The evening world., 1890-07-18

some of the couplings cracked.
THE ENGINES ENGAGED.
The FIRE apparatus called to the scene
covered Broadway as far south as Wall
street, and above The Post-Offce on the
north, and extended below Nassau and
Church streets on the east and west.
The pipe running from the engine near
Wall street threw n strong stream Of
water, and there was no let.up in the
pressure until long after o'clock, when
thousands of gallons of water had been
drawn from the mains and the building
was flooded.
now THE FIRE WAS DISCOVERED.
Martin DOYLE, of so Trinity place, was
at work in the operatlng.room on the
seventh floor when tho fire broke out, and
was the first to give an alarm.
1T was about 6.55 o'clock when the
first traces of the FIRE were discovered.
I" Night Manager Tobin was in charge
and there were about twenty operators on
the floor. / smelled fire, and in q moment
o little cloud of smoke ascended from the
ring in the centre of the room.
"Mr. Tobin and several others lifted
trap door and big cloud Of smoke came
up, All hands then got hand -grenades
aud tried to overcome the fire, but q mo-
ment later they saw n blaze.
q" l was then rushed off to send an
alarm. and ran to the corner of Maiden
boy had already rung twice. Several
others came up at tho came time, as by
this time tho smoke could be seen from
the sidewalk.
CROSSED WIRES TO BLAME.
"Tho fire probably started by the
crossing of wires, for when we lifted up
the trap the smoke smelled as though II
camo from rubber-covered wires.
AFTER sending the alarm went back,
l...N Il la1 4 Anfr
THE fire blnzed very rapidly. and by
the time got back the entire floor was
enveluped n smoke"
A. &. Wickes, n clerk at Ii Dey street.
also summoned tho engines.
Ho was standing on the street at 7.05
O'Clock when he saw smoke issuing from
the windows on the seventh floor. He
ran around to the engine-house in Church
street and notified the fremen.
HALF A MILLION LOSS.
At9 o'clock Thomas Brennan, assistant
manager of the Western Union Telegraph
Company, snid that he could not state
positively what would be the loss on in
struments. wires, battery, &C.. but
hought it would foot up to. if not exceed,
$500, 900.
Mr.. Brennan marshalled his day force
together at the Telegraphers'' Club rooms,
whence he is sending them in squads to
Jersey City. Hoboken. Harlem. Brook
lyn and every point in fact where
their wires enter the city, and all outside
business will be received at these points
and delivered throughout the city by
messengers.
1t will take some time before the city
lines can ho replaced, and put In working
order again.
The first wires that will be gotten in
working order will be the long circuits.
Mr.. William Henry Smith, general
manager of the Associated Press, said;
II suppose we shall have to resign
ourselves to our fate. Our great loss Is
in the destruction of reference books.
contracts and letter books, that held the
entire history of the Associnted Press
from ls45 down to the present day.
The loss is irreparable. The records
can never he replaced.
Mr.. Williams and myself suffer a
great private loss in papers aud books of
rare historical value, which We gathered
in Europe.
1.-The pecuniary loss OF the Associated
Press is comparatively slight. 1t will
probably amount 10 Sl5, 000."
The Associated Press has opened Offices
already in jersey City. and will receive
and send despatches there TO day. To-
morrow they Will be ut AIS Broad way, the
old B. and o. Office.
THOSE WHO SUFFER DAMAGES.
Following is complete list of all the
Offices in the Western Union building.
None of the tenants in the building suffers
any loss from fire, but more or less dam
age is done by water everywhere:
The Insurance Patrol covered all prop
erty in every story from the sixth down
with heavy tnrpaulins, and II is believed
that the damage has been reduced to q
minimum by this precaution.
Basement Western Union receiving and
delivery rooms.
Telegraph Company; Phoenix. Insurance
Second Floor-Jay Gould; Wabash. 81.
Louis and Pacific Railroad Company; Texas
and Pacific Railroad Company; ST. Louis,
Iron Mountain and Southern Rallroad; In
ternational and Great Northern RAILROAD;
aRa frps Missouri PSaeG Rs
Third Floor-Executive Offices Western
-Four Four Flaor"DiIi on < ( fiWayyne. electri-
cans Office, James Hamblet, time service,
Brown & Wells. Superintendent First Diyi-
sion Western Union.
Fifth Floor Gable department Western
Union: auditors department.
Sixth Floor Battery room.
Seventh Floor-General Operating-rcoms.
Eighth Floor-As4oclated Press; Book
keepinG Department. New York; lunch
Nlhtn flOor-hltcnen ana DeurOoms Tor
help.
Tenth Floor-storerooms for dispatches.
$780, 900 LOSS ON THE BUILDING.
Expert insurance men who were on the
SPOT estimated that the building had been
damaged at least 100000.
1t is impossible ~ yet TO ascertain the
amount of loss by water In the floors be-
low thoss on which the fire ragged, aud
equally impossible to state as yet the
amounts of insurance.
ONLY ROOM TRADING TO-DAY.
Business is practically suspended at the
Stock. Petroleum and Consolidated ex-
changes. only room trading" being
INDUCED in.
HUNDRED WIRES TONIGHT.
A permit having been obtained from
Mayor Grant TO string a cable, the
Western Union Company will establish
Its temporary service this afternoon at
ans broadway, and expects to have one
hundred wires working tonight.
No news was received to-day at tho
Maritime Exchange or the Barge Office
regarding the arrivals or movements Of
ocean steamships from Fire Island. Sandy
Hook or Quarantine.
Russell Sage is authority for the state
ment that all the necessary repairs in the
Western Union Building would be COM
Na