The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-10-01
.FIREMEN IN DANGER.
A Burning Factory Fell Apart
While They Were at Work,
Men Inside the Building Warned in
the Nick Of Time.
Flames Confined Amid Dangerous
Surroundings S7l 900.

The factory Of Jonas & Naumburg,
cutters of hattcrs' fur, in the double six
story brick building 80 and 5l2 West
Thirty fourth street, was destroyed by
fire this morning. The loss Is about
81 900.
Engine Company - was the first on
the scene. When the engine arrived the
place was on fire from cellar to roof,
and the flames had burst through "A
dozen windows. chief Bonner at once
ordered out "A third alarm.
Twenty minutes after the discovery
OF the fire. there was "A warning cry
from chief Bonner, and the men VINO
were working in the building and on me
ladder In front, were ordered TO the
street. as the walls threatened to fan
The order was not given minute TOO
soon. The men had not yet left the
building, when there came Il grOan OF
cracking walls, and many tons of brick
fell into the street, while mountain
OF flame leaped into the air. In the
dust OF the falling bricks and hyinH UNI
bers, 1t was soon known that the last
man had left the building as the wall
fell at his heels
The burning building had split in two;
half of the front wall. and all of that
on the west side had gone down, and
the flames were licking up what re-
manned like wax.
TN tlt DOTln Slut OF lHt ltClDIS ~ an
| apartment-house Three families who
occupied 1t were aroused by cries and
rushed out, to find the halls filled with
smoke. All got out In safety.
Back of the building, In Thirty-thrd
street, IL the four-story factory of the
| Central Lard Company, and next to II
the lnseed-oil factory of Decker n
| Co. Both these places are heavily
stocked with lard and oils. The build
lngs are separated from the fur factory
by a yard of twenty feet. Chief Jac-
quel had three streams on the rear of
| these buildings early.
Beyond the oil factories in Thirty
third street and close to the fire are
three tenement-houses, called the Bar
racks. There was II small panic in
! these houses.
The tenants woke to find the rooms
| lighted with the glare of the flames.
Soon the halls were filled with scream
ing women and children, while the men
were doing all in their power to get
the, household goods out of the fires
path
The flames raced though what was
| left or the factory after half Of 1t had
ialIen. The place was stocked with
bundles of furs. which burned Gcrceiv
anu gave out great light and heat. II
may have been In one of these bundles
or furs that the fire started from
| spontaneous combustion. or II may have
started in the drying-room on the first
noor. In the rest of the building there
| Is machinery for cutting up the skins,
and skins in the various stages of com
pletion for the making of hats and caps
The fire was confined to the factory,
but 1t required the most energetic work
from the members of the twelve com
pa nies that had been called out
Besides being the largest concern of
The Kind in the country. this is the busy
season In the business, and the stock
that was in the building this morning Is
the heaviest that has been carried for
| years past. There have been three fires
| In the building before during the past
two years, but none of them caused more
| than nominal damages.
| Mr. Naumburg, one of the firm said this
| morning that he would estimate the loss
| on the stock at $4,000 and that on the
| building at $4,000. The building was n
| forty years. 1t was erected as n dwell
| ng-hOusc. turned into a tenement, and
| afterwards for many years occupied as
| plano factory. The loss is fully COW
| cred by insurance.