Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-07-19
SEVEN In PERIL.
The Western Union Crippled
by a Conflagration.
IT'S NEW YORK OFFICE DESTROYED.

l - AMINO anu seven
Persons Imprisoned on the Roof-Gal-
| liant Rescue bv Firemen just in the Nick
of Time-An the Circuits Burned Out
and business at the Exchanges Paral-
| yzed - Irreparsble Loss of Many Val
| liable Papers.
| NEW YORK, July 19-The Western I'm
ion telegraph building caught fire at z
| O'Clock yesterday morning. The battery
| room on the sixth floor, the operating-room
| on the floor above, and the restaurant on
| the ninth floor were completely destroyed,
| and seven lives We're miraculously saved
The fire broke out in the checking room
ON the floor below the operating room
Some fifty of the operators, men and
women, were in the latter room, and made
a hurried exit, getting through "by the
skin of their teeth" SO rapid was the
| spread of the flames and sitting smoke
Seven Lives In Peril.
After they themselves were out of dan
ger, the escaped ones thought of seven
| persons, four women and three men, who
were in the restaurant on the floor above
the operating room. 1t was impossible to
reach them from the inside of the build
ing. but the imprisoned people succeeded
| in reaching the roof through the trap
door. Under the caves of the
big building the flames were shoot
ing and the 7edifice seemed to be
crowned with fire. When the great crowd
of people on the streets saw the men and
women rush out on the roof a cry of hor-
ror went mp, for it seemed impossible that
they could escape thu fire burning be
tween them and the street.
Surrounded by a Sea of Fire.
Screaming women on the roof wrung
their hands, and men cried out: For
Gods sake do something to save usI'' The
first engine had arrived before the terri
flying events transpiring on the roof were
| made visible to the crowd gazing upward
from Broadway. Soon a volume of water
was pouring into the burning building,
and the sounds of cracking and breaking
timbers was acded to the confusion of the
scene. In few minutes there were four
teen engines and hook and ladder com.
panies and a water tower on the ground
Water poured in through the flaming
windows, and beat down upon the roof.
But the flames were stubborn in spite of
the tons of water poured upon them.
Saved by the Fire Laddies.
Finally long ladder was rushed upon a
roof next the burning building and placed
against the rear. II did not reach within
fifty feet of the roof of the big telegraph
building. Uniaunted, however, two fire.
men scaled the ladder to the top. They
then threw rope to the roof 1t was
caught and tied by one of the brave girls,
who seemed never to lose her nerve The
two firemen pulled themselves up hand
over hand until they reached the top, and,
amid cheers from a thousand throats from
below, they let the seven down TO places of
safety II was accomplished just in time,
Tor names burst up through the cornice,
and soon enveloped the roof
The Fire subdued.
perfect torrent of water was poured
into the building from every point of
vantage available, and in due time the
flames were gotten under control, and an
opportunity given TO see what damage
had been done, The entire upper part of
the building, used by the Western Union
and Associated Press, was ruin. All the
costly instruments and batteries were de
stroyed, and nothing left except the bare
walls. The building was supposed TO be
fire proof, supposition that don't GO
just at this writing. 1t was a mercy that
the fire broke out when it did. If it had
occurred an hour later the loss of life
would have been fearful, as 700 men. girls
and boys are employed daily on the floors
which were destroyed.
Some Irreparable LOSSES.
The Associated Press loses instruments
typewriters furniture, and all its books
papers, and records, dating from 1875
and valuable reference library. This
loss is irreparable. All the material for a
history of the growth of the press in
America contained in letters, books, and
nies Is destroyed and can never be re-
placed. The money value is estimated at
$4,000. There is no insurance. William
Henry Smith is personally a heavy loser
by the destruction of rare books and pa
pers, many of which can not be duplicated.
Among these were hundreds of rare nam
phlets collected by Stevens in Europe.
which Mr.. Smith supposed were secure in
this 'fire-proOf' building An extensive
correspondence of great value was also
consumed
Effect on Business.
The effect on business in this city was
to knock everything fiat There was but
one other company that had wires into the
city-the Postal Telegraph-and this could
not begin to do the work imposed upon it.
At all the exchanges business was vir-
tually suspended. There was no news
from anywhere. The Western Union Off
GERS Immediately set to work to re-establish
communications, and divided its operating
force among the sub offices at Twenty
third street, New York; Jersey City
Brooklyn, and Weehawken, from which
business will be done tempor-
arily. The Associated Press is at
the Pennsylvania depot, Jersey City.
After to-day it will be at AS Broadway.
With the best efforts of the company bust
ness will be crippled for some time All
the circuits were destroyed, and the great
switchboard, the largest in the world.
was totally wrecked. The fire was proba-
bly, caused by crossed wires.