Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-19
MILLIONS LOST BY FIRE.
Nearly . Whole Block In New Yorl
Covered With Flames.

MILLIONS LOST BY FIRE.
Nearly . Whole Block In New York
Covered with Flames.
One OF the most destructive fires New
York has seen since the great IRE Of 1855
occurred last night. The IRE extended from
81. Raphaeps Roman Catholic Church on
9th street. west Of 10th avenue. to the
north side Of a1d street. The losses will
amount wen up into the millions.
The IRE was discovered at $40 pm. by a
Waterman employed by William Campbell
Z Company. wholesale manufacturers Of
wall papers at 512 to SIS West I'D street.
The IRE started in the boiler house. and
had gained great Roadway before it was
discovered.
When the nremen summoned by the first
alarm reached the scene they saw they
had hard battle to fght and five alarms
and the famous two mines" in quick sue
cession were rung.
The flames spread in both directions On
the east, Immediately adjoining the factory,
was the St. Raphaers Club, attached to st.
Raphael's Church In West 10th street. No.
sos. next to the club. was the house of DR..
Leighton; No. 20s, a private dwelling, and
the remainder Of the block to 10th avenue
was devoted to the fve-story wall paper
factory Of Nevins & Haviland.
Within half an hour after the fire started
1t had licked up all the houses between the
two large factories. and the Nevins & Hav-
Hand building was ablaze. 1t burned like
finder, and there was no hope Of saving it
from the very first.
Falling Of the Walls.
The Campbell factory extended back to
nst street. and before the firemen fully
appreciated the situation other buildings on
DIST street had taken fire. The walls of the
factory and the lofty tower. with its clock,
toppled over In successive crashes, and loud
explosions Of burning chemicals sent sparks
flying in every direction. The walls Of the
Nevins Haviland factory fell. one after
another. shortly after those of the Camp
bell factory had gone down.
On the west side OF the Campbell works
was row Of private dwellings. numbered
E22. 5M. 526 and SIS. and occupied by +. N.
Buskirt, Arthur Short, Mrs. McGirr and
Mrs. Cronin. respectively. All We're COM
pletely destroyed save the two last named.
The damage by fire on West 4lst street
In the rear Of the Campbell factory was
about equal to that in West AID street. The
George Schastey & Sons Manufacturing
Company on the south side Of that street
was caught by the flames In the early
stages Of the eonnagration and succumbed
completely.
v. Loewers' Gambrinus brewery on the
north side Of the street was saved, but
the engine house connected with 1t was
destroyed. Loewers stable and fifteen
horses that were stabbed there were burned.
while two tenement houses on the north
side were consumed.
The Church ON Fire.
In the rear Of the cabinet works of Schas-
tey q Sons. fronting on 4Oth street, is st.
Raphaers Roman Catholic Church. Father
Brady, an assistant priest, was holding the
October devotions In the holy rosary in
the presence OF q large congregation. He
was In the act OF pronouncing the benedic-
ton, when the church caught fire from the
rear. The congregation dispersed quietly.
The building was not much damaged. but
the altar service. vestments, ETC., were
taken to a place of safety.
Were They Saved?
When the fire started there were in the
Campbell factory four men, who were
working over time They were Richard
Stegers, James Bambrick. John Brill and q
man whose name Is not known. Whether
they escaped with their lives was not
known last night. for Sexton, the watch
man. was overcome while attempting to
warn them.
The widest excitement prevailed among
the tenants in the many tenements near
by during the progress of the fire. They
ran from their homes loaded down with
such effects as they could carry away. but
the houses which were burned were con-
sumed so quickly that they could save but
little. though they had ample time to save
their own lives.
the glare of the conf1agratiou Illuminated
the entire city and attracted great crowds
OF spectators to the vicinity. A stiff breeze
helped on the destruction and 1t was sew
eral hours before the fire department.
which was on the scene In it's full strength,
got the flames under control.
At LEO this morning the police reported
that the fire was under control.
The Losses.
The estimated losses are: Campbell &
Company. 100000. although Mr.. Campbell.
who was ON the ground. said that his loss
was not less than g. OOO 900, and was cover
ed by only $4,000 insurance; Nevins Il
Haviland. $780, 600: the private houses on
I'd street. S150.000; Schastey & Sons x2s. 600;
Loewers' brewery. $4,000: two tenement
houses $4,000; buildings on 10th avenue be-
tween z1st and 42d streets, principally tene-
msnt houses and stores, 100000: houses
tenements and factories on the north side
OF 42d street, the east side Of 1eth avenue
and the south side Of 41st street, which
were blistered and cracked by the heat,
S5e,0 600.
Such was the estimate of the loss given
by a conservative man, who thought those
figures too low.