The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-16
A BLAZE IN GOTHAM.
Fire Destroys a Building at Fulton
and Nassau Streets

| Fire Destroys a Building at Fulton
and Nassau Streets.
New YORK, Sept l5.-Fire broke out in
the old Commercial Advertiser building on
the southwest corner Of Fulton and Nassau
streets at OILS O'Clock this morning. In fifr
teen minutes the flames had gained such
Roadway as to be beyond control. Flames
were seen first to burst from the windows
| on the second floor, occupied by Gibbs
tailoring establishment. There were many
| people in the building and some
had to slide down the fire escape for life
through the dense smoke. 1t is believed
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 space
clear for the firemen. From the first it was
| seen that nothing could save the building
and the attention of the firemen was di-
| rected to saving adjoining property.
RUSH FOR LIFE.
In the tailor shop of John Cribs, where
the fire is understood to have started, pee
pie came down stairs any way and every
way to get out. Ga the second and third
floors was the printing Office Of Douglas
Taylor. There were heavy presses on both
floors and as the flames shot up through
buO GA oHdAO bIS Ol-SOhhSO uLuSl
| the presses became ignited and blazed up
like SO much finder. The occupants on the
ground floor were Ira Perogo & Co., John
Simpson q Co., and the clothing firm on
the corner of Nassau and Fulton streets.
On the second floor were S. Gibbs, a tailor.
and Douglas Taylor a printer, who also
occupied the third floor. The fourth floor
was occupied by jewelers. and opticians.
On the fifth floor was NJ. Thorn, a clock
manufacturer; Lock Meyer. and Reymer &
! Snyder, printers, and W. B. Beach, a bro
Their of the owner of the building. The
sixth floor was unoccupied.
AFRAID OF THE PRESSES.
| The fact that there were heavy printing
presses on the second and third floors, and
that they were expected to fall through the
| floors, greatly hindered the work of the
tiremen. who were mindful of the Park
Place disaster and hesitated to get too near
the blaze. There were numerous narrow
escapes. j. Gibbs, tailor, who was on
the second floor, came down the fire escape
SO rapidly that his clothes we're torn off
and his hair singed. A few minutes after
| 10 o'clock the walls of the three upper floors
| of the building came crashing into the street,
causing alarm all around. No one was hurt,
| however. There was considerable scarcity
| OF water at the commencement of the fire.
At 1920 o'clock the fire was under control.
/
tire Fulton street front fell with crash,
ana 30 great was the conclusion that win
dows were shattered in the Bennett building,
| but no one was injured.
| THE LOSSES.
The total loss on the stock and building is
estimated at S400, 000 most of which is in
sured. This includes 100000 loss on the
stock of Ira Perogo, dealer in gentlemen's
\ furnishing goods. So far as eau be learned
only two persons were injured at the fire.
| They are William Wilson, a tailor, who in
| jured bis ankle while dropping from the fire
escape, and Samuel Roxbury, an engineer,
whose forearm was burned.
Other estimates place the loss between
$4,000 and $750,QO0.
| LOOSE DIAMONDS LOST.
| A lot OF loose diamonds, which were on
the tables OF the diamond workers in the
building, were lost They were valued at
several thousands of dollars. Among the
heroic acts performed at the fire was one
by Letter Carrier No. 1854, who extracted
mail from a letter box in front of
the building. When the front wall
of the building fell out, not only
the letter box, but the lamp post on which
it hung was demolished. Douglas Tay lor,
Nos. 81 and SO Nassau street, stated this
afternoon that be had stock and material
valued at $50, 000, but that on account of
the unsafe condition of the building he
could obtain only $4,000 worth of insur-
ance. He had fifty men employed, but he
believes that they all got out safely.