned in the re
tinery, but it has been impossible to verify
them.
The fire broke out in the southeast corner
of the Fairbank refinery; how, nobody
knows. Soaked in grease, the old building
was in flames in an instant. The men at
work in every storey dropped their tools
and
RAN TO SAVE THEIR LIVES.
The stairs were columns of flames and
the windows presented the only means of
men, they flung themselves out
headlong and how many there
were nobody could tell Many who
came out were picked up and carried away
by friends. The fire had soon swept
throughout the length of the building and
shot over towards two big grain elevators
of the New York Central railroad. Be
tween the place where the engines We're
stationed and the elevators, there We're
twenty-seven railroad tracks which no fire
engine could cross, and mex he Union
stock yards, half mile b. ~, with en-
closures and pens equally il. ass BILE.
There was no way for the fire
engines to reach the elevators
except along Sixtieth street, past
the burning buildings, and that street,
after two engines had fought their way
past, was blocked by falling walls.
Furthermore, near the elevators was only
one small water pipe. Five engines were
sent for, and several of them soon began
work in the heroic struggle to save the ele
Yators,
BUT IT WAS IN VAIN.
The tremendous heap across the street cried
and warped the wood work of the big
frame building under its corrugated iron
sheeting. In short time elevator ''An
was on fire and burning ferceIy. Soon
after the walls of the Rossiter stores fell
releasing tons and tons of burning mer-
chandise that rolled in blazing heaps in
every direction. This increased the heat
and the flames, and the efforts of the fire
men seemed to be entirely useless. About
this time the stockyard pens were cleared
out.
At Z o'clock elevator ''B'' caught fire, and
the scene had then in the growing darkness
lurid effect that made spectacle of awful
grandeur
The second elevator was entirely con-
sumed also, and at II o'clock tonight,
when the fire was gotten under control,
half mile of ruins sent out furnace heat.
The estimated losses is as follows: The
Rossiter stores and contents 5000, 900; the
Wilcox company, stock, $500 elevator
GAP $500, 900; elevator ''B'' $3.50, 900; dock
'B,'' contents 100000: dock 'A'' $50, 600;
the Wilcox buildings S220,000 total 50, 355,
900. The loss to the property of the New
York Central company is covered by in
surance. The Wilcox company's stock was
insured for 100000.
At a late hour tonight it is stated four
men were in the ruins of the Wilcox com
pany's building.