New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-04-24
FIERCE AND FATAL.
New York Visited by the Most Dis
astrOus Fire Witnessed for
a Generation.

that street ran to the river. 1t destroyed
more than 81 100000 worth of property
belonging to the New York Central railroad,
land at least S5OO,OOO worth of lard, flour
and the like belonging to other per-
sons notably N. K. Fairbanks, the
great Chicago lard merchant. The flames
destroyed the two big elevators, A and B. of
1.-THE Vanderbilt system, big brick building
stretching from Fifty min tn street to Sixtieth
street, and occupied jointly by the Fairbank
Lard refinery and the Rossiter stores and
wiped out the dock property of the New
York Central railroad system from Fifty
ninth street to past Sixtieth street At least
sone man was killed in his headlong fight
,from the fire at the first outbreak. A number
Were injured jumping from windows Of the
burning building, but in the wild terror of
GfIe conf1agration, no account was kept of
them. The police have record OF the fol-
aowing casualties:
Henry Benning, single, a workman in Fair
thanks refinery. killed by jumping from a three
STORY window.
John johnson. likewise a workman in Fair
RSanks severely injured on the back by jumping
Charles Brown, severe injuries about the head,
Trom the same cause
William J. Noble. fireman of engine No. 2,
Frustrated by the heat while at work at the foot
OF FIfty-ninth street. .. "
Edward II. Tobin, fireman. likewise Frustrated
s1y the heat
RUdORS OF CASUALTIES.
Rumors were rife all the evening that a
number of workmen had been caught and
'barned in the Fairbanks refinery, but it has
tbeen thus far impossible to ascertain the
truth of them. A5:least quarter of mill
lion people turned out to watch the brilliant
sight from beyond the police lines on Twelfth
avenue. All the Westside streets are blocked
and the elevated trains carried swarms up
and down Gown to swell the crowds.
The police reserves were called
out TO preserve order. Every
Gre engine above Fourteenth street was
called out in the work of extinction, but the
shremen fought against tremendous odds,
owing to the res1stless rush of the flames,
szand because of the conformation of the
ground in the locality, which is upon
rugged slope from higher ground to the
Hudson river. The fire brok9 out in
sthe southeast corner of the Fairbanks re-
rAnery. where wOrkmen were busy at the time
setting up lard-coolin apparatus, when
che fire started-how, no one knows, prob
ably one ever will know. Soaked in grease
ses the old building was, it was afame in an
instant From the ground floor the fire
swept upward to the roof, almost with the
speed Of thought. The men at work in
save their lives. The staircases formed
glowing chimney, throwing out fire through
every floor. The windows presented the
only means of escape.
PURSUED CLOSE BY FLAMES,
men flung themselves out by scores head
kong and behind them burst out the flames
How many were there no one could tell.
Those who came out were picked up and
carried away by their friends. Crying wives
aaud mouhers crowded the police lines shout
Elng for their husbands and sons or begging
f8or news of them. The Fair
banks refner the old establishment
OF the g.. j. Wilcox company, stands upon
she water front between Fifty-ninth and Six
Heth streets, occupying half of a building
200X2OO feet, that filled out the block. The
refinery was in the south half, the RosSiter
's1ores for general merchandise on the north
side, A strong brick wall divided the build
ing in the middle. Upon this brick wall
during a half-hour of desperate effort,
che hremen based their hope of sue
ressful combat The flames beat againstiU,
cheated it red hot; other brick walls and the
.roor fell in upon it. but it stood like a rock
Anything save such fire it would have re-
sisted. but flames fed by melted and flowing
hard burn fercely, and leap high. They
Aeaped above and around the sturdy barrier,
and reached across Sixtieth street and the
dock slip. Over rthere stood the fist and the
biggest Of the
ENORMOUS GRAIN ELEVATORS
of the New York Central railroad. 1t was
Elevator A, the construction of which cost
p50O,00O. 1t stood presenting it's gable end
ito tire flames that were blown toward it.
Once that caught fire there W. uld be no saw
ing Elvator 3, 500 feet further up the river,
and no telling where the fire
would stop, for beyond were freight
,sheds innumerabie., Between the ee-
yators on the water front and Twelfth
avenue were first twenty-seven railroad
tracks, which no fire engine could cross and
next, the Union stock yards, halt-mile of
broad enclosure and pens, equally imDass-
able Even if a way could have been hewn
Through the enclosures and the tracks the
kline OF demarcation between the two was
"a stone wall with sudden descent Of
Eve feet The tracks were that much lower
chan the yard There was no way for a fire
engine to reach the elevators except along
5Sixtieuh street, past the burning building,
aud that was then almost impossible. and
soon was blocked entirely. Chief Shay saw
1T and led his men to fight for very life to
save the elevators He knew that even if
,Eney did get their fire engines into the rail
,Koad grounds they would be Of little use, for
sShere was only small six-inch water pipe
&here.. and that was pitiably insufficient. He
TELEGRAPHED FOR THE FIRE BOATS,
Tor the charity commissioners Two boats,
and for the police boat patrol The patrol
tgas. as usual laid up because out Of repair,
hut the others responded. They came down
with four or five tugs belonging to the rail-
tEoad company, and put their pumps at work
10 throw water on the threatened buildings.
Coon every hose was playing from
some window in the roof, the pump
ting works in the engine house
swere working to their utmost and a select
company of fremen directed operations 1t
@as ail'in vain. The tremendous heat from
che fire across the street dried and warped
Che woodwork of the big frame building