The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-08-06
WESTERN UNION PARALYZED
The Greatest Telegraph Centre
in the World Destroyed.
New York Almost Isolated From
the West, East and South.

A disastrous fire that directly affected the
business interests Of the United States from
Maine to California and from Canada to the
Gulf of Mexico broke out at o'clock in the
morning in the Western Union Building
at Broadway and Dey street, New York
city. By 8 o'clock it was under control, and
at 10 o'clock it was practically extinguished,
but during the brief interregnum Of its fury
1t caused the trade OF the country to almost
come to a standstill.
On the Stock Exchange the brokers were
playing ball during the hours when they are
usually making their heaviest transactions.
On the Produce, Cotton and other exchanges
the hum Of commerce was hushed. Wall
street was physically disabled, and was only
able to attend to local financial operations,
while extending through all parts Of the land
the flames that had consumed all the costly
mechanical appliances Of the big telegraph
company.
The great operating room Of the Western
Union, the largest in the world, had been
guttei by fire, and sixty people hal mar
rowly escaped with their lives, and had it
not been for the excellent discipline of
the Fire Department all would have
been lost. A vast deal Of. incon-
New York city for nearly eight hours was
cut of from telegraphic communication with
the country, and the lines to the South were
not perfected until late that night. There
were many valuable records destroyed and a
considerable amount Of property was ruined.
Yet there Is scarcely any way in which the
exact responsibility for the disaster can be
placed.
It is simply known that somewhere in the
city an electric arc light wire improperly in
sulated crossed Western Union wire and
CAUSED the latter to ignite the paraf1ne insu.
lation Of the wires in the battery room OF
the main telegraph office of the country.
That is all.
Night Manager Tobin, Chief Operator
Robinson and about forty operators were at
work on the sixth and seventh floors Of the
building at A. NJ, when the flames started
in the battery room. Smoke warned the
operators of the danger, and most Of them,
including q few women, lost no time in escap-
ing to the street. Mrs. Adams, one Of the
women operators, carried with her the dis
patches which she was about to send, being
too much excited to know what she held
in her hand, The elevators, which ran only
to the fifth floor, carried down the operators
who first escaped, and thoughtful messen-
ger boy who sounded an alarm to call the
firemen.
''Mike" Sherman, one Of the operators,
kept at work at his key, sending dispatch
to the Grand Central Station, until the
smoke nearly choked him.
Before the iremen had arrived the flames
had spread through the operatinE-room. and
escape by tho stairs from the floors
above it was made impossible. Half
a dozen women employed in the
kitchen, and several men were obliged to
climb through scuttle to balcony on the
French roof. high above the roofs of the ad-
joining buildings. There they stood IN the
sight Of the multitude below, crying for
help, while the smoke poured out OF the win
dows below them and flames curled up under
the cornices. Their rescue later seemed al.
most miraculous.
The fire was gotten under control at nlna
o'clock, after two hours Of hard work. At
this time the entire upper portion Of the
building was Quilted. This embraced the
battery room, the operating room, the gal
lery. the dressing room, the main Office OF
the Associated Press in the top OF the build
ing and the restaurant.
All the lower floors were literally flooded
with water. Among the Offices thus dam
aged are those Of Jay Gould, Russell Sage,
Sidney Dillon. Dillon s. Swayne's law Offices
and the Commercial News Department OF
The fire destroyed all the wires and cables
entering the building and it was thought TT It
would take at least week to repair TINS
damage. Meanwhile business was badly
crippled. William Henry Smith, manager
Of the Associated Press, estimates the dam
age to the organization at S15, 900.
The building is valued aeS1. 800, coo. The
greatest damage will be the destruction OF
the vast network Of wires which communi'
Gated with every section Of the continent.
Il will require the assistance of the best
electricians in the country to even restore
temporary communication.
The wires centreing in the enormous
switch in the burned building were appor-
toned as follows:
Southwark. ...... ......'..' aoo VIZ
New York city. y.................. Eoo WI nes
Westward ....s....'.....'.''' 80 W" %
Eastward NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 10y wires
Iono Is,end IS wires
NT;.eSs,ioneons 80 wires
In the operating department were 4o3 op-
Grating tables, 40 Morse instruments, SIX
Phelps motor printing machines, thrty sess
~ d,,nlar Instruments forty-ulne sets OF