The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-04-24
MANY BLOCKS IN RUINS.
a DISASTROUS FIRE IN NEW YORK.
The East Bank OF the North River Swept
Clear From Fifty Ninth-St. To Sixty
Fifth-St.-One Man Killed aud
Several Badly Wounded.


generation swept the east bank of the North
river clear to-day, from Fifty-ninth-st. to what
would be Sixty-6fthst. il that street ran to the
river. II destroyed moro than a million and
half of property belonging to the New York
Central railroad and at least $4,000 worth of
lard. flour and the ike belonging to other
parties, notably \. X. Fairbanks, the great
Chicago lard merchant. The flames destroyed
the two big elevators, A and B, of the Vanderbilt
system. big brick building stretching from
Fifty-ninth-st. to Sixtieth-st, and occupied
jointly By the Fairbanks lard refnery.and the
Rossiter stores, and wiped out the dock prop
erty of the New York Central railroad system
from Fifty-ninth TO past SiNty-ffth-st At
least one 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 the
confegration no account was kept of them.
The police have a record of the following
casualties:
HENRY BENNING, single, 694 Tenth-ave.,
workman in Fairbanks refinery, killed by
jumping from third-story window.
JOHN JOHNSON, 5l7 w. Forty-second-st.,
likewise workman in Fairbanks, severely
injured on the back by jumping from window.
IT,,
injuries about the head from same cause.
WILLIAM J. NOBLE, fireman of engine No. 2,
Frustrated by the heat while at work at the
foot of Fifty-ninth-st.
EDWARD H. ToBfN, fireman, likewise pros
trated by the heat
The fire broke out in the southeast corner of
the Fairbanks refinery where workmen were
busy at the time setting up new lard cooling
apparatus. Where the fire started-how, no
one knew, and probably no one even, will
know. Soaked in grease, as the old building
was, il was flame 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 every story dropped their tools and
ran to save their lives. The staircases formed
a glowing chimney throwing out fire through
every floor. The windows presented the
only means OF escape. Pursued close by flames,
meu flung themselves out by scores headlong,
and behind them burst out the flames. How
many were there no one could tell. Those who
came oat were picked up and carried away by
their friends, shuddering to think that some
might have been left. Crying wives and
mothers crowded the police lines shouting for
their husbands and sons, or begging for news
of them. They were turned back and hidden
to look in the throngs for those they sought.
They would, the policemen hopefully said,
probably find them there.
The fire swept on. The Fairbanks refinery,
the old establishment OF the W. j. Wilcox COM
pany, stands upon the water front between
Thirty-ninth and Sixtieth-sts, occupying half
of building 200 by 200 feet that filled out the
block. The refinery was in the south half, the
Rossiter store for general merchandise in the
north hslf. A strong brick wall divided
the building in the middle. Upon
this brick wall the firemep based
their hope Of successful combat. The
flames beat against it. heated il red hot: other
brick walls and the roof fell in upon it, but it
stood Tide rock. Anything save such fire 1t
would have resisted, but flames fed by melted
and flowing lard burn iercely and leap high.
They leaped above and around the sturdy bar
rier and reached across SiXtieth-st and Dock
st. slip. Over there stood the first and
the biggest OF the enormous elevators
OF the New York Central railroad. Ii was
elevator "A, /" the construction OF which cost
half million. II stood presenting its gable
end to the flames which were blown toward II.
If that caught fire there would be no saving
elevator B, 800 feet further up the river, and no
telling where the fire would stop, for beyond
were freight sheds innumerable. Between the
elevators and the water front and Twelfthiaye.
were, first, twenty-seven railroad trancks
which no FIRE engine could cross and next the
Union stockyards half mile of Enclosure and
equally impossible Even If way could have
been hewn through the inclusure and
tracks the line of demarkation between the
two was q stone wall with sudden decent OF
fifty feet The tracks were much lower than
the yard, There was no way for an engine TO
reach the elevatos except along Siqtieth-st
past the burning building, and that was then
almost impossible and soon was blocked
Chief Shay saw it had led mis- men TO a fight
for lie to save the elevator. He knew that
even if they had got their engines into the
railroad grounds they would be OF little
use for there was only q six
inch water-pipe there and that was insufficient
He telegraphed for the re-boats for the char
ity commissioners two boats and for the police
boat patrol. The patrol was laid up because
out of repairs but the others responded. They
came down with four or five tugs belonging
to the railroad company and put their pumps
at work to throw water on the threatened
buildings. Soon every hose was playing from
some window in the roof, the pumping works
in the engine-house were working
to their utmost and a company of fire.
men directed operations. Ii was all IN vain.
The heat from the fire across the street dried
and warped the woodwork of the big frame
building. Though il was sheathed with CORFU
gated iron and protected by slate II shriveled
up like withered leaves. A shout went up
there she goes" and then came a burst
from half dozen windows at once and the
building was on fire. The RosSiter stores still
stood dark and with closed iron shutters. But
the water thrown by the firemen sizzled and
boiled when it touched them, betrsying
burning heat within. The northwest
corner of the walls swayed moment then it
fell with laundering crash. The falling wall
released hundreds of tons of stones that rolled
out in a blazing heap and filled SiXtieth-st,
blocking il. Two engines here run the block
ade and got in the railroad tracks. None could
now follow. For that matter they would have
been useless.
Elevator A was on fire and nothing could
save it. The huge building was ablaze from
end TO end from the ground to the top of its
mansard roof. 1t was a grand sight. The
Rossiters' stores still burning fiercely, lost all
interest in this new and wonderful sensation.
Nothing like it had been seen here before. At
the first intimation of danger to the elevator
policemen had warned the hose and nossel
men OF the danger. They fed. leaving their
apparatus and, and none too ealry, for hun
dred carts of ali that had been rescued from an
iron shed on the river before it went to the
bottom with the pier 10 stood on, in common
wreck, were burned where they
lay. There was nothing 10 be done.
The fremen themselves were powerless
but streams from the fire-boats and the two en-
gines were thrown against the threatened ele-
vator, now no longer "a" but r" the next
big building in line, but it was useless.
IL was o'clock when the second elevator
caught fire, and as the twilight fell and night
came on the leaping flames reached up into the
sky until they broke and fell, and burst high
in the air again. The scene had then in the
growing darkness the lurid effect that made
spectacle OF awful grandeur. The thou
sands of spectators awed TO
silence. There was solemnity about
it, The second elevator was entirely
consumed, and at IL o'clock, when the fire was
controlled, half mile of ruin sent out
furnace heat. The two elevators, with
IS h,rab al ho1 10 L.