Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1890-07-24


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NEw YoRK. july 10 The Western
Union Telegraph building was badly
damaged by tirs Yesterday morning
few minutes befors seven o'clock
tho operators began to arrive Fifty
men and young women had reached tho
operating room. a mcssengcr hoy named
Matthew'S aFst saw a pnif Of smoke under
a table in the checking department On
the door below tho operating room. Hs
hal scarcely time "a invcstigafe tho
cause when wooden tahls was IN
flames and the lre was spreading WITH
hghtning-llke rapidity. II. rushed up
stairs to notify ths new arrivals thst
the building was on tire. The- wer-
competed to go through tho checking
department. "a got down stairs. A panic
WAS the result Of the messengers warn
ing. the young women screamed and
the men rushed pell neil down stairs
TO escape the rushing flames which IN
less than two minutes had spread
through tho entire checking depart.
mont, burning up wires. instruments
and tables a. II they were so much
tinder The entire room whers
the panic-stricksn crowd passed through
was alied sith a dense. stifing
smoke.
The messenger boy rushed down stairs
and cut OF tho building and sent out an
alarm.
NJ the start of the frs sir women.
employed in tho restaurant at the toy
Of tho building. finding their egreSS 10
the street cut OF. made their way to tho
balcony that runs around tho roof. and
there, hud-iling up and down it's narrow
confines. frantically wrung their hands
and. between tho pufrs Of smoke and
flames that came from the windows of
the batterv room below them. made sp-
peals for help Chief OF Battalion
Lally with Hook and Ladder Va. 10,
under tho command of Foreman Binns.
with the lines Of engine companies Nos.
-. and = enternd through the Dey
street side and dragging the heavy
lines a In. eighth ioor found their
way into ths batterY-room Ho0r and.
driving ths powerful STREAMS Of watsr
right and left. made their way "a ths
stairway leading IA the Operating roan.
Il was through this opening that thu
fifs- had n.s,ie is way IA tao upper por-
tion % the building.
For dive minutes the tight was a ter
rihle one to sufficiently sublue ths
aur,.e -. e.s.f tsr,.,, tY,, sf...- 49,. e..
which tho windows opened ON 20 th.
balcony. where the women were At
last The ~aser gained she ristarT.- and
when the way was sufficiently clear the
men of No. 10 hook and ladder. with
Chief LallY dashed up and quickly taxi
ing up the thoroughly demorsIized
women. carried them DOWN through tho
smoke to a place of safety
About the same time five men we're
taken from the windows ON the north
side Of the building that overlooked tho
roof of No. e0l broadway This rescue
was effected by Lieutenant McCant. OF
the MurraY-strcet Insurance. Patrol.
Il was accomplished just in time.
for flames burst up through tho
corniee and soon enyeloped the roof.
The t0war of the building was caught
by the flames. II was beautiful. and
at the same time 4 terrifying sight To
see the tire shoot out from the windows
around tho entire building fully fifty
feet. and blown back like great fiery
tongues to lick the roof of the build ing
Had tho hre broke out an hour
later the loss Of life might have been
enormous. Fully 700 girls and men were
employed ON these two floors.
All above the sixth hoor in destroyed.
Carpets. papers, etc. an the fifth and
other floors below are soaked with
water. The battery and storage room
occupied the sixth floor The operat-
ing room and the gallery, devoted to
the work of tho Gold anu Stock COM
panY, occupied the entire seventh floor
and thu Associated Press and a part of
the book -keeping tho entire eighth
floor. On the ninth foor were tho
Western { Mon dies.
The loss is very large and it viii re-
! quire long time 10 replace this mate
rial. The switchboard in the operating
room cost $50 600 The Associated Press
A1nra
aiture and all of its books. papers and
records, dating from Gs4a. and q vaIua-
ble reference library. This loss Is ir-
reparable. All Of the material for
history Of the ''tirowth of the Press
in America contained in letter books.
etc. was DESTROYED and can never be
replaced. The money value is si5,
| There is no insurance William Henry
Smith is a heavy loser by destruction
Of books and papers, many of which can
not be- duplicated. Among them were
hundreds of pamphlets from Europe
which Mr.. Smith supposed were stall in
the fire-proof building An extensive
correspondence Of great value was also
consumed. The telegraph company
has divided its operating force among
sub-ofilces at Twenty-thini street.
New York. Jersey City. brooklyn and
| Weefawken. from which business will
be done temporarily
| In the Cotton Exchange tho absence of
reports from the South was sevsreI y
felt. and the business vas less than
half is usual volume. The grain deal
ers made strenuous efforts to keep
posted by private messages over Postal
wires and 20 gather quotations by mes
/ sengers. but the results were meager
and the loss in commissions was 10
large they feared even 70 estimats
them.
| Effect sf the Fire an Commerce.
NEW YoRK, July 10 The effect of
the fire in the Western nion Telegraph