Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-05-12

NEW YoRK, May Cat 2 O'Clock, this
morning. fire was discovered in the inn
| mense slaughter house of Swartz Field
| IL Sulzebergress, wholesale butchers at
| Forty-ifth street and East river. The
flames spread so rapidly that second and
third alarms were quickly sent out, which
brought to the scene as many as II engines
| and four trucks.
Despite this force the flames gained rapid
hcadway until they enveloped the great
| three-story structure, which runs from
| Forty-tifth TO Forty-sixth streets, and ex-
| tends "a the river. In this building there
We're large quantities of iniammable mat
ter which fed the flames TO such an extent
that by 80 o clock the whole block was in
flames Fortunately the night was calm,
| otherwise the shipping in the vicinity
| must have suffered.
| Between 80 and o'clock no less than
| 16 streams were directed on the burning
| buildings and the fire boats poured d
deluge Of water on them from the river.
The fire burning its progress reached the
lard tanks, when
A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION
occurred, quickly followed by four others,
which shook the adjoining buildings al
| most to their centre. by $50 o'clock tho
fire covered space of 300 by 300 feet, and
at that hour it was estimated that already
| S-oV,uuo WoiSh VI property Huu pecH ue-
stroyed.
AT 3.45 o'clock the pier at the foot of
Forty-iifth street caught fire. The flames
ran along the wharves until they were
burning all the way to Forty-seventh
street. Vessels anchored in the docks were
quickly towed out into the stream.
There was strike Of the slaughter house
hands early in the evening and the firm,
fearing that there might be some trouble,
applied to the police authorities, who in
response sent the reserves of the East
Fiftieth street station to protect their
| works
The strikers, who were mostly Hebrews
and numbered about % men, made no
demonstrations against their other men,
however. They quit work. they said, be-
cause they were refused regular hours and
one day off every week. They had been
compelled to work from II to Is hours
day for which they were paid 81 per week.
The police have already begun an in
vestigation into the circumstances of the
fire, and ii is said are working on the
theory that strikers who left last evening
had something to do with setting the place
ON fire
The slaughter house people occupy two
blocks from Forty-iifth to Forty-seventh
and from First avenue TO the river, and in
addition, have large new building on the
river front, between Forty-fourth and
Forty-tifth Streets where the former
building was burned down about year
ago.
Along the river front are number of
small buildings, used for the reception of
portions OF the animal matter. They were
consumed, together with drying build
ing, canning building, engine and dynamo
room, besides a number of other smaller
ones. There was $4,000 worth of ma
chinery in one of the buildings
VALUABLE MACHINERY RUINED.
The elevator man was the first to dis
cover the fire. He saw sparks coming
through the elevator shaft. This was the
building where the two large engines, Of u
capacity of 5O0-horse power, and all the
electric light plants We're All this ma
chinery, including six boilers, were either
badly damaged or totally destroyed.
Thursday night 525 head Of cattle were
brought to the slaughter house. They
were valued at $50 per head. The smoke
worked its way into the pens where the
animals were. Their believing could ps
heard blocks away. 1t was with the great
est possible trouble that The herd was got
ten onto the street, were they
RUSHED HITnER AND TnITHER,
infuriated by the flying sparks which fell
upon them. BY this time the streets in the
vicinity of the fire We're crowded and
} many narrow escapes from being trampled
, by the infurated animals.
, The flames ragged liercely in the canning
department building, where were stored
500, ,000worth of cans of beef. besides large
quantities of bologna. In the cellar be-
meath, as well as under all the buildings
: down to the river were stored 600 hogs
heads.
THE Loss WILL REACH MILLION.
Superintendent Madden. in speaking of
the loss, said: 81 think without any doubt
, the loss will foot up nearly million of
dollars. The material which was stored
in the cellar was very valuable. IL was
insured" The concern employs about 45O
men, women and children, about 100 of
, whom. work at night.
NEW NoRK, Ma Cit now appears that
lesses by the fire at the l1orty-iifth street
slaughter house will not be nearly SO great
+, sis was at first estimated. Superintendent
!, Madden, when he placed the figures ut
sI,00O,00a, was far wide Of the amount.
A careful estimate made later to-day re-
. duces the loss to from 500, 600 to $3.50, 900,
but Mr. Suzbcrger, who was seen, said ii was
impossible for him at present to form the
most remote idea of what the firms loss
will be.
Q Mr.. Sulzbergcr also expressed the opinion
) that he did not believe that the fire was
: started by any Of the men who went ont
l on strike yesterday.
G The fire was under control at O'Clock.
9 Police Captain Kelley said he was con-
3; WINGED that the strikers had nothing to do
/; with the fire. Fire Chief Bonner shares
: in this opinion. Several firemcn received
c slight injuries.
e The mandate inthe Dean will case from
9 the circuit court Of appeals Philadelphia,
, was received at the United States court on
I Friday morning.
= Letters testamentary were granted on
: Friday by Register j. Wilkirs Cooch on
the estate of Jane Dorsey, deceased, to
+ John ). Dorsey.
Charles Higgins, Sr., died on Thursday
/. ut his residence, No. GA West Seventh
! street. He was employed by the Harlan
+ & Hollingsworth Company for 80 years.
: Alfred A. Waite has tendered Ills resig-
: nation MS night baggage-naster at the r.,
:. w lE L. railrnnl sIntinn la 1his city To