Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-04-20
MILLIONS IN SMOKE.
East Bank Of North River Swept
by Flames,
From 59th to 65th Street Z Path Of
Destruction.
Railroad Property, Lard Hefineries and
Grain Elevat oTs in Ashea-Lits Lost
and Persons Injured.

NEw YORK, April 10.
The biggest and fetcest fre New York
ers have witnessed in this generation swept
the east bank of North river clear today from
55th St. TO what would be 65th St, if the
street ran to the. river there. 1t destroyed
more than 81 100000 worth Of property be-
longing to the New York Central railroad
and at least 500, 900 worth Of stores, lard,
flower and the like belonging to other per
sons, notably N X. Fairbanks, the great
Chicago lard merchant; two big elevators A
and B of ths Vanderbilt, svstem,a a big brick
building stretching from 59sh to6Oth streets,
Ucupied oj ntly by fairhanks re fnery and
Ressiter stores.
The deck property of the New York sys-
TEN from 39th street to past 65th street was
wiped out At least one man was killed in
\ headlong flight from the fire at the first
outbreak A number was injured by jump.
ing from the windows of the burning build
ing in wild terror Of the confagraiion. No
account was kept of them. The police have
a record of the following casualties: Henry
BenniDg, single. of 694 Tenth avenue,
workman at Fairbanks refinery, was killed
BY jumping from third story window; John
johnson, Of 5l7 West 42d street, a workmen
in Fairbanks, was severely injured in the
back by jumping from = window; Charles
Brown of COS West 43d street. received
severe injuries about the head from the same |
cause; William J. Noble, fireman of engine I
No. 2, was prostrsted by the heat; Edward
II. Tobin, fireman, was prostrated by the |
heat. Rumors are flying around all evening
that a number of workmen were caught and
burned in Fairbanks refinery, but it is I'M
possible to verify them.
Terrible Odds Against the Firemen
When the walls of the factory fell an i'm
mense amount of goods packed in the Rossit-
er stores fell into Goth ST., blocking the tho
roughfare and preventing the fremen from
doing further damage through that channel.
There never was fire in this city before at
which the work of the department counted
so little. The elevators were each about
1925 feet by l25 feet and had a capacity of
over 200, 900 bushels apiece, but were al.
most empty, several hundred thousand bush
els of grain being destroyed.
The fire started on the ground floor of
Fairbanks lard refinery building, which is
200 feet square, stretching from 59th to Goth
street, and seems to have originated at the
spot where some workmen we're putting in
q new lard cooling apparatus. The exact
cause cannot be learned. The building was
old and soaked wi h grease, and the flames
spraed quickly and enveloped the whtle
structure. One hundred and fifty employees
found escape by stair way cutoff, but most
of them had to jump from the windows.
The excitement was very great. The police
with difficulty kept back crowd of women,
mahy of whom had relatives in the building.
The building which contained the Rossiter
stores was ablaze. 1t was most imposing
spectacle which attracted the attention of the
people of Jersey City. This si1-story struc.
ture was soon destroyed.
The efforts of the fremen to save two
grain elevators opposite the factory belonging
to the New York Central railroad company,
were fruitless.
Elevators were so situated as to be difficult
of access to the fremen. Twenty seven
sunken tracks of the New York Central rail-
road lines of stock yard enclosures intervene
between the burning factory and the eleva-
tors, and the only way to reach the build
ings was along 60th street, where the heat
was too great for the firemen to live in it,
A company of firemen got past and into the
railroad yards but only six inch. pipe was
there and with the engines so far away, they
could do but little effective work. The fire
boats worked from the river side, and aided
by tugs of the New York Central. were able
to do more effective work but not to save
the buildings. The employees in the eleva-
tors kept the hose in the building playing as
long as they could remain and the sheds of
the stockyerds next fed the flames. The
fire spr -ad rapidly northward
Counting the Cost.
Fairbanks building was worth about
800, 900. Losses of contents not accurately
known. Fairbanks loss is estimated at
100000. Rossiter & Co, costumers, com
prisng large number of merchants, s220.-
600, the owners Of the goods were probably
fully insured. Rossiter & Co. lose but little.
Fairbanks said to be fully insured. The
company kept their property well covered.
After the fire had swept along the sheds to
66th street it stopped for want Of material to
feed upon. The fire lasted from about three
until nine. The police estimated the crowd
over 200, 900. The spectacle was magnih
cent.
The piers and piersheds connected with
the elevator system were badly damaged,
and rendered temporarily useless. Some of
the freight they contained was destroyed.
Charles NJ. Pearsall was experimenting |
the work of putting in the new machinery at
the factory when the fire broke out. The |
fla mes originated in the engine room in the |
basement. There were three immense watts |
containing two hundred thousand gallons of
melted lard ard cotton seed oil. When the
flames reached them the mixture exploded, |
throwing the burning fluid in all directions.
The employees had no chance to save them
selves except by jumping out the windows
While looking at the FIRE from the wind Nv
of the house at 547 West 57th street, Mary
Murray, an aged woman. lost her balance
and fell to the pavement twenty feet below.
Her skull was fractured. She was taken to
the Roosevelt hospital.
Many estimates place the loss far above
50 900 600, and some as high as 81 900, 900.
The police estimate it at 90 100000.
Chauncey NJ Depew thinks lhe New York