The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-06
By Members of the New York
Fire Department
TWENTY-FIVE MEN INJURED
Overcome by Smoke or Struck by
Falling Walls
The rianhattan Bank Building Is Destroyed,
Among Others, and Heavy Loss Is
Inflicted Upon Tenants


Associated Press spscial Wire
NEW YORK, Nov. GA fire started to.
night IN Keeps shirt factory, at Broad
way and Bleecker streets, which extended
TO Crosby street and Is estimated to have
done damage of 81. 600. 900. The com para
lively new building of the Manhattan
Savings Institution will be destroyed.
Two other buildings were damaesd By fire
and water. From the point where the fire
was first seen the flames ran OUT cklv
through the building, which extends from
the corner OF Crosby and Blocker streets.
through ths 1u-foot block until 1t makes
the southsast corner of Broadway and
Blescker street. This building was de.
stroysd. From this building the flames
got into the structure on the south, while
to the north they shot across the narrow
Blocker street. caught the enormous
building OF the Manhattan Savings In
stitution, the upper stories OF which soon
fell with great crash, while the fremen
were working on the lower foors.
Jacob Adler & Co., control the cloth ng
established emit on tns floor where the fire
started. Beneath them. on the ground
floor of the building facing Broadway, is
the Empire State bank. On the upper
fioers arc Lauterbach & Co., silks, and
several like concerns.
Half an hour after the flames were first
seen in the Crosby street side tn build
ing had bsen demolished. The walls still
stood ersct, but the apertures whore the
windows had bsen showed through them
a solid sheet OF fame. Notwithstanding
the heat, the firemen crowded the building
close. From the very first it was seen
ths building was doomed anG the only
chance was the saving of tho nearby
structures. An especial effort WAS made
on the Blocker street side to see that the
flames did not cross the street to the
eigbt.story Manhattan bank structure.
Suddenly, a few minutes before o'clock,
where all had been light fo- blocks around
from the glare of the flames, there came
darkness. From the rent wall there came
a great black cloud of smoke that blotted
out all light and became so pungent in
narrow Blocker street that the Are fight.
ers were forced to run for their lives.
Then the high walls parted, seemed to
hang in the air for moment. then fell
where fsW moments before the firemen
had stood.
The fve-ptory building to the south
caught fire with the falling of the walls.
and the hremen's attention vas turned to
that. Twenty of them were before this
house when an explosion came that shook
the building ana every window In the
house was blown into the street. iron
sh tiers were forced from their fastenings
and sent sailing through the air. 1t was
at first thought. that firemen had been in
iured BY the wreck of this building, but
when the first shock Of the crash was over
it was found otherwise. Two men who
had stood near had been blown across the
l,e ov,1xy tnh ~
TIE Manhattan building was Just
across the street. but efforts to save II
were vain.
Fire Chief Reilly and twelve men were
in the sixth floor, but the flames came
so rapidly that their escape was cut OF:
to the building to the north the chief and
eleven of his men escaped. The twelfth
man, Fireman Fitzgerald, crawled along
a narrow coping, but became SO weak that
two comrades had to climb out OF WIN
dow and lift him along the ledge many
feet abuve the ground, to WINDOW 10
the adjoining building.
Chief Reilly tainted when he reached
the street and was taken to hospital
with his back injured.
Fireman Walsh was overcome by smok
in rescuing Annie Coon, aged Z. and nv
children from a tenement.
There we're many narrow escapes ana
twenty-five firemen we're injured.
The Manhattan Bank building is occu-
pied by many concerns. In the building
were, among others Heidelberg d Co.,
clothing; Ouvebrook Brothers. silks;
Guarantee Silk company; Goldstone Il
Stern berg, clothing; Western Store work. !;
]. NJ. Vannote, hats; and John A. Flom :
merflet & Co.
Within three hours the fire had done a
damage of nearly $1,000, 900, the insurance
men estimate, and the heart OF the retail
| business on Broadway was in ruins.
The Manhattan Bank building was val
ned at about S}3, 900. 600. The stock, office
| fixtures, ETC., within the building are es-
| tnated to have been worth $500. 600.
| The buildings at Nos. 636 and 63s and GAO
! were valued at $500, 900 in round mum bers
| and the stocks the insurance adjusters
estimated to have been worth about
| So on, 900.