The evening world., 1894-05-09
Clyde Line Freight and Catha-
rine Street Ferry Houses
Destroyed.
TENEMENTS IN GREAT DANGER.
Two Steamships and a Steamboat
lowed Into the Stream to
Escape the Flames.

Fire this afternoon destroyed a block
of freight and ferry houses on the East
River piers fronting On South street and
between oliver and Catherine streets.
doing damage Of about 500. 900. Two
steamships, the Eaglet and Hesper. and
the steamboat Rosedale. which were
moored at the docks. had narrow escapes
from destruction. The cables holding
them to the piers were cut and tugs
dragged them out into the river before
the flames had quite reached them.
Policeman Duggan. of the steamboat
squad, was riding in a street car down
South street on his way to report for
opposite the freight house Of the Clyde
Philadelphia Steamship line, piers 90 and
"a. near Oliver street, he saw a barrel
OF benzine blazing just in front of the
freight house On pier 80.
While he was looking the barrel FIX
ploded, n blazing benzine was scat
tered over the side of the freight house
which insanity, burst into flames. The
policeman jumped from the car and
turned in an alarm of fire from the cor
ner of south and Oliver streets.
AS soon as the engines arrived two
more alarms were sent In. and soon
mere were IL uoLSi Cii6iico oi ~
ground.
The blazing benzine from the first ex,
ploding barrels fired others, which ex
ploded in turn. and soon a huge heap OF
house on pier 80 were reached. They ir
turn, exploded, and helped to hurry the
flames on faster.
Within ten minutes the freight houses
were blazing from end to end, and five
minutes later they had extended to thu
Catharine street ferry house on tn
Long Island Ferry Company on TIL
west, which was destroyed. The fire die
not extend further west.
Meanwhile the f~ireboats New Yorker
Havemeyer and the 1reboat Seth Low
from Brooklyn, had ranged up in tn,
river below the burning structure anc
were pouring streams on the burning
The fire had not been burning more
Catharine street ferry house.
on the EAST 1t leaped along the hd iron,
and docks of the Peoples Steamboa'
line. whose steamers ply between thi'
city and Bridgeport, Gonn; The ne,
tugs soon dragged her into the stream.
At about the same moment burning
embers were carried across South stree
houses. and small fires were kindled OF
their roofs. Firemen were rushed t.
the roofs. They soon put out ,thes'
small fires. but remained on duty OF
the roofs and prevented the c~onfagra
ton from getting a foot on the norti
phal.nx of tenements and business
Somebody who feared that severa
people had been injured called ambu
!ances from the Chambers Street Hospi
tal and summoned the Rey; Father
dying.
one stream Of water was kept cor
crude machine oil in the street In from
OF the burning buildings. They. SCENE
70 be thoroughly drenched. and at Ia
transferred to the roof OF the Lon
Island Railway freight sheds. The strear
nad scarcely been shifted from the bal
refs when one Of them exploded, and |
vi instant the pile of barrels and poo
u oil n the street were one blazin
mass. The smoke rolled up In dens
nolumes, completely enveloping the fir
proper. For an instant or two the al
Was dark and then cleared away, leavin
TM3thing but the blazing empty barrels
me large, crowds shouted and cheere
az the sight.
The Clyde freight-house was reduce
Ar A. ruins in Less than half an hour, III
traame iremen and the freboats concel
Seglhning on the Catharine street ferry
ppouse and the freight houses Of Il
feople,s Steamboat line, adjoining II
~errg-house on the east. The ferr,
house was completely Quilted and II
bridges destroyed.
Ihe fire was ~eXtinguished in the PEI
aaSs line ,freight-house before it Ia
aone that building much damage.
dne hremen continued to play on tn
sfnouldering ruins for several hours.
Assistant Fire Marshal Frank say
ma the fire was started by a Careles
man with a pipe, who knocked the he
rel. N =" "f' :" '''
The occupants of the tenement-house
a scare which they will remember a
men lives. Many OF them packed the
sH2ns and removed them to the stree
Mhlle others were husily dashing waite
~ ne heated timbers which were
htaces so hot that they threatened
"urst into a blaze.
cMr. W. p. CLYDE. senior member of II
SnEtEne steamship Company. said to a
Evening World reporter that the loi
~ lhem would not amount to more tina
eoOut VS.. COO. all Insured. and dlstril