The record-union., 1894-05-14
DR.. Talmage's Tabernacle at
Brooklyn Laid in Ruins.
AS ARE ALSO SEVERAL BUILDINGS
ADJOINING.
Many People Seriously Burned In
Fire at Braddock, Pennsylvania,
While a Number of Others Receive
Serious Injury During Panic
which Followed the Explosion of
Tank Car Containing Benzine.
Special to the REcoRp-uS1oN.

OROOhl1Ns 1os " HAA~
Talmage was shaking hands with his
congregation to-day and about 200 people
were lett in the building, some one re-
marked: ''I smell smoke" Almost in
stantly tongue of fire was seen to leap
out from beneath the pipes of the organ.
DIR. Talmage commanded the people to
leave the church, and they lost no time
in obeying the command. Two OF the
Trustees who were in their room IN the
tower were overcome by smoke and had
to be carried out. Within ten minutes
after the first alarm had been given the
church was doomed. and the flames had
extended to the Hotel Regent, which was
soon beyond control Of the iremen. The
tabernacle and Hotel Regent were
totally destroyed, and the SummerHeld
Methodist Episcopal Church, together
with about twenty residences, were more
or less damaged. Loss about 8, 100000.
Dr. Talmage was shaking hands with
memb mberS of his congregation when the
fire burst out between the pipes of the
organ, and within ten minutes the Dig
tabernacle was doomed to total destruc-
ton. Adjoining the church was the
Hotel Regent, eight stories in hight with
a frontage of ninety feet on Clifton
avenue, and extending back 200 feet on
Wayerly avenue.
The fire spread from the tabernacle to
this hotel and then TO the dwellings on
Green and Oliver avenues, opposite.
The wind carried the blazing cinders
in such quantities in a sousheasterly dl-
rection that dwelling houses on Wash
ington avenue two squares away, were
also fired. The total loss will reach over
Si,000,0O0.
Mrs Talmage tells the following story
Of the fire: The doctor was still in the
pulpit shaking hands with the people. of
whom there were nearly hundred. his
back was to the organ, standing up at the
end OF the pew, talking with MIR. Martin
of Chicago, who wanted TO see the doctor
with messages from loved friends in that
city. The doctor looked toward the cell
ing and saw tongue of tire burst out be-
tween the pipes OF the organ. at once
called out, Doctor, the church is on fire..
He turned around and told the people
that the church was on ire, and went into
the study to get few things. l waited
Tor him AT the door. The flames spread
very rapidly, so quickly that some OF the
Trustees were overcome and had TO be
helped out. The doctor joined me soon
after, and we went down TO Lafayette
avenue, to a friends, where we remained
until we could hear that friends in the
Regent were out of danger and what was
the prospect of saving any OF the church
property"
The doctor held quite reception at his
home during the afternoon.
DR.. Talmage made q graphic statement
of the incidents connected with the fire.
He said: 'At the close of the church sery-
ice l was standing at the foot OF the pull
Dit, shaking hands with hundreds of peo-
ple from ali lands l was about through,
and walked toward the center OF the
church, where my wife stood, when she
out from the top OF the organ. L saw at
once that it was under full headway, and
my first impulse was to look around and
see how many people were IN the
house. To my great JOY there were
only about twenty persons IN the church.
and they had twenty-five doors TO get out
of. L felt certain they would all escape.
then went into my study, back OF the
platform, passing under the blazing pip
ing, to get my hat and coat, and then l
said 10 myself: Is it manly to run offY L
walked up and down my study room. re-
joicing that the fire had occurred when
there was no chance CT fatality. While
in this sort OF a brown study friend
rushed into the room, and, taking my
arm. said: Get out of this doomed room,
or you'll not get out at ALL We went out
into the church. One-half of the organ
was down, and the flames had leaped to
the root, and l came out. | saw that
nothing could save the building"
Tears were coming down the doctors
cheeks. and his voice broke as he told the
story. but in an instant he spoke with his
old yigor. ''fhere is mercy on top OF the
disaster. If it had occurred half an hour
before it would have been the calamity OF
the country. The church and all the
rooms adjoining were packed with people.
ana there would have left the whole
scene of indescribable horror. Or, if it
laA txvn rhrQn hnnrS taf
when the Sunday-school was in session,
there would have been thousand house
holds bereit in Brooklyn of little chill
dren, hapless children. What could they
have done? God cared for them, and
even in this calamity His mercy is in
finite. Personally, l feel not the least
item of disheartment. nor less faith in
COD, nor less hope for the future. This
long procession OF disasters Is lneXpllca-
ble-like what occurs III a family, four or
five die from fever. Could it be lnexpllc-
able we would simply accept the fact.
Our church has been burned three times,
and il has always burned on Sunday. 1t
is mystery that / adjourn until the next
world shall let us know"
When asked for his opinion as to the
cause of the fire, he SAID emphatlcally :
"Electric lights; electricity caused tins
fire. as it did in the last tabernacle on
Scheinmerhorn street"
Dr. Ialmage Salu. 4Ho liz may
change my programme, and don't think
will start on my trip around the worlu,
as l intended, tomorrow night L, now
ever, do not know what / shall do"
The fire spread with lightning rapidity,
and by sunset had destroyed property
worth nearly Sl,0OO,0U0. Ex-Supervisor
John Been, who was rehearsing with the
choir of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
two blocks in the rear of the tabernacle,
had discovered that the building was on
tire, and sent in an alarm to fire head
quarters. This was at once followed by a
second, third and fourth alarm, which
brought out all the apparatus in the west
ern district of the city. 1t was nearly
twenty minutes before the firemen ar
rived on the scene and The streams of
water were turned on the blazing pile
The church was doomed, and every eff
fort was diverted TO saving adjoining
nroDerty, In three hours only bare
wall of the costly structure remained
standing, The fire started on the second
story. and rapidly spread through the
medium of the flues.
Flakes of burning wood and red hot
cinders were shot up as from a volcano
and. carried by strong breeZes, they
swept through the air IN every direction.
Before long both sides OF Green avenue
was ablaze So were those OF Waverly
avenue. but as fast as they broke out the
people and firemen extingulshed them.
iPhe wall began to crumble and fall, and
at the same time flames were bursting
forth from the roof of the SummerIield
M. L. Church, only short distance
away.