Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-07-25
WIRES BURNED OUT.
Western Union Office Much DAM
aged.
Telegraph Service In New York
Crippled.


How the fire started no one can explain,
except as q guess. Two men who were la
the battery room on tue sixth floor little
before o'clock in the morning saw flame
running along wire IN that part OF the room
near the western windows. These men
were james LARRY, Waterman, and
James Dowd, n battery tender. From what
DOwd s'ys il is thought that the wire must
have been crossed somewhere by an electric
light wire.
Telegraph wires entering the Western
Union bui ding are not shea;hed with any
insulating substance, except inside the build.
ing. II they were, the insulation at the
point of contact with the electric light wire
In the street-perhaps miles away-might
have been set afllme, aud the damage would
have begun and ended there. As il was the
suDer-charge Of the current had nothing TO
make fire OF until II reached the battery
room at l00 Broadway, but there it had
plenty Of material.
There were 500 tables in the operating de
pa-tmcnt, some having more than one
transmitting instrument, so that in all there
were 1900 instruments. In the centre of the
big room was the distributing ring table,
whence messages were distributed to the
operators. Near the ring was the switch.
board, the largest Ia the country. Some 30
telegraphers were la the operating rooms
II was Just in the hull between the changing
of the night force for the day force. Work
was slack. Perhaps there were n hundred
sm1l messages on hand for out of town.
The door at the Broadway entrance to the
building at what is called the eastern stair
case was open, but as yet none OF the men
on the day shift had come. The door at the
other end leadi z to the Webster staircase,
which is used exclusively by women, was
open, too, aud through 1t had come three
women who begin their work at A. NJ,
instead of 8, and thus get away earlier in the
afternoon. These women were Mrs. NJ. X.
Adams, Miss Emma Anderson and Miss
Anna Foley. They had just got in and
were not ut their PAGES when Operator
A. NJ. Lewis smeled rubber burning.
Neither he nor any Of the others in the i'm
mense room had been warned by either
Dowd or Larryzy, who were down stairs
yaln!y lighting the IRE. Soon after Lewis
shifted the unmistakable odor OF burning
rubber. 1t was detected also by others. Then
t ey saw smoke coming up through the
aperturcs in the floor through which the
wires passed from the battery room.
Lewis and Night Manager Tobn and
Waterman Moran dashed to the walls for
hand grenades, and smashed them on the
door in the flames. 1t was of no avail. They
tried the fire eXtinguishers, but they were
useless also, Next they got the fire hose,
and, aided by others, tried to throw water OH
the growing fire. Some OF the hose pipes
were so old that the water burst them. All
this time the Others in the room thought that
the fire would be Of little consequence.
The women stood by and encouraged the
amateur fire fighters in their work. Pretty
soon they all saw that their efforts were not
sufficient, and then TObin ordered Messenger
Martin Doyle 10 hurry down stairs and have
all alarm sent OUT. Doyle half tum bed down
the winding staircase that runs from the
seventh floor 10 The fifth and then took the
Straighter flights that 90 down the rest of
the building. He yelled "ii-e" at every
landing, and his voice was the first that
raised the alarm and told the cleaners on the
yari rs floors OF their danger.
Doyle finally reached the street aud from
the open box NJ the corner sent out the sig.
nal. While Doyle, tie messenger boy sent
by Night Manager Tobm on the most i'm.
portant errand he had ever had, was making
his fast trip to the alarm box. IoDin and his
men and the three women were making up
their minds 10 get ont OF the operating room
The women went down their staircase all
right, though the smoke that blew into il
from the battery room was about sitting
Most OF the men went down the eastern
staircase safely. Five, however, who In.
gcred to save some reCo. Dis found that the
fire had reached out to the staircase so that
they could not go down that way.
The flames In the battery room at this time
made that place raging furnace. The cell.
ing OF the room IL literally covered with
lines OF wires and cables. some of the latter
being OF immense size and covered with in.
sulated material Of highly" inllammab!s
nature. When the operators hal all left the
building the crowds In the streets discovered
half dozen or more women standing OH
the roof Of the structure, which Is covered
with iron RI ling.
Just beneath where the women stood
flames could he seen bursting from the win.
dows and curling upward. The women
were comparatively calm for a time, but,
noticing the scathIng flames beneath them,
they began to scurry back ward and forward.
evidently puzzled rs to what they should do
This sight caused great commOtOn on the
streets be'ow.
One woman was seen to raise herself above
the iron railing and peer in terrified way
down the side of the building on the Fulton
street side. The crowds standing by the
railing Of st. Paul's Church waved their
hands and shouted shemsevcs hoarse. STAY
there! the hremen are comingl' "Don't
lump!" went up from the excited people,
but II Is doubtful II even an echo of the ex.
cited shouts reached the imperllcd women.
The woman who had clambered up the
railing desisted from her purpose-if It was
Such-of jumping, aud returned to her posi-.
ton on the roof, wringing her hands and
looking appeallngly 10 the crowds below.
Meanwhile the life-saving corps Of the fire
department and many OF the regular force
were bending their energies to the rescue.
A ladder was raised to the roof OF the
building, No. s Dey street, and another
thence up the burning structure. In raising
The ladder from the street great delay and
difficulty were encountered because of the
mass of wires centering there. The
ladder from the roof proved
90 short to reach the women. Life
lines were brought into requIsition.
From the top Of the ladder line was shot
up to the roof by means of bomb In this
way strong ropes were placed on the top OF
he building, and the women were safely
Owered one at time to the rolf of 8 Dey
'treet. This successful rescue elected shout
Ifter shout Of appreciation from the crowds
who witnessed It from the sidewalk.
Firemen were distributed on all the ada
'ent housctops, whence they directed
treams Of water into the fiery furnace. The
water tower, extended to its ull height, did
rood service.
The fire was got under control about 0
Iclock, after burning fiercely for two hours.
| he entire upper portion oil the building was
destroyed. The fire burned and melted out
II the wires entering the building, and It is
bought 1t will take a week TO repair the
damage.
The Associated Press loses telegraph In
truments typcwriterS, furniture and all OF
Is books, papers and records dating from
$40 and valuable reference library. This
oss Is irreparabe. All of he material for
history OF the growth ofthe press in America,
contained In letter books md files, is lost,
nd cannot ever be replaced. The money
aue is estimated at $l50,OOO. There Is no
Many Of the employees lost their clothing,
which had been place in the closk room
len Eckert Of the Western Union Is OF !
he opinion that the loss OF that company |
piIlnot much exceed 100000. He also be-
ewes they will be able TO employ consid. |
rable force in the main Railways in day or |
wo The Associated Press will use the |
VI Lon At, EaII.