Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-20

New York, April 19th.-The largest and
fiercest fire witnessed here for years swept
the east bank of North river clear to-day
from Ninety fifth street to what would be
Sixty-ffth street if that street ran to the
river Ii destroyed more than a million
and half of property belonging to the
New York Central Railroad Company, and
at least half million dollars worth of lard
and -four and the like, belonging to other
persons, notably N. K. Fairbank, the great
Chicago lard merchant. Flames destroyed
two big elevators of the Vanderbilt system,
big brick building stretching from Fifty
ninth 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
from Fifty-ninth to past Sixty-fifth street
Henry Benning, workman in the Fair
band refinery, was killed by a Jump from
the third-story window. Many others were
injured by jumping, but in the great con-
fusion attending the confagration names
and the extent of injuries of but few were
obtained. Rumors were rife all evening
that number of workmen had been
caught and burned in the refinery, but il
The fire broke out in the southeast cor
ner of the Fairbank refinery, how. nobody
knows. Soaked in grease, as the old build
ing was, it was in flames in. an instant
Men who were at work in every story
dropped their tools and ran to save their
lives. The StaircaseS were columns of
flames, and the windows presented the
only means of escape Pursued close by
the fire the men
FLUNG THEMSELVES OUT HEADLoNG,
And how many there were nobody could
tell. Many who came out were picked up
and carried away by their friends. The
fire had soon swept throughout the length
of the building and shot over towards the
big grain elevators Of the New York Cen
trail Railroad.
Between the place where the engines
were stationed and the elevators were
twenty seven railroad tracks, which no
fre-engine could cross, and next the stock
yards, half mile of broad inclosure,
and pens were equally impossible. There
was no way for tire-engine to reach the
elevators except along Sixtieth street, past
the burning building, and that street, after
two engines had fought their way past,
was blocked by falling walls.
Furthermore near the elevators was only
one small water pipe. The fret beats were
sent for, and several OF them soon began
work in
HEROIC STRUGGLE
To save the elevators, but it was all in
vain. a tremendous heat from fire across
the street dried and warped the wood work
of the big frame building under its CORFU
gated iron sheathiDg, and in short time the
ELEVATOR was on fire and burning freely
Soon after the walls of the Rossiter stores
fell releasing tons on lons of burning mer-
chandise that rolled in every direction.
This increased the heat and fame, and
the efforts of the firemen seemed to be en-
tirely useless. About this time the stock
yards pens were cleared out
At Z o'clock elevator 'B'' caught on fire,
and the scene then in the growing darkness
was so lurid in effects that il made
SPECTACLE OF AWFUL GRANDEUR
The second elevator was entirely con-
Sumed also, and at II o'clock tonight,
when the fire was gotten under control,
half-mile of ruins sent out a furnace heat
Au estimate of the losses is as follows
The Rossiter stores and contents, 5000, 600;
the Wilcox Company's stock, $3.50, 600; FL
evator A, $4,000; Elevator B, $3.50, 600;
Dock d and contents, $500 600; Dock A,
$35 900; the Wilcox building, $3.50. 900; to-
tai, So, 1855. 000 The loss to the property of
the New York Central Company is covered
by insurance. The Wilcox Companys
stock was insured for 100000.
At late hour to night it is stated that
four men were in the ruins of the Wilcox
Company's building.