The evening world., 1889-03-20
Thirteen Stores Burning Together
on Upper Broadway.
Horses Burned to Death and a Fire.
man Badly Injured.
Colored People Refused Admittance
at the Mormandie.
An Early Morning Spectacle More In,
tercsting than a Pyrotechnic Display.

Hickman Tom Hurley was driving a night
hawk cab dow upper Broadway ut l.So this
morning when he was suddenly aroused from
n pleasant state of half slumber by seeing q
red fame ZONE through the roof of 1875
Broadway.
The building. q low, two-story frame
structure, was, and the remnant OF II still is,
almost opposite the fine Hotel Normandie.
II was one of n row of flimsy frame structures
which extended on Broadway from Thirty
seventh street half way to Thirty eighth
street, and along Thirty seventh street from
Broadway half way TO Seventh avenue-a
portion of the block that no insurance conn.,
pany ever had the temerity to take o risk on.
The building had been occupied by Ed
ward Hart, who did q Hourishing business in
buying secondhand bars and worn store
fixtures. but he had moved out two days be.
foro md given up his insurance policy OF
49, 900, and there was nothin. lett in the
building hut the stove.
The origin of the fire is o matter of doubt.
Some say that the stove caused II, others at
tribute II to tramps h happened to he
passing the night in the building, and some
claim that the fire was set by nm incendlary.
The buildings were like finder. Soon
thirteen Of them were blazing at once. Tho
flames rose in q great swaying sheet ~ high
al the roof of the Church of the Holy limo
cents inThirty -seventh street. which was Just
across the street from the contingratlon and
threatened by It.
Il was n fine spectacle and II called all the
boarders of the Hotel NormAndle from their
beds TO their Windows.
The tall tenement-house windows were full
| of night caps for blocks around.
Late wayfarers In Broadway said that the
spectacle was equal to q theatre and that
KIralfy was nowhere,
The buildings burned with almost as much
energy as q powder factory. II seemed as If
the fire would sweep the block and spread TO
the neighboring blocks. The firemen worked
hard and Ill ~three-quarters Of an hour had
the fire under control.
1t was four hours before they had it ont.
Fireman James Gordon Of Engine Com.
pany No. "a, fell with part of the roof of the
knee-cap. He was taken in Nh ambulance to
the New York Hospital.
The flames spread from the structure In
which they started to the cheap restaurant
next door OF Mr.. Calhoun Reed, n colored
man. Mr.. Calhoun Reed, his wife and two
colored walters were asleep at the time in the
apartments over the restaurant. Arthur
Neville, the bartender Of the Little Casino
closed up for the night aud was busting the
counter preparatory to going homo when he
saw the fire.
He thought of the colored people and ran
upstairs to their apartments. They were
sound asleep and he had difficulty In arous
When they were awakened the flames were
almost upon them, and four woolly heads raI
downstairs Just in time.
The colored people were taken into the
saloon, which was soon on fire, and ther
they were taken to the Hotel Normandie
which, II is claimed, drew the color lin,
rather close and refused to admit them.
The colored people were very grateful tc
Mr.. Neville for saving their liyess
Two stables we're burned in Thirty-seventf
street. The tremen saved seven horses be
longing to Vim. Stevens, of the Stevens Van
Company, from the stable. No, l27. They
also rescued eight horses belonging e
BILE No. 1871 Thirty.seyenth. street. Two
horses which they we're not able to get on
were burned to death.
The little shops burned on Broadway in
Guided the numbers etwee 1863 and n 1881
shoe-shop, Mrs. .Boyd's millinery store, thu
empty second hand lumber store formerly
occupied by Edward Hart. Calhoun Reed
restaurant, Adams's cigar-store and thu
The buildings burned On Thirty. seventh
street we're a small carpenter shop, No. 1913
II. Palmer's~ iron-railing factory, No. 1875
William Steyens's stable, No. l21: n ,vncan
binding. No. l20, and Michael Mcclellan
stable. No. 1871.
The Little Casino saloon" lost 81, 90
on stock and 81, 800 on fixtures; no insur
ance. Truckman Mcclellan lost two horse
and two vans, a loss Of about IL, 900: Tn
losses Of the other tenants vary from $500 I,
5000. They were not insured.
The FIRE was stopped on Broadway by tn
hre-wall Of A. Rosenbaum's jewellery store No
1881. The building he occupies Is Of brick
His stock received no damage.
The burned buildings belonged to tn
Fitzpatrick estate. The loss on them |
merely nominal, as they were shortly 10 h
pulled down. The entire losses of the fir
MIR. William Radam's microbe killer
factory, in the rear Of the burned Broadly wa,
shops, was badly scorched loss. 90, 900.