The evening world., 1894-06-14


learned by the crowd of people which
had gathered in Elm street there was a
lively scattering to seek safer quarters
The heat from the fire was Intense
and greatly hampercd the firemen In
their work. So great was 1t that the
streams OF water from the hose-pipes
were turned into steam almost before
streams directed against the fronts of
the buildings opposite the fire seemed
to go up In a cloud OF steam.
Besides Vernon Bros. & Co., the build
Ing at 81 Duane street was occupied on
the second floor by the American Bel
gian Lamp Company and the Acme
and Paper Company. julius
Berbecker & Co, upholsterers' hard
ware. and walther & Co. were on the
third floor.
Above that the building was stored
with Vernon Bros. & Coz stock.
The fire also spread to the building at
81 and GO Duane street. which Is occu-
pied on the ground floor by Holmes &
Griggs. dealers In brass metal
by s.l5 O'Clock the fire began to eat its
way westward, and line after line OF
hose was run up on the roofs Of the
adjoining buildings. and their occupants
had fed, taking with them whatever
they could carry.
At the time the fire occurred thou
sands of persons were on their way
to work. These served to augment the
vast crowd which gathered In the vicin-
ity, and the police had a hard task to
clear the streets sufficiently to allow
the fremen to work.
The loss will undoubtedly reach
500, 900 or $500, 900.
The first alarm was sent in at 7.4s
from box 81 Duane and Elm streets.
At 752 a third alarm was sent in. The
first alarm brought three engines and
two hook and ladder trucks. The third
alarm brought nine engines and two
more hook and ladder trucks.
The fourth alarm, which was sent In
ut s o'clock from box l26, brought nine
more engines and another hook and lad
der truck, making a total of twenty-six
engines and six hook and ladder trucks
for the four alarms. The fifth alarm
was sent in at S.l5 from box s6, at
Broadway and Thomas street
The alarms were turned in from differ
ent boxes to avoid congesting the appa-
ratus at u single point.
Passengers who congregated on the
forward decks Of ferry-b boats coming
from Jersey City ON the North River
were caught. SO to speak. in a shower
Of fragments Of burned paper.
Large black fakes filled the air and
settled down on the hats Of the river
spectators. and many stopped In the
ferry-house on landing to brush Off the
relics OF the big blaze.
Near the foot of Warren street a
large sheet OF paper containing pictures
OF wrought iron nails fiuttered to the
sidewalk. The edges of the paper were
burned and a truckman who picked 1t up
put II in his pocket to keep as a SOU
venir.
A line OF hose stretched across Broad
way ut Duane street caused blockade
Of the cable-cars. BY Q o'clock there
was a line of cars extending down the
main thoroughfare as far as the eye
could reach.
Uptown. looking from Duane street
the line was being added to every few
minutes by fresh arrivals.
The passengers forgot their disap
pointment In the fact that they were
able to be present at the scene Of th'
confiagration.
Overlooking the scene of the great fire
from the dome OF the Pulitzer Building
the spectacle was a magnificent and un
usual one. Viewed at night II would
have undoubtedly been more impressive
than in the bright glare of the morning
sunlight, but as It was, the sight was q
fearful one when the confagratior
reached Its height. -.
Great jagged masses of flame wen,
leaping hundreds OF feet into the air
throwing out clouds Of thick black
smoke and dotting the sky with swarms
of burning cinders. At first the out
burst of flame seemed to be confined &c
comparatively small opening In the
roof OF the burning building, and the
blaze shot up in straight narrow
column to height OF at least two hun
dred feet, as though 1t were freed from
the mouth of gigantic blast furnace
Then. as portions OF the roof gave
way one after another. it was not lonl
before the seeth!ng crater was bounded
only by the four walls. and as the grea
rolling masses OF flame curled over thu
tops OF the corniCeS II seemed as 4