New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-29
FLAMES .STOPTHE SERVICE.
THE YOUNG MEMS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
BUILDING on FIRE.
PANIC AvERTED BY Coo1NEss AND GOOD
'UDGMENT-IHE ELEVATOR SHAFT ACTS AS
HUGE CHIMNEY-MIsTAKE OF A FIRE
OHIEFIrHE LOSS ABOUT 40. ooc

OHIEF-THE Loss ABOUT 100000.
Inc Young Mems Christian Association Build
ing, at lwenty-third-st. and Fourth-ave., hid
harrow escape from total destruction by fire. which
"roAe OUT about o'clock last night. The flames
"ere discovered within few minutes after they
started, and before they had got good start.
II the hre had broke out late in the evening, when
there would have been no one in the lower
part OF the building, it is certain that there
"ould nave been little left except ruins to-day on
'he site OF this dourishing institution.
The regular Sunday meetings were held in the
rooms OF the association in the afternoon, and
the regular attendants and strangers were passing
IN and out Of the building all the time The
entrance is in Twenty y-thlrd-st, in the centre of
the buildings 'front.' About twenty five feet
within the portals the two starcases leading to
The rooms above, one being on each side of the
elevator shaft. In the rear Of the elevator there
Is courtyard. and this and the hall leading to
the street divide the structure in half, max
ing what may be termed east and west sections.
The structure Is five stories high, substantially
hult of freestOne and is not reproof, although it
was considered to be so when it erected
The iirst floor in Twenty-third-st IS occupied by
}. McClenfam, shoes, Nos. 56 and So; G. b.
Disbrow, real estate, No. "a Il. Hebbcrt & Son.
No 80; Woodlawn Cemetery Office, No. AZ, and
James McEwen tailor Nos "A and 46. On the
Fourth-ave. side are the New-YorI Candle Com
pany and the New-Yorll Sunday school AssOcia-
tlon. On the second floor Of the east section Of
the building are the parlOr, recepton-room and
prayer meeting-rOom; on the third floor the
library and art gallery, and on the
fourth floor classrooms The fifth floor
in both sections is fitted up as artists studios.
In the u-ect ic tbn ba1 Loot
room, which takes in the second and third floors
and the reading-room on the fourth floor
At the close of the afternoon meeting there was
an adjournment for a short time and the 126
persons gathered in the small parlor facing
Fourth-ave. to hold short service Of prayer and
thanksgiving before the evening service Henry
ii. Webster, one of the Executive Committee, led
the meeting. Several songs had been sung when
the devotons were interrupted by the sudden
entrance of Secretary A. Candlish His face
flushed with excitement, and every one felU
tlpit something unusual had happened Mr..
Candsh whispered few words in the ear OF
Mr.. Webster, who turned pale and visibly
affected. In second he recovered his pres stncc
of mind, and arose. In d calm voice he gave
out hymn and glad song OF praise rang
through the buildin, Mr.. Candllsh left the
room. His mission was to tell Mr.. Webster
that the building was on fire, and TO
audience quietly 50 to avoid panic
Mr.. Candlish had been late in coming to the
meeting and as he got near the stairway III thc
main entrance he saw smoke and flame coming,
aDparently from the cellar, through the cloak
room which is about ten feet west of the elevator
Janitnr Brazier, Engineer Hubbard and lnterna-
tOnal Secretary McCree saw the ire about the
same time as Mr. Candlish, ana they all maze a
gallant effort TO check its progress. -1lelr WORK
was In vain. The elevator shaft ana open sualr-
vav acted as a chimney and created ire
lraf that nothing pOulQ Withstand a1ISf
the impulse had been gwen 10 the HilRgS' W
While these men were lighting the nre, VII,
Webster told his audience OF their dahger, III
ouiet way, with excellent Judgment, ana aSsureu
them every one could get out safely IL q rqsh
was avoided They had TO pass down two nights
of stairs and the fire was roaring beneath tnem
Those nearest the door went out hrst ana tlere
was no siqn of panic until the end OF the lne
was nassing out Then some one from behind got
in n hurry and made rush. Two or three persons
fell on the stone stairs. and one young man; whose
name could not be learned, had his arm OroNen
The Others got out all right 49,, to
There we're about thirty persons In iiic E'fSe
library which is in the rear Oh tue HuumS np tbe G
way TO the fifth story to get his vile ana loGt
children gave the alarm quietly IN the library.
There was wild rush Tor the door, anu Soi,iI
Crowding. but no one was injured, and they al
reached the street safely. Janltor BraZler ana
his family were the next TO leave the balldlng
They got ont none too soon, Tor the nre Whi'I
had becn slowly gaining force, suddenly oounueu
mn thr elevator shaft, a story at time, 10 the
roof and burst through the windows III the tower
100 feet from the street. Robert H. McBufney
general secretary of the ASSOCIATION, had a room
in the tower where he kept a large NUMBER t oi
valuable records and books. These were lost
Three alarms had been sent ont, and SIN special
calls for engines lbs nrougltC SIA,een o,,or The
fire RACED fercey, and it seemed as II thc
entire building doomed The flames apPeaffo t'd
through tc roof and az an the rcmoU on were ere
sr,tioned on the roofs Of the adjoining bulldlhss
in Twenty-tlird and Twenty-Seeond-sts, ana
special care WAS WAS Presbyterian hTf% Church. Of
which DIR Howard Crosby is pastor, whlcm adlolns
the association building at the south. Ihe i Iarse
bodv of water thrown by the sixteen ehgiHeS
after awhile told upon the in neS tbe elevator shaft
,rae overcome II was hard fight and the wafer
tower never did better work. IL threw a sOi.u .
stream from four Of SnIe tbe building Chief Bonner
',ado ~ mistake of Judgment that fortunately
did not prove disastrous. re tnoug't ,i'o .o,,o ,
had the fire under control, ana oroefu Ihe 'oTTa w.
to bo talon down and the engines dctoched ne
o,orIool-cd the force Of the 120tOot chimney anu
tho flames AMIN burst from the top OF tiie niI-
shaft in dazzling splendor. IL took severn I'LL hill
utns IN raise the water-tOwer ana ger II 10 "~oIH ~
a-oin hrt after H. got started II quickly checked
the nrogrcss of the fire, and the rest was COM
r,rafivplv easy work. M, . ,o.o
Irre1 ont in the west building which included
rho studos. while the rest OF the dlih9ee was was
done nv smoke and water: The artists VINO oea VIZ
uunu ,.II ~ o,'t are G Harry Eaton, Walter Satterer
I"iiiI Brevoort, William Hart. D. B.
Rr;stni G. II. Call, Oliver T. Lay, WoTdsyTorfIh
Thompson, Clinton Oslby and illorEy E br iollcs in
s imnossible TO make an estimate OF Ihe ~ 49,, ~
,be stndios. as the artists are nearly all away
from the city. . ,udi,- is comparu-
+i,ov elioht and the library escaped entireN' o eN
cent from smoke. The library contains 5x9y}o 5x1}o
roIumeS S valued at 100000. william y NlDi3
cave s15O.OOo TO found the library; 11 noa
TVVilIiom n Vanderbilt bequeathed slOnUV'
Co. Tho extension of the library WoII,
Tho rcoding-room was badly damaged, ana
the newspaper files were DESTROYED ne orair orein
an tbn clotbinr in McEwen's store was sotiVu
l-itb wafer. careful estimate of the loss nNrS
II et about 100000 divided about evenly pe1Mtodd h,od
The building stock and fixtures Coe ceIIpr.,dS IVr,d
snries of ngintings "The Cross and the Norlu,
valued ut 81 900, it is thought. were not Ser'