St. Paul daily globe., 1889-10-14
The Famous Brooklyn TabeP-
nacle Burned Down On
Sunday Morning.
FIremen Entirely Unable to
Check the Conflagpation
in the Least,
And Turn Their Attention to
Saving Property Adjoin-
ing the Church.
A Frightful Accident Narrow
ly Escaped on the Penn
sylvania Road.

NEW YORK, Oct. 13.-The famous
Brooklyn tabernacle, of which Rev. L.
De Witt Talmage, ID. D., is pastor. was
to-day, for the second time i'll its his
tory, totally destroyed by fire. At 2:15
O'clock this morning policeman dis
covered flames issuing from the small
windows over the main entrance, and,
rushing to the nearest signal box, sent
an alarm. The fiTemen found the fire
had assumed large proportions, and adj
ditiOnal alarms. calling all available ap-
paratus. were at once sent in. 1t
burned like a tinder box, and the
firemen, deSpairing of saving it.
directed their efforts to the adj
joining property. Many of the
occupants of the neighborlng dwell
lings were already awake. and the pO-
lice proceeded 10 arouse those who were
sleeping. The three-StOry frame struct-
ure, No. 353 SchermerhOrn street, adjOin-
ing the church ON the east side, was the
first to take fire, and No. 355, similar
structure, followed No 357 was also
damaged. On the west side of the
church the flames extended to two brick
dwellings. and on the opposite side of
SchermerhOrn street a row of three
story brick dwellings, numbered 33S to
34S, suffered from the intense heat.
Window glass was broken and wood
work scOrcLed. The residents of the
neighborhOOd, awakened either by the
ROAR OF THE FLAMES
or by the pounding of the police upon
their doors, became frightened and
rushed out half-dressed, or in their
night clothes, and the police had great
difficulty in assuring them that they
were in no danger. Fortunately there
was no loss Of life or limb. The police
carried out one old lady of eighty years
from 337 SchermerhOrn street and
placed her in house at safe distance.
All the other inmates were able to care
for themselves. But while the fremen
and the police worked for the salvation
of property and persons the doomed
church building was rapidly being con-
sumed, and in an hours time only tot
tering walls remained. DR.. Talmage
was on the scene soon after the
first alarm, and did not leave
until he had seen the edi-
fee which had been his pride
laid in ashes. Then he returned SOr-
rowfully home. All day to-day crowds
visited the spot and gazed upon the
ruins. Nearly all the members of the
Tabernacle congregation received their
first intimatiOn of the fire upon round
ing the adjacent corners and being con-
fronted by the blackened walls and
smouldering ruins. No church services
were held to-day, but notice upon
tree at the corner of Third and Scher-
merhorn streets, announced Sunday
school in the hail of the Young Mems
Christian association, where about 600
teachers and scholars assembled in the
afternoon. Supt. E. l.. EelS told them
that the present was
NO TINE TO CRY.
or mourn. A calamity had befallen the
church, and it was the duty of all to
work together until new home was
built. The origin of the fire is un-
known. The sexton denies the rumor
that fires had been lighted yesterday in
the furnaces. and thus eXplOdes the de-
fective flue theory. EdisOn's men were
in the building until $50 p. N. yester-
day, arranging new electric plant, and
it is thought that during the thunder
shower which prevailed during the
night lightning had been carried into
the building by the wires they intro
duced, and which ran around the gal
lery about on level with where the
flames were first seen. The loss on the
church building, including the organ.
which was one of the finest in the
country, is S15O,000. 1t is said to be
covered by insurance in number of
companies. The building was of four
teenth century Gothic architecture, and
was dedicated Feb. %, 1874. 1t was of
brick, with stone trimmings, with
frontage of 15O feet and a depth OF 113
feet, TO which had recently been added
an extension 6O feet wide and II deep.
The seating capacity was $500, and it
was always fully taxed at the Sunday
services. The previous structure,
which was built of corrugated iron, was
destroyed by fire Sunday morning, Dec.
%, 1872. That fire was also of unex-
planned origin. The losses on adjoining
property are small.
AN APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC.
The trustees were in session at the
house of DIR. Talmage Tonight and
stated the insurance to amount TO S129.-
O50. The building originally cost S1lS,
600, to which improvements costing
$1,000 have been added. The organ
cost s2O.O0O, church furniture S26, $40.
new carpets. etc.. $500. DR.. Talmage
has issued an appeal to the public for
help, saying that the church has never
confined its work to its own locality.
The church, he says, has never been
large enough for the people who came,
and he wants 100000 besides the in
Surance to build a larger and more
suitable structure. 81 make appeal" he
says, Ito all our friends through
out Christendom, to all denominations,
to all creedS, and thUSe of no creed at
all, to come to our assistance. | ask all
readers of my sermons, the world over,
to contribute as far as their means will
allow" the fire forces DIR. Talmage
to postpone a trip to the Holy Land.
The advisory board adopted resolutions
expressing submission to Providence
and determination to rebuild, the To-
cality and style of building to be indi-
Gated by the amount of contributions
made. Services will be held hereafter
in the BrOoklny Academy of Music. A
letter was received from DR.. Abbott
offering Plymouth church for Sunday
evening service, DIR. Talmage'S text
| to-day was to have been Looking Unto
Jesus"