The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-08-15

Three Lives Lost and $15O,OOO in
Property Destroyed.

New York, Aug 11.-At least three per
sons and possibly others were burned to
death in the fire that destroyed the six
story brick building at No 465 Greenwich
street this afternoon. Several operators
were injured by the smoke and heat, ana
by jumping, and two of them are expect
ed to die. The dead are: William Gray
foreman of electrical repair shop, and
two unknown men, two of whom were
caught on a fire escape and burned 10
death in view of the crowd. The injured
who are expected to die are: Felix Hass
and an unknown man. The other persons
hurt were taken to the hospital and then
home.
The ground floor of the building was oc-
cupied by A. X. Warren q Co., who oper-
ated the New York electrical repair shops.
The firm also occupied the fourth, fifth
and sixth floors. The second floor was &C.
cupied by Julius Cohen as a distillery.
and the third floor was occupied by Plaut
Bros. manufacturing jewellers. This
building was completely burned out, ami
so was the one adjoining at No. 467. The
latter building was occupied on the
ground floor by Alexander Hankow a
wine refner and the second floor as well.
The third floor was vacant, the fourth
was Occupied by John Laney as the New
York Pan company, and Kells Bros, cane
manufacturers, occupied the fifth floor.
The top floor was vacant.
How the fire started is not known, but
its origin is attributed to an explosion.
1t began in the rear on the ground foor
of No. 465 Greenwich street, and before
the alarm could be given the flames shot
up the air shafts and the smoke was
pouring out of the roof. Most of the PEI.
sons in the building were at work at the
machine shops of the Warren company on
the fifth floor of the building. Those who
were first to reach the file escapes sue
ceeded in making their way down to the
first floor landing. and from there jump
ed to the sidewalk. Those who followed
after they found they were cut or by the
flames and dense smoke which poured
in the windows below, and escaped over
the roof.
One of the last men to make the fire
escape on the fifth floor was the fore
man, William Gray. He was seen on the
landing for a moment. He was followed
by another man, who was not recognized.
The men on the roof shouted to him tc
take hold of a wire which they had LEI
down, but they either did not hear them
VI MtAt lOO lAl6nbclACO ~ w dhS lining
The flames suddenly shot up and drove
them back. When the flames shifted the
charred and naked bodies of the two men
were seen on the fire escape. Another UNI
known man appeared on the same fire es-
cape above Gray's body. For an instant
he gazed directly on the crowd below, IS
a sheet of flames swept the windows, and
when he fell back, his dead body was on
the grating.
The flames made their way through the
building at No. 465 quickly, and then
burned through the wall to the adjoining
building at No. 467. The flames were also
blown into the windows of No. 467, and n
a few moments that building was burning
from the top to the cellar Four alarms
were turned in, and for a time it looked
as If everything in the block would burn.
All the traffic in that section was suspend
ed, as the hose crossed not only the sur
face railways but the elevated roads as
WELL The eight or ten explosions added
to the excitement, but served a good pur-
pose in aiding the firemen, as thereafter
the flames were more easily controlled.
The individual losses are not known
definitely, and a total of $15O,OO0 is esti-
mated. Warren & Co.'s loss, as all the
others, was total, and is estimated at
S25, 900.