, 1890-08-02

COulQ cOmIOftaOIy WlLnStann, anu they
were getting ready to jump to the roof of
No. 2O1 Broadway, a distance of thirty
feet. The street crowd shouted warningly
TO them that help was at hand, for the fire
men had come across the space between
the corner building at No. POI and we're
tearing away a light wooden ladder Which
permitted escape from the filth story Of the
Western Union to the other roof. The fire
ladders had not yet been twisted, and SO
with this little flight of steps, and by
means of the heavy iron shutters of the
burning buildings fifth story windows, the
men were rescued by lowering themselves
from their window sill to the shutters and
thence to the waiting tiremen.
There were lots more cheering and en-
thusiasm from the crowd because of ibis.
BY nine o'clock the fire was practically
out, but the interior of the building was
floor by floor a succession of cataracts. In
the battery room and on the floor between
it and the roof, five stories, there was not
a particle of wood or paper left. Below
the damage was entirely by water.
At not more than fifteen minutes after
the fremen had said that such a course
would be safe, the executive officers of the
Western Union, with the exception of DIR.
Nordin Green, the president, who is III,
had met in the latter's Office and had made
plans how to meet the loss.
"Bad Boy Eddie"Gould came down town
and represented his father. Superintend-
ent HulnstOne was there, and so was Press
Agent Somerville and Director Terry. 1t
made little difference to them if they had
TO hold up umbrellas during meeting,
they got through their work all the same.
Then they made a careful tour of the build
-. o-l I:onN-ou~I Al~t L.. 100 .-..-~
loss was not great. To the nbuild!ng, ap.
paratus, to the 1900 wires which were
burned out and to the equipment of tRn
operating room the damage was estimated
by them at not more than $10O, 900, eyem
most literally regarded. The famous switch
board, the largest in the world, which, it
was assidiously announced, was worth
$3.50, 900, was not actually valued at more
than $500, and the 1900 telegraphic in
Struments were not worth more Cham 33
each.
But the serious loss was not q money one.
1t consisted OF the total destruction Of all
the books, complete Geographic maps Of
the world, the files of messages and most
of the records of the company, as well as the
temporary stcppage of the business. This,
according to Superintendent Humst0ne,
amounts to 800, 900 a day. The loss tor
the next ten days, for it will take that to
entirely settle the work back to its former
rut, will be about ten per cent OF the total
business for that time, or 100000.
But the Associated Press, which Occu
pied rooms ON the Eighth floor loses about
everything it had. It's loss, which is capa-
ble of being estimated, is put at $4,000
by Manager William Henry> Smith. But
the most teriOuS thing which befeIl it was
tho burning of it's records and it's history
since 1S4O, things which are inestimable in
value and which cannot be replaced. The
Western Union Company had not insured
its building and its contents. 1t believed
its structure to be freproof and assumed
its own risks. The Associated Press did
the same.
The work of repairing and reftting will
begin at once. In fact, it began last night.
MI. Somerville informed me that by Mon
day the public would simply remember the
fire as an incident, that the work would be
continued at the old stand, so far as the
public was concerned, just as though
nothing had ever happened. 1t will, how.
ever, require two or three months to en-.
tirely restore the building to the condition
it was in before the fire.
The telegraphic arrangements in fine
meantime, or at least until M01day, will be
as follows:-There will be three main sta.
lions or Offices-one at No. 16 Broad street
another at No. Alb Broadway and the thirdin
the Herald building at Twenty.third Street
E2;f%L, WANNA Tho Luc;pocc will IN