The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-07
A SLAUGHTER HOUSE BURNED.
Police Suspect Strikers of Starting
the Fire

J1C II AISs
New YORK, May 6.-At2 o'clock this
morning fire was discovered in the immense
slaughter house Of Swartz, Child & Sulz-
berger, Wholesale butchers, az Forty-flfth
street and the East river. The flames
spread so rapidly that second and third
alarms were quickly sent out, which
brought to the scene twelve engines aud
four trucks. Despite this force, the flames
gained rapid headway until they enveloped
the great 3-story structure. which was from
torty-htth to Forty-sixth street, and ex-
tends to the river.
In this building there were large quanti-
ties OF inhammable material, which fed the
flames to such an extent that by 2 80 O'Clock
the whole block was in flames The fire.
during It's progress, reached the lard tanks,
when terrific explosion occurred quickly
followed by four others, which shook ad-
Joining buildings almost to their centers
By $3.50 O'Clock the fire covered a space Of
'2O0x300 feet, and at that hour it was estf-
mated that already $3.50 900 worth OF
property had been destroyed At 3:45
o'clock the pier at the foot Of Forty-fifth
street caught fire. The flames ran along
the wharves until they were burning all the
way to Forty-seventh street. Vessels
| anchored near the docks were quickly towed
| out into the streams. There was a strike
OF the slaughter house hands early
in the evening, and the firm,
fearing that there might be some
trouble applied 20 the police authorities,
who In response sent the reserves Of the
East bifty-first street station to protect
their works. The strikers, who were mostly
Hebrews and numbered about twenty-five,
made no demonstration against the other
men, however. They quit work, they said.
because refused regular hours and one day
n Nv nlr hnxr hoxT hnnr, lInI
to work from twelyet to fifteen hours q day,
for which they were paid Sl1 per week.
The police have already begun an investi-
CATION into the circumstances attending the
fire, and, it ia said. they are working on the
theory that the strikers who left work last
evening had something to do with setting
the place on fire. The slaughter
house people occupied two blocks
from Forty-6ft 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-flfth
streets, where the former building was
burned down about year ago. Along the
river front there were a number of small
buildings used for the reception Of portions
of animal matter. They were consumed
together with the drying building, canning
building and engine and dynamo room, be-
sides a number of smaller ones. There was
Sl75, 900 worth Of machinery in one Of the
buildings
The elevator hoy was the first the dis
cover the fire. He saw sparks coming
through the elevator shaft This was the
building where TWO large engines of the
capacity Of 500 horse power and all the
electric lighting plant were. All this ma
chinery, including six boilers, was either
badly damaged or totally destroyed. On
Thursday night 525 head Of cattle were
brought to the slaughter house. They were
valued at $40 per head. The smoke worked
its way into the pen where the animals.
wereo Their believing could be heard
blocks away. 1t was with the greatest pos
sible trouble that the herd was gotten into
the street, where they rushed hither
and thither infuriated by the flying
sparks which fell upon them. By this time
the streets in the vicinity OF the fire were
crowded and many had narrow escapes from
being trampled by the infurIated animals.
They were finally driven into vacant lot
near by. The flames ragged fercest in the
canning department building, where was
stored about $4,000 worth of corned beef,
besides large quantities of bologna. 10 the
cellar beneath as well as under all the
buildings, down to the river were stored
1000 hogsheads. All were destroyed.
UNDER CONTROL.
NEW YORK, May g, 8 P. M.-The fire was
under control by o'clock, and is now ex-
tinguished. A cooler estimate by the own
ers of the burned property puts the loss at
about $3.50, 900.
The strikers are also acquitted of suspi-
cion in the matter. 1t seems pretty clearly
established that the origin was accidental,
and that the fire started in the fat-reudering
house. Several fremen were slightly In