New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-15
THE WORK OF SWIFT FLAMES
THREE BUILDINGS IN THE PAPER"
DISTRICT BURNED
EARLY MORNING WORKERS DRIVEN PEII.MELL
FROM THE FACTORIES MANY ENGINES AND
AN ARMY OF FIREMEN SUMMONED
TO STBDUE THE BIAZE-TRAF-
FIG IN BROADWAY BLOCKED.

FIG IN BROADWAY BLOCKED.
a fierce fire broke out shortly before O'Clock yes
terday morning in the paper" district, az Duane
and Elm SITS. 1t spread with such alarming ra-
pdity that five alarms and several speca. calls had
to be rung before a sufficient force OF hremea and
engines could be secured 10 sublue the flames They
were not got under coniro, until three buildings
had been completely burned out. No one was in
jurel. though several girls carried ont of the
building in a fainting condition The entire loss by
the fire Is estimated at 10000
Smoke was first seen coming out OF Lachmanns
wlne-shop. the ground floor OF Nos. % ana "a
Ernst When the first batch OF engines arrived
the entire building ab,aze. third alarm was
out. bu, It several minutes after
the hremen got their hose trained on the burning
building before they could get stream higher than
the second floor. Meantime there great ex-
element in the threatened building. where ncar.y
three hundred girls employed by di6 rent
firms. The building In which the fire was discov-
cred IS an annex Of the six-story brick building
which extends from Nos 65 and 81 Duane-st through
10 Pearl-st Nearly all the occupants were engaged
in the paper and stationery business. The buildings
in Duane-st. were occupied as follows: First floor.
Vernon Bros. manila hardware paper; second
floor. Acme Stationery Company; third floor Amer
ican-Belgan Company; fourth floor. Julius Ber-
becker & Co. uphos;erers' hardware; hfih floor,
H. II. Curtis business directory.
HINDERED BY THICK SMOKE.
The flames spread from the Em-st. into
NernOns paper rooms and thence 10 the upper
floors. The building in Pearl-st. was also abaze
when the second force Of nremen arrived The
smoke was tremendously heavy. II impossible
TO see foot ahead through IL and the nremcn
greatly Handicapped. In the Pear-st. building
several hundred girls. employed by Koch q CO..
book manufacturers. had just started 20 work when
the fire discovered. They were thrown into a
panic hut hurried out without any mishap.
J.. O. Silver had narrow escape from being burned
TO death. He is manufacturer OF uniforms on the
fourth floor OF No. 2S E,m-st lie worked late on
Wednesday night and slept In his office The fire.
found him lying lounge enjoying peace
ful slumber when they burst open the door
About forty minutes after the fire brok" ont
the flames burst through the roof OF the Duane-st.
building. and swept along to Pearlst. by this time
the streets were thronged with engines. The NTH
alarm had brought them from "a far uptown as
Twenty nfth-st. The two water towers were also
hand one set NJ I'm puane-st. and tho
other in Pear-st. Their powerful streams wcr"
poured into the upper floor OF the burning buildings.
and there about eighteen smaller streams
deluHng the lower portions. How the fire started
no ore knew. but IT was the general belief thaNt
first broke ont In LeChmann's winc-shop AMI treu
spread NernOn'E paper stock som" OF the fire
men however. were inclined 20 think that the paper
stored in Nernon's cellar first caught fire, and
smOullered all night.