The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-28
Five Buildings on Wooster Street
Burned and Many Lives Imperiled.
One Woman Dead. Five Other Persons, Includ.
ing Two Firemen, Seriously Injured. and
Working Girl Reported Missing.
Metropolitan 0pera-House, One Of the
Finest in the Country, Gutted,
Total Loss Estimated at S775 ,000-The Play
House Likely to Be Rebuilt at 0nce-Ths
Burned Auncis Nail Mill-0ther Fires
NEW YORK SUFFERS Br FIRE.

NEW YORK SUFFERS BY FIRE.
The Metropolitan Opera-House Ruined and
Five Other Buildings Burned.
NEW YORK, Aug 27.-Fire broke ont a
1905 O'Clock this morning at No. 124 woos-
ter street 1t began in the basement of .
five-story brick building. and before it was
under control the structure in which the
fire started was destroyed and four build
ings adjacent. One person was killed and
five others more or less seriously injured,
while it is feared that O search through
the ruins will add to the death-rolL Mrs,
Ellen Hanley, twenty-three years old, was
badly burned about the face. hands and
body while trying to pass from the win
dows of 124 to those of 122 on q ladder. The
flames spread up from beneath and burned
her so badly she died in the hospital later in
the day. Morris Stack. q fireman. had HE
left leg fractured. scalp wounded, and was
internally injured. He will probably die
w. ID. Sperry. forty-eight years old. was
badly burned about the head and body
while trying to rescue q woman. Mary
Guinniso, seventeen years old. employed
in the building. was severely burned about
the head and body. jacob Lewesser, forty
years old, fireman, was struck by . falling
wall while on ladder and badly injured
about the head. William McCroy. fire.
man, was badly shaken mp. He fell from
the wall of No. 122 when il tumblcd. His
injuries are slight.
In the building where the fire started .
number of yonng women were at work.
The fire started In the basement. and cut
off all escape by the stairways The work
of rescue was extremely difficult and haz
ardous. No. 124 Wooster street is ah old
building and the walls came down with q
crash as soon as the fire had made head
way within. AS the walls fell Williams
MoCroy fell with them. At the same time
fireman Husssy was standing at the wins
dow on the third story of No. 122 WoosteS
street. When the wall fell he dropped
with it. His escape was marvellous. He
fell to the iirst floor, from where he was res
cued by his brother fremen.
The cause of the fire is not known. IL
started In the basement at the rear of 12s
Wooster street. and the first intimation Of
1T from the street was when the flames
were seen bursting out of the front W in
dows on the top floor. j. Goldberg manu-
facturer of picture frames occupied the
first floor and. basement of the building
where the fire started. His eighteen EN-
plUyes were all safely rescued VI. Blum
stock. cloth hat and cap manufactures. oc-
cupled the second floor. A number OF girls
and women were at work when the fire
broke out, but it is believed they got out
safely.
WHERE THE CASUALTIES OCCURRED.
P. A. Wagner. paper-box manufactures.
occupied the third. fourth anu fifth foors
Here also o number of girls and women
were employed. but the exact number IL
not known. Mary Hanley. Mary Guinniss
and Sperry, who were all injured, the first
fatally. worked for Wagner, and 1t ii
among Wagncr's employees that loss of life
IL feared. but no bodies have been found in
the debris.
When the roaring Of the flames gave the
first warning to the women in the third and
fourth floors. they ran screaming to the one
hre-escape. which was on the Wooster
street side. while those on the top flooI
rushed to the roof of the building adjoin-
ing, and from there crawlcd down the fire.
The building Nos. 1875 and 1ss Wooster
street adorned tho one in which the fire
broke out It stood on the southeast corner
OF Prince and Wooster streets. The fire
and gutted il, bnI the walls remained stand
ing. On tho corner of the ground fiooa
. stood &. Kern's saloon. On the second floor
T.. Vandoren had a job printing house, and
on the floors above LESSER 81 Israel had q
hat and cap mandatory. All the ocous
pants were taken out safely.
After cutting this building. the flames
spread TO the three-story brick building,
No. 124 Prince street. TINS was occupied
Ivy Kate Wyman, a dealer in paper. Ii wss
a fha w fal NJ
crash into the street as soon as it became
hot, carrying fireman Lewesser with it. T..
Kern. the owner of the saloon In the oor-
ner. lived with his family Ill O two-story
brick house, No. 120 Prince street This
was also Quilted, and the walls fell into the
street. On the south side of the building,
whore the fire originated. was . five-story
and basement brick building, occupied by
Bell, Butler d Co., dealers in furs and raw
wool. 1t was No. 12o and 122 Wooster street.
The flames Quilted the two upper floors Az
1920. when the fire was under control, all
that remained on the site of the fire waG
about twenty feet of wall fronting on
Wooster street.
The damage, as near as can be estimated, ID
placed at $500 on the buildings and
$125. 900 on contents. The buildings de-
stroyed and the Approximate losses were:
Bell Butler 81 Co.. wool and fur merchants,
the whole of the fve-story and basement
buildings, Nos. 124 and 126 Wooster street;
stock entirely destroyed, loss, 100000: in
eurance, SlO3,0OO. Goldberg United Statea
Picture and Frame Company. basement Of
Nos. 124 and l26 Wooster street; loss, S20.-
900. NJ. Blumenstock, cloth hat and car
manufacturer. second floor Nos. 124 and 1261
loss. So. 900; insurance. $4,000. w. j. Kel-
ley. printer third floor of Nos. 124 and 126:
loss, $4,000. II. Wagner. .pa aper-box manu-
facturer. two top floors of Nos. l24 and 126,
loss, $4,000. At 124 Prince street; loss, So.
ZOO. One-story building. No. 122 Wooster
street, occupied by +. Porden. shoemaker
loss. $4,000. Threo-story brick building
residence of Charles Kern, at No. 40 w oos-
ter street; loss. $4,000.
Clara Marez, twelve years old, employed
at l24 Wooster street, is reported missing
by her relatives.
, THE METROPOLITAN oPERA-HoUsE FIRE.
The Metropolitan Opera-ho one of the
most magnificent and expensive OF modern
play houses. occupying the entire block
bounded by Broadway, Seventh avenue,
Thirty ninth and Fortieth streets. In the
short space of an hour this forenoon was
ruined. The Broadway 'front.' was saved
by the firemen, but fully three-quarters Of
the square was made havoc by the fismes.
just. where the fire started is un-
known, but IL must have been in
the vicinity OF the stage, which
backs on Seventh avenue. How the
flames managed TO get such headway with