Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-16
A SCRAMBLE FOR LIFE.
Many Narrow Escapes at q Big Fire in New
York.


New YORK, September 25.-Fire
broke out in the Commercial Advertiser
building, on the southwest corner OF
Fulton and Nassau streets, at 9:15 this
morning.
In Is minutes the fire had gained
such headway that it was beyond con-
troll.
The flames were first seen bursting
from the windows on the second floor
occupied by Gibbs tailoring establish
ment. There were many people In the
building, and some of them had to
slide down the fire escape for life
through the dense smoke. 1t is be-
lieved that all escaped.
Dense clouds of black smoke rolled
up from the fire, attracting crowds OF
people who filed the side streets and
surged madly into Fulton street, giving
the police all they could do to keep a
space clear for the fremen. From the
| first it was seen that nothing could
save the building, and the attention OF
the fremen was directed to save adjoln-
| joining property.
On the second and third floors OF the
| building was the printing Office OF Doug
| lass Taylor. There were heavy presses
| on both Doors, and as the flames shot up
the air shaft the oil-soaked flooring un-
der the presses became ignited and
| blaZed up like so much tinder. The oc-
cupant on the ground floor were Ira
Perego & Co., John Simpson & Co. and a
| clothing firm on the corner OF Nassau
and Fulton streets. On the second foor
were J. Gibbs, tailor, and Douglass ray
lor, printer, who also occupied the third
floor. The fourth floor was occupied by
| jewellers and opticians. On the fifth floor
was NJ. Thorn, clock manufacturer;
Lockmeyer IL Usner and Remer & Sny-
der, printers; also w. B. Beach, broth
er of the owner of the building. The
sixth floor was occupied.
The fact that there were heavy print
ing presses on the second and third
floors, and that they were expected TO
! fall through the floors, greatly hindered
the work Of the firemen, who, mindful
of the Park Place disaster, heSitated 10
get too near the blaze. There were nu-
merous narrow escapes. John Gibbs,
who was on the second floor, came down
the fire escape so rapidly that MS
clothes were torn off and his hair was
singed. At q few minutes after ten
O'clock the walls of the three upper
floors of the building came crashing into
the street, causing panic, but no one
was hurt.
At 1920 the fire was under control.
At 1925 the outer walls OF the entire
Fulton street front fell in with crash
and so great was the concusslon that
windows were shattered in the Bennett
building, but no one was injured. Ihere
was considerable scarcity of water al
the commencement of the fire. -Four
alarms were sent out, but the stream:
80. ~ - -s-~- ..,O-n wank tho ,N~a"
flames rapidly spread 90 tae adjoining
buildings, and for q time even threat
ened the buildings on the opposite side
of the street The advertiser building.
which is said to have been condemned
by the Fire Department 25 years ago,
burned fiercely, and before the fremen
were able to obtain much greater
pressure of water, the flames burned
and spread with the rapidity of forest
fire.
The total loss on stock and building
is estimated at S4OO, 900, most of which
is insured. This includes $4,000 loss
on the stock of Ira PeregO, the gents
furnishing goods dealer, So far as can
be learned only two persons were in
iured at the fire. They are William
Nelson, tailor, who injured one of his
ankles while dropping from fire es-
cape, and Sam Roxbury, an engineer,
whose arms were burned. There are
estimates which place the loss between
$500, 900 and $3.50, 900. A lot Of loose
diamonds which were on the tables of
diamond workers in the building were
lost. They were valued at several
thousand dollars.