Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-07-24

contest at last ended In favor of the fire
men, and their work had confined the
| destroying element of the fiee to the tor
OF the building, though the lower portions
suffered from that destructive element,
water. II YVES from this latter thst tbs
| Associated Preas suffered most, and BIZ
which the Offices OF Jay Gould, Russell
ssge aud Sidney Dillon we're wrecked.
TEE A. p. LosEs HEAVILY.
The general manager of the Associated
Press, Mr.. William Henry Smith. was
early at the scehe Of the fire, full Of sad
ness and actual grief. He gathered his
stat about him on the main floor OF the
building and awaited newa Of the condi-
ton of the wreck upstairs, within sight
and earshot OF the rushing torrents of
water that flooded the stairs and poured
out into Broadway like cataract. The
news ne expected came to him by q rub.
ber-ooated messenger, who carried bun
die OF papers In his han I. 1t was all that
was loft, he said, except the safe. Mr..
Smith looked troubled.
'Our great loss," said be, sis 10 the
destruction Of the reference books. CON
tracts aud letter books that contained the
entire history of the Associated Preas
from 1645 down to the present day. This
loss ~ irreparable. The records can never
be replaced. MIR. Williams and suffer a
great private logs in collection of papers
and books Of rare historical value which
we had gathered In Europe. The peouniary
loss OF the Associated Press is compare
lively slight. II will amount to about
$4,000. We have opened an cffl3e iu
Jersey City and receive our dispatches
on railroai wire to day. To morrow we
Bhall be at AIS Broadway, and shall re-
matu there until We can move into our
old quarters"
Ali the forces of the Western Unions
executive department were hard at work
all day In an effort to bring order ont of
chaos. The Postal Telegraph Company
came to the resnue as beat il ooul1. and
soon had nearly 300 keys at work on ron.
erRl business. Operators were sent out
side the city in every direction to SMALL
stations, where business was crowded "a
much as possible. Superintendent Hun
stone received permission from Mayor
Grant to string 100 wires to the old Bal
timora d Ohio Telegraph Oompany's
quarters, No. AIS Broadway, and aocn a
force of linemsn were at work with the
wires.
AS soon as General Manager Eskert ar
rived OF the building preparations were
begun to handle at least portion of the
business. Operators were sent to the
New Jersey Central office, to Hoboksn,
Weehawken and Williams Bridge, aud
with the assistance of temporary Office,
which was established at the PennsyI-
yania railroad depot in Jersey City, many
or the wires were soon working, and q
very considerable portion of the regular
business OF the company was resumed on
Saturday.
The lire worked havoc in the biz
ofhces In the vicinity Of Wall street and
IN all the exchanges. Nearly all OF tbs
Webtern Union connections are through
the operating room in the main building.
out of town busin sss com
munlcation was almost entirely shut of.
Business men were unable to even par
italy estimate this morning the extent of
the inconvenience which would resu I.
1t depends entirely upon how soon
temporary operating room can be AZ
ranged somewhere. AS downtown aff1irs
nre conducted nowadays, the telegraph is
30 important factor that business with
out 1t would be little better than a fares.
The bankers' aud brokers' offices re-
ceive large proportion OF their orders
by telegraph, and also receive dispatches
from all parts Of the country relative to
the condition of crops, railroad earnings
and other things which effect the mar.
kets. Most of these Offices had to 40
without dispatches to day. Some have
private wires to different points. Thess.
Of course, were not tffscted BY the lire.
The Mackay Postal COMPANY did az
much OF the Western Unions business as
possible.
The railroads all over the country will
EEL the en- cots OF the fire very strongly,
as most of their dispatches come through
me operating room of the w stern Union.
A MASSIVE BUILDING.
The Western Union Building, so nearly
destroyed, ia an imposing Broadway
landmark. Including tine mansard roof,
Z is 10 stories in height, outside of the
basement. The structure fronts rs feet
IN Broadway and $50 on Dey street, aud
he height to ths top of the main cornice
11S feet, to the top of the pavilion roof
: is $50 feet. The top of the Broad way
over is 226 feet above the sidewalk, Uo |
IN the tower were the flagstaff and time |
oall, which, dsopping at noon every day,
vas the time standard all over New York. A |
broad stone balcony, with an ornamental
ron railing, runs around the building at |
he seventh story. A balcony also runs
round the base OF the clock tower, &C.
'sssible by stains, and protected by rail-
ngs, from which q fine view OF the |
ivers and bay IL to BIS had.
The main entrance on broadway ID a |
'orticc ~ feet vide aud 30 feet high,
through the basement to the
oP OF the first story. On either side are
wo columns and two pilastars of pol-
ahed Quincy granite. Tbs upper stofies
wore entirely supported by iron trusssq.
he main opsrating-room, which was 22
eet high, $50 feet long and so feet wide,
no walls or columns, except
he four pillars which support the Broad.
way tower.
All the floors are constructed of iron
'eams ard Orders, with brick arches be-
ween, filed in with cement aud oVsrlaid
nth tiles.
FKATE kn