New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-04

Remarkable guest Pat Shcedy, regular
boarder at the hotel, was downtown when nc
heard of the fire.
Il hurried back to the hotel as fast as possible
he said last night, and found my Wlie Ill hel
room nearly sufrocatcd. The entire house was
in n state of excitement We got out as quick as
we could and went to the Uilsey. where we
found the women guests of the Stnrtcvant liouse
hnddlcd together in the parlors like lost sheep
Similar statements from other sources sho" 'iia'
the best of order did not reign in Slr. Persons
hostcry during the night
RAPID SPREAD OF THE FLAMES
The fire in the theatre burst from the conined
spaces under the stage after midnight, ana
greedily devouring the light and costly scenery
leapcd into the nics, and thence to the roof. BY
this time the auditorium was a furnace, whose
heat carried destruction into the darkest rccesseS
Flame quickly filed 'hc entire space, but the IRE
seemed to burn without direction till the ropes
confning the automatic skylights over the stage
par,ed and the frames lell leaving large holes IN
the roof Then the back draught set in and all
the volume Of fame and heat and smoke was
sucked backward from the doors 1t was the
falling Of these Skylights that aroused the
neichborhood. Until that moment the hFc
had caused no great noise; until then 1t had
not burned at all, as compared with the fury that
possessed it when it reached throuIh me & r1oa ,a
and licked the very sky. No nope lhch iof 'he
playhouse. Its doom sealed.
Rctorts for gases used for INC caiclum Ish,s .is
exploded one after another. frightening all who
heard them into the belief that guhpo"uer WIS do
work in Crooks gun-storc
Chief Bonner turned the attention of his men
toward the surrounding roofs, not onlE N 'He ne
Gilsey block. but in the blocks opposite. Ae
one time it looked aS if Days Theatre was
threatened, but the gale saved IT,: =.
The Brewer House, right IN the pain OF ire ire
faithful cNertions of the ircmcn. Peter hlIsey
house adjoining the theatre. caught IRE ana
burned ill TWO rooms IN the upper stoTy were ire
water and Mr.. GilSey was obliged TO spend the
night elsewhere.
uin,RMNNN'S MARROW escape
Vcrrmann's Theatre had a narrow escape By
n strange oversight the iron shutters OF WihioW
over the balcony had been left open. and through
thi, space the flames crcpt, burning a curtain and
partly destroying the easing. \ fireman closed me
shutters in time 10 save the mouse from iuI'n'i
Fifcu,n describe the fire rs one of the widest
and hottc,t they ever COPIED with, and the de-
nortmc,t feel, that in saving the surrounding
pr,r i,,i,,r' !, bad IFS hands full. The
storm of sparks was terribly magnificent.
Flaming bits of scenery. half 3s large as a nl3n'
,ycrr borne high in air on a whirlwind of fire, to
spin and dance and leap till waited 10 some
distant root T. is pleasure to WTff 'nar me
fearful odds, and IN the end conquered olIE
"n. was injured. Chief Fisher was cut over the
eve by falling debris. but continued ms l1hoTs
The flame, were under control ~ o'clock, ana
~ daylight tie ruins were snouldering NJ noon
they were cold.
HOW DID TIE FLAMES START
Two theories are advanced concerning the cause
~ the Ere The most probable is that ore Of the
"supc-s~ failed to cNtinguish thoroughly his
torch. and throwing il down car""SslN II started
. blaze in heap of rubbish uudcr the stage
Itn r,lp ttspI
the storm scere caused the trouble. those VINO
first noticed the smoke said that II smelIcd IKE
iirr-crackcrs There seems 10 De no DOUBT thht
the fire began under the stage.
Tie reported loss Of lives is myth. John
Crawford general agent OF the National Iash
Register Company, with an ono" ana 81 esf)oin
i'm thr block hurried 10 the place when ne hcarn
Of The fire. and attempted 10 PIT hls stock wh'ir
II might be safe. Some of the machines Wel4h
200 pounds one Of them fell on him. breoking
both his legs near the ankles. lie was taken 10
his hous, IN thirty y-nlnh-sts suffering great
SOME ESTIMATES OF THE LOSSES.
Peter and EIcnly Gilscy place their loss on III"
theatre alone at 100000, on which th"re IS an
insurance OF $4,000, distributed among twenty
live or thirty cimpones The value OF the rest
oi the property Of tie Gllscy estate in The block
including llcunam's Theatre, WhicA IN rraIlt
hrlougN to MIS-. Henry GIsev. Is placed AZ S51"-
uUu and the Insurance ON i Il 1000. also Wide'
distributed The loss This property IS c1s.
covered hv S1J.00o the a;nuol rental ot th'
r'rL tvcnuc Theatre was $50. .ooo Peter Gils'y
sild that new tncatr" would I've hdIii oi onrr on
the old sbc II >o II viii hr acNt To the smallest
playhouse in Ncw-lork. The LOT Is o1 by loo
nrf l'ulcr ih, new bulldlug law a the'tr' IN
The Interior of u block must have an open Sp'rr
or area, -,y\ on each side ot not lt-,> than cI-ht
(rc, ald. the Prevails mast he not less
than twcntN-ionr .rNIc> thlch lhS re-
duccS the width of the proposed th'atr'
r",cr r" ,'' ,l,n ' -~iSon Siarc. TWO itct mar
rover thru the Standard and two trr' wider thon
The BJou But II Is not likely that the 'Ii~N'
will build any such doll house as that. GclnG
owners of tie adjoining property they can use
20. much s3acr ~, they need. II .ul."l2! hN
lcas.hol!rr, on the east or Broa!wa, S,dr they
can tear away their o"n dwelling on %" west. a'i
Nr Plcr>on', lo>,,s ON furniture, carpets. etc,
iu tine Nturt"Naut House VIII W"'h Nl","op or
S?oooo lie said that l25 bedrooms and their
content, were injured by water Evcythin. is
rllIy covered 10y Insurance The loss 20 tir
Leland estate is estimated at S?5,ooo. also IN
.urcd. :, ., g.
The Gilscy House was uniniurcd. Mr. lhc'lin
is m saratoga. There was Sc>!c cAct 'ricnt among
The guests when tine StuItc'\t H"uSe can1hi
Other io,sDS are as follows OG:">, Block
j. and j. slater. shoe, 40. I.l-5 rr}Nvay 300;
John Hcycr liquors Np. 1.l0b. basement, @-'"o'
X,ronal Cash Register Company. No. Ilso. 5000
insured IN North American. ,,
j. Is. cook a CO.. sporting goods no l'i'i'
s-.00o. partly insured. ......, =, ,,o-
st 400. insured m Liberty and Commercial 'hlon'
4 Ftirch nori,t. No. l1"'. nomim! no llNu % ''l,'
II WHIT. Jcwrlry Company. No. 1l'o, nominal
no Insurance , ,,,,,l.. .n,,,,, y,
Ola staten Island LFNlHF H"'''"""''''' '
/ 1879. ~ OOh. insured 40. ,o,o,. i,,,u,,
~ j. Wc-,nnn. tailor. No. I2ol. $1,000. h>nrri
n tIr.r companc,: Phoenix, NJ llArttoM Hlnh.ncW'
rn,nr,tcut Fire Anglo American, LloNdN fht' 'Il'>
park,,,' and Produce Dealers ana 'omnl'r'lHI "l
California. go ,,..t., pol ,,,t,hc. and
,orks 80 ilS- 800; insured for =. ."u lE,ii ",'
Ha Hnr,i Hbinr crod, No. IGgO. $2oOoO Insured ior
80 on1 in Frrmcn'> of Eo>ton and Tl2ooo IN t,re
nrm's of Philadrphia J II. Grocan. hid gloves, NJ"
i"5 500 900. insured fpY $1,000 In Liverpool ana
London and Globe !. G. Devil coINetr: N" l,lyt'
-, 0oo. iu.urrd I'm Gol" of New York. r. y bloph>'
hoe Nn l06 10000. insured for $1,000 IN ten
r"un,nn, and $3.50 In Nlctripclitln Glass Company
Total estimated loss $iOooN
HAS THE LICK or uERRMANN'S tllAN"EDE
H. l..-1 L...r..-llnc f.Llur. the .lnN Of Ihr